Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-02-14
The Alabama Claims.
wuAI THE BRITISH Los Is GROWING Al
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80 NstAAs"- - - NA+AH' 49," -
Tie big VOLUME containing the Amer
E can case a Geneva has bsen eireulatet
D 10, little in this country. aud few Of on
people know exactly what il Is the Eng
= lish are 20 angry over. Wequote, there
fore, from the sixth chapter Of the book
the substance Of our demand for cOuse
quential damages, which annoys the Eng
lish so much:
= lin the opening conference Of the joint
bigh commission relating to the Alabams
! claims, the American commissioners stat.
ed the nature Of the demands Of the Uni
ted States. They said that there were
, extensive direct losses in the capture
aud destruction Of large number Of YES
sells, with their eargoes, aud in the heavy
national expenditures in the pursuit Of
the cruisers; aud indirect injury in the
transfer of large part of the American
commercial marine to the British flag in
the enhanced payments Of insurance, in
the proloDgation Of the war and the sup.
preston Of the rebellion" They further
said that the amount Of the direct lcsscs
to individuals (which had thus far been
presented, amounted to about sli, 3OO,-
900 without interest which amount was
liable to be greatly increased by claims
which had not yet been presented" and
that the direct loss to the government ''in
the pursuit Of cruisers could easily be as.
certained by certificates of government
accounting officers" They added that sin
the hope Of amicable settlement, no esti-
mate was made of the indirect losses, with
out prejudice, however to the right of in
Identification on their account in event of
no such settlement being made" The
British commissioners declined to make the
"amicnble settlement" which was proposed
on the part of the United States. The
joint high commission then entered into
negotiations which resulted in an agree
ment sin order to remove and adjust all
complaints and claims on the part of the
United States, and to provide for the spec
dy settlement of such claims" thatall the
claims growing out of the acts commit.
ted by the several vessels which had Civ
en- rise to the claims generally known as
the Alabama claims, should be referred
to this tribunal of arbitration. 1t was
further agreed that this tribunal, should
find that fGreat Britain had, by any act
or commission, failed to fulfill any of the
duties set forth in the sixth article of the
treaty, or recognized by principles of ip-
ternational law not inconsistent with such
rules, might then proceed to award a sum
in gross to be paid by Great Britain to
the United States for all the claims re.
lerred to it." The claims, as stated by
the American commissioners, may be elias
sified as follows:
|. The claims for direct losses growing
out Of the destruction Of vessels and their
cargoes by the insurgcnt cruisers.
2. The national expenditures in the
pursuit of those cruisers.
B. The loss in the transfer of the Amer.
can commercial marine to the British FLAG.
4. The enhanced payment Of insurance.
3. The prolongation of the war and the
addition Of a large sum to thecost of the
war and the suppression Of the rebellion.
So far as these various losses and ex.
grew out Of the acts committed
" the several cruisers, the Uni ted States
re entitled to ask compensation and re-
therefor before this tribunal.
The claims for direct losses growing
nut Of the destruction of'vessels and their
argoes may be further su bdivided into:
first-Claims for destruction of vessels {
nd property Of the government of the
United States. Second-Claims for the
estruction Of vessels and property under S
he flag Of the United States. Third t
)lalms for damages or injuries to persons
rowing out Of the destruction of each =
lass of vessels. t
The United States asks the tribunal of c
FILTRATION to estimate the amount which
ught to be paid to them for the transfer 3
the American commercial marine to the |
British flag in consequence of the acts of Q
be rebel cruisers 1t is impossible for Il
nc United States to determine il is per- G
APPS impossible for any one to estimate q
nth accuracy, the vast injury which these J
rnlsers caused in prolonging the war.
The 18th of July, 1868, saw the aggres. q
i've force on land of the insurrection n
rushed. From that day its only hope J
~ in prolonging defiance until, by the !
ontinuance of the permitted violations of !,
British neutrality by the insurgents the }
United Stairs should become involved in. f
olved in a war with Great Britain. The
Insurgents had at that tilno good reason !, |,
look for that result. The Florida, the :