The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-04-04
COLUMBIA u S. C.
Thursday Morning. April 4. 1872.
Tho Geneva Arbitration.


that the agreement to submit the differ
ences between the two great nations to
the Judgment of Judicial tribunal,
will prove a grand failure. The treaty
was landed on both sides OF the ocean in
grandiloquent strains, as marking q
great epoch in the march of civilization,
when nations shall cease to refer their
quarrels to the arbitrament of the
sword, but, like indivi 1uals, shall ssub-
NIT them to the inquiry and determina-
tion Of peaceful court. The ''amica-
pie arrangement, however, from the
present condition Of affairs, does not
hold forth any very fattering prospect
of ultimate success. Upon the prenen-
tation of our "cnse," with its counts for
indirect damages, covering hundreds of
millions OF dollars-in fact, nearly the
entire cost of our late civil war, from
and after the battle of Gettysburg
John Bull gave below of wrathful in
dignation, that was re-echoed through
out his mighty realms. The English
press and the people pronounced such
claim preposterous, and signified their
determination to draw out of the game
Immediately, if such Yankee tricks were
to be praoticed and sustained by US as
fair play.
Our Government seemed astonishe ed
and utterly unsuspecting Of the outcry
and denunciation with which our ''case"
would be received, and would, doubtless,
withdraw the claim for indirect damages,
but has not the moral courage. Grant
is probably afraid that such an unmis-
taxable "back down" would sacrifice his
popularity and defeat renewal of his
lease of tho White House, which is the
darling object of his heart. On the
other hand, there are equally weighty
reasons that prevent him from manfully
and unequivocally sustaining the ''case"
as presented by the counsel OF the
United States. Such an attitude as
sumed by him must result in the COM
plete failure OF the treaty, as England
firmly asserts that she will not continue
the arbitration if our case is not modified
to meet her ideas of what is just and
fair. The arbitration, if successfully
ended, will be the chief feather in the
cap of the present Administration. It is
the only important measure Of foreign
policy that Grant has undertaken, and in
that view. it is both natural and proper
that he should anxiously desire to have
it crowned with successful issue. But
bull-necked stand on the part Of our
Government involves great risk of war
with England, which, in the present
condition of our army, navy and gene
raj war naateriel, and the evident disin-
clination OF the great majority Of our
people to have another war thrust upon
them on the heels of our bloody and ex-
pensive OWL struggle, may prove not
only DISASTROUS to the country in the
end, but ruinous to Grants Presidential
aspirations in the coming campaign.
The only chance now left OF continu.
ing or completing the arbitration is by
compromise. and to this end diplomatic
correspondence between Mr.. Fish and
Lord Granville has been directed for
some time past.
The exact nature Of the propositions
on the one eide and the other have not
been specifically made known; but il we
may Judge from the recent tone of the
London papers, her Majesty's Govern
ment is now very compIacent, and is
congratnlating itself upon the situation
in which the ve1ed questions now rest.
The intimutions from these sources are
that our Government is willing to sacri-
flee the substance for the shadow.
We insist upon retaining the counts
for indirect damages, but proffer to fix
the amount beyond which they are not
to be assessed, and that amount only
such as Great Britain would be willing
to pay as direct damages. This is essen
TALLY as much of back-down as the
actual modification OF our case in accord
ance with England's demand would be,