Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-02-15
Queen Victoria and the Alabama Claims.

Queen Victoria and the Alabama Claims.
In her speech at the opening of Par
on the 9th inst, Queen Victo-
ria referred as follows to the Washing
ton treaty:
"The arbitrators appointed pursuant
to the Treaty of Washington for the
purpose of amicably settling the Ala
qama claims, held their first meeting in
Geneva. Bases were laid before the
arbitrators in behalf of each party to
the treaty. In the case so presented by
the United States, large claims are in
cluded, which are understood on my
part not to be within the province of
the arbitrator. On this subject 1 have
caused a friendly communication to be
made to the government of the United
States. The Emperor of Germany has
undertaken to arbitrate on the San
Juan water boundary, and the cases of
the two governments have been pre-
sented to his Imperial Majesty. The
commission TO sit at Washington has
been appointed and is in session. The
provisions of the treaty which require
the consent of the Parliament of the
Dominion of Canada awaits its assem-
bling"
The attendance of members of the
House of Commons was unusually large,
and the opening session was rather
stormy. Mr.. Disraeli called the atten-
ton of the house to the paragraph of
the royal speech in reference to the
arbitration of the Alabama claims.
He animverted at some length
the faults of which he blamed the For
eign Secretary, Earl Granville, and
Premier Gladstone. In view of the de-
velopments which had been made by
the assembly of arbitrators of Geneva,
Disraeli wanted to know why the Gov
eminent was exultant over the edifica-
ton it had given to Parliament on the
subject. The royal speech was signally
unsatisfactory, and showed, in his
opinion, that the Government still
lacked aproper appreciation of the gray
ity of the question at issue between
England and the United States. The
American claims were greater than
those which would follow a total con-
quest. They were preposterous and
impractical, and. if admitted, would be
land. Yet" said Disraeli, ,sneering-
ly, "the whole subject is disposed of
in one brief paragraph of the royal
speech"
Mr.. Gladstone followed in reply. He
said that the Treaty of Washingtonitself
shows that England is ready to make
every concession, short of national
honor, to establish friendly relations
with America, and to set an example to
be followed by other nations hence
forth. "The Government" said the
Premier, sis ready to explain every
thing in connection with the treaty, but
it will not admit that it has unwittingly
made a mistake" The paragraph in
kLo -@aoaI -, H. 1-1, e., -----
taxable Interpretation of the treaty. He
could, if desired, refer to the preposter-
GUS character of the American demands,
which, of itself, proved their absurdity,
for they were such as no people in the
last extremity of war or In the lowest
depths of national misfortunes, with the
spirit of the people of England in their
hearts, would ever submit to. [Cheers.
Mr.. Gladstone concluded by saying the
Government would maintain the position
it had taken firmly, though in a friendly
manner.
The following is a summary of the
claims against Great Britain that are
made in the American case before the
Geneva Conference
I. For the destruction of vessels and
property belonging to the Government
of the United States, $4,000.
LIZ TUT buS ocSGTuCGlOu VI A0TCud1b
vessels, and property sailing under the
III. For other damage or injuries to
persons, growing out of the destruction
of each class of these vessels.
lin respect to this item the cease"
says it is impossible at present for the
United States to present a detailed state
ment, but the amount of the claim can
not be less than hundreds of thousands,
and possibly millions, of dollars.
". For national expenditures in the
pursuit of the cruisers, $7,6S0,478.
v. For loss in the transfer of the
American commercial marine to the
British flag. % e!ET- -.ar.
I'm respect to this item the United
States ask the arbitrators estimate the
amount which ought to be paid to them,
after we submit statistics in respect to
our tonnage before and after the re-
VI. For enhanced payments of in
surance by citizens of the United States,
SO far as now known, $1,12O,795.
VII. For the prolongation of a civil
war, the addition of a large sum to the
cost thereof, and of the suppression of
the rebellion.
AS to this item the United States
claim that after the battle of Gettys-
burg offensive operations by the insur-
gents were conducted only at a
throughth the Anglo-C Confederate cruisers,
in the hope of involving the country in
a war with Great Britain, and that the
latter ought in equity to reimburse the
United States for the expense thereby
entailed upon them.
VIII. Interest upon all the claims up
to the day when the award is payable
by the terms of the treaty, which is
twelve months after the date of the
award, at the usual rate of interest in
the city of New York, where most of
the claims of individuals are held, which
United States claims that interest
should be computed from an average
day, say July 1, 1868.