The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-02-14
Vain COMPLAINTS.

Industrious readers have been perusing the
extensive work called the american Case
volume of five hundred or more pages-to as
certain if possible what there is that Great
Britain is making such loud complaints over
1t now turns out that the very matters about
which England complains are not in reality in
the case or only vaguely stated. For example,
the principal demand to which our British
friends now address their Incorporate denun-
Citations is what they represent as the claim for
the cost of prolonging the war after the battle
of Gettysburg. Now the words in which this
so-called ''claim" is urged, are these ("Case,"
page 479): e. -r..1.l
'Thus the tribunal will see that, after the
battle of Gettysburg, the offensive operations of
the insurgents Ueye conducted only at sea, through
the cruisers; and observing that the war was
termine whether Great Britain ought not, in
equity, to reimburse to the United States the
expenses thereby e7tdiled upon them"
This is said to be by far the strongest sugges-
ton anywhere made in the case in favor of in
direct damages. This is certainly very mild
demand. sta ~
The suggestion made about the transfer of
our commercial marine to Great Britain is still
less specific. In the course offthe argument in
favor OF awarding "a sum in gross" this pas
sage occurs:
''The claims as stated by the American COM
missioners may be classified as follows:
l. The claims for direct losses growing out of
the destruction of vessels and their cargoes by
the lnsurgent cruisers.
2. The national expenditures in the pursuit
of these cruisers
3. The loss in the transfer of the american,
commercial 1n0rj31o tO ha Rrificb 40
4. The enhanced payments of insurance.
8. The protongation Of the aoar and the add-
ton of a large sum to the cost of the war and
the suppression of the rebellion.
SO far as these various losses and expendi
lures greao out of the acts committed by the seq
erdt cruisers, the United States are entitled to
ask compensation and remuneration therefor
before this tribunal" (P. 469.)
But whom it comes to the detailed explana-
ton of these items, and the amounts claimed
under them, the first second and fourth class
es of claims are presented in definite form care
full statements and estimates are given, show
ing the amount of each, and following up the
specific demands made in Part ", for compen-
sation under the head Of each vessel But the
third and fifth classes are left to stand alone.
The third is neither explained nor supported
by anything whatever except some of Mr. Cob
denis rhetoric during the war NAV IS. 1864: y
and the fifth by nothing but few words of still
wagner argument to show that the war contin-
ued after 1868 mainly in the hope that cruisers
would bring us into war with England There
is no pretence of an estamate of the damages
suffered under either head, and no specific de-
mand that any award be made for either.
1t is said that the language of the American
case is not diplomatic and conciliatory but on
the other hand, is hostile and lawyer-like like a
declaration in court demanding damages for a
wrong. 1t is possibly this tone of the docu-
ment that frightens our British brethren.