New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-02-17

against destroying the Treaty, while The Pal Mall
gazette has shown day after day. with eearness and
Vepcy that our claim for indirect damages Is fairly in
cuded within the terms Of the Treaty. Yesterday il
printed alone all the papers, the protocol bear
ing most directly the question, and Analysed it with
view 10 prove that the course OF the negotiations Is
itself complete justification Of the American cOnstruc
ton OF Treaty We need not infer that The PdU MAI
Gazette does this out of good will TO us. 1t has always
BEEN and still is one Of strongest opponents. But
for the moment is bent on making things
Portable for the Ministry than OF 1nding stne United
States in the wrong
Strong as the language OF the press in general IS it is
no stronger than that which have to- listen to every
day from every Englishman whom meet, with the ex-
ception OF select band with whom have a tacit under
standing not discuss the subject at ALL That under
standing dates from Mr. Summers speech-a speech
which, from fault of its own, made life England for
months considerably less pleasant to an American
than il had been before. There some old allies OF
ours who since that time have seldom found themselves
in a mood to discuss claims nationally ana that Is
even true Of who read the speech They and others
less delicate minded. said then and say now, that we
have given the AngORebes triumph over the friends
of the Union that they hear all sides that disagree
able 81 told you So" which IS difficult TO bear with
patience that they themselves have no longer anything
to say in defense; that all Europe tmeaning the
COogne Gazette and the Journal DIES Dfbdts Is against
us that it would have been better to 30 to war; that 1t
would be better 10 go To war than 10 submit 10 arb
tration the question of their liability to pay some humid
reds of millions sterling and great many other things
which are neither gOodnatured nor distinguished for
good sense do not like to repeat them should be
glad TO suppress every word tending 10 increase exas
peration on either side but have choice in the mat
fer MY business is TO report faithfully as can the
actual state Of feeling and discover the least
indication that Englishmen likely for some months
to come, 10 take reasonable view of this difficulty.
The course which the Government has taken indicates,
or ND TO certain point did indicate, either great indie
CisiOn, great socitude to avert COLLISION 1t may he
that they did not anticipate renewal at Geneva of the
claims for consequential damages. II is certain that
when Lord Cairns pointed ont last July in tho House OF
Lords that such claims were prescntahle under the
Treaty Lord RpOn and the Duke of Argyll repudiated
the notion. do not remember that Lord Granville said
anything about it, hit the understanding OF Lord Rfon,
who of the English Commissioners, must have
been shared by his chief Yet il is equally certain that
the intention OF presenting such claims was always in
the mind of our Government ! happened To be in
America just after the ratification of the Treaty, and
conversed with of the trainers of it on our side,
and with some other Americans whose position made
their declarations such matter authoritative. Being
In England while the negotiations went on in Washing
ton had accepted notion which universal here
that had waived expressly and tacity our claims on
account of the hasty and unfendy recognition 10y Eng
land Of Rebel bohgerency, and said SO In letter 10
TIE TRIBUNE, published last May by the next post
came letter from Senator whose opinion on that
point could not be disputed, assuring me was wrong,
and that should find that all the old claims were III
Guided in the Treaty and would be pressed of Geneva
and he cited chapter and verse 10 prove it. Similar
assurances came from others whose share in making the
Treaty precluded all possibility Of their being mistaken.
Now how came that this should have been so clearly
understood on one side and understood at all on the
other it, indeed il was not understood There was no
secret about it, Our view was freely stated and talked
about and even Engishmen admitted that the phrase
olOgy Of the Treaty our present cial II. How
came it that Lord de Gray and his colleagues signed
Treaty the meaning Of which they did not comprehend
How came 1t that they lived in Washington, seeing
everybody conversing with everybody ard yet lett the
country persuaded that the Treaty which they had
drawn and TO which they had put their hands barred
us from making claims which no American had the est
notion Of ahandOningl
When it became known that we had Ircscnted those
claims ia Geneva Ministers Were OF seemed 10 be- taken
by surprise The English papers were allowed 70 20 on
discussing and protesting until the popular feeling had
been linded to hight which made ii impossible for the
Government 70 20 on with Tx AIMmatlon y ihry
wanted 10, One more difficulty Vas ADDED 10 the long
list OF those which will confront them on the meeting OF
Parliament They had not the courage they had tie
WILL TO face it. They talk Of our Case as an electonee
ing document sent out influence the Presidential con
test We may fairly and far more justly Tctort that The
prcsent attitude of tie English Ministry has been
adopted anticipation OF Parliamentary attack which
they dld not feel strong enough to resist c.M.s'