The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-02-16
BUNCOMBE VS.. BUNCOMBE.
"NDIRECT DAMAGES"

Thrown Out by the Geneva Tribunal
Grants Great nIistake-No War, but
| the PROSPECT OF National Humilia-
ton.
Correspondence Of the New York world.l
WASHINGTON, February IL.
There will be no war over the Alabama
claims, because the United States Government
will not withdraw It's lease" and Great Britain
will not ssgo back on" the treaty. But there
will be q considerable paving and kicking up
of the dust OF controversy by the British Lion,
who is now exempllaed by the British press;
a gradual muddllng of the subject In Parlia-
ment, and possibly the retirement Of the Glad
stone ministry; in which event the next MIN
islry that comes 10 will have to accept the
situation and excuse Itself by saying: "Well,
we can't help 1t; the way In which this whole
business has been botched Is none of our affair;
Gladstone and the rest of them got US into the
out Of it except through the decision Of the
arbitrators." Meanwhile one. object Of the
newspaper clamor In England will have been
attained; the strong points of the British ar
gument will have pierced the ear OF Europe,
and will have their effect on publlcists and at
every continental court. They will thus act
as an antldote to the copies Of the American
s'case," In four languages, which the State
Department bad ccrulared In Europe some
time ago; and when the decision of the tribu-
nal at Geneva Is rendered, 1t will be what
well informed persons here and In England
expect 1t 10 be-hosllle to every claim on our
part for sindlrect damages" Indeed 1t is
thought not unlikely that The arbtrators may
decide the whole question in advance by
throwing out the claims for indirect damages
as matter not warranted by the terms ofthe
treaty under which they were requested to
deliberate.
it is admitted here on every hand that the
administration acted In q bullying, bungling
manner In allowing claims to be incorporated
into our "case" which were sure to be chal-
lenged under the treaty, which the admins
traiion, nor its friends In Congress, nor even
Mr.. Sumner, who first started The Idea Of such
claims, nor anybody in the country but lu.
natic, ever expected the arbltralors would
confirm, or that Great Britain would consent
TO nav. If the President did sanction this
'scaseh las uncharItsble people belleve) as
good electIoneering document, time will show
that he made sad mistake. II he relied on
It's Irritating, taunting tone, and LIS heaping
up of tremendous demands on the British ex-
cheuuer, to provoke war which would rally
the people Of the whole country to bis sup.
port, the prospect must l9ok very disconr. our:
ss ss!ng the The ionSeH Ssy at nI sss at
of raising the present excitement In
England did 1t simply to requlte bun
combe with buncsmoe, and In political self
defence against Disraell and his Tories. If
Mr.. Gladstone had not raised the protest Mr..
Disraell would have got the credit of 1t. The
plty Is that Mr.. Gladstone was worried by his
great adversary In Parliament into an express
slon which he Will find 1t 80 difficult to recede
from with honor. As for the United States,
we are 10 about as bad a condition to go TO
war as possible. We have an insufficient
navy, and a people not by any means united
In their nniDlon of the c1sus belli. What In.
terest has the South to fight against Great
Britain for the recovery OF tue Alabama
claims! Has the Republican government at
Washington, which has absolutely reigned
over the Southern States since the civil war,
pIyen the people of thoee States such tokens
Of their good will as to obllterate from their
minds the memory Of the friendshIp OF Eng
land for their cause! Are Southern men likely
to be enthusiastic In support Of war BY the
United States against lne power that n,. OUTING
the REBELLION gave their emissarles shelter and
their feet of prIvateers ornaments, fuel and
men?
coarsely expressed by the Presidents parti-
eans, that bullying Great Britain would, war
or no war, have the effect to ''strengthen
Grants popularity among the masses /, now
generally abandoned The administration will
prcb lbly meet, as 1t goes on In this matter,
such rebutrs and discouragements as, were 1t
not for Grants obsIiuacy, might compel it to
revise the American "case." The rum0r that
the American coupsel at Geneva are not alto
pether satisfied with the s'casen Is highly prob
able In respect to Mr.. Evarts, who, when
Sumner's speech appeared In the newspapers,
objected to the whole doctrine Of claims for
indirect damages. Messrs. Evarts and Cush-
Ing may, (if they are permitted,) urge such
claims upon the attention of the Geneva tribu-
nal, but it must be with the half-hearted inter.
est of lawyers who know they are arguing
hopeless case. Our Claims for indirect dam
ages, as set forth in the lease" are estimated
to range from $7O0,000,0O0 to $l,60o, 900, ,000
The claims for direct damages|includiog the
bill for vessels and cargOes destroyed and the
cost of pursuing the Anglo-rebel cruisers that
destroyed them-amounts to only $A ,SSl, ,l0l.
A great many Americans don't believe we
shall get even the last.named amount. But
think ofthe difference between That compara-
lively paltry sum (s25 900, ,00o) and the 81 ,eO0-
0OO, 600 that our tease" demands This high
ly consequential" claim, having displayed It.
self like rocket before the astonished eyes OF
mankind, is destined to come down like
stick. The Administration, which expects
precisely this result, started out, perhaps,
about until after the close of the Presi-
DENTAL campaign. The final verdict of
the Geneva afbltrators will not probably
be rendered before the Presidential elec.
tIon, yet the arbilrators, al their very
next meeting In May or June, may conclude
10 refuse all consideration of The claims for In
direct damages as matter mmaterial under
The treaty. What fall will be there! The
ouIy way In which the administration could
avert the force of such rebuff would be by
anticipating IL; and perhaps the meek admis-
sion that the arbitrators have the right to de-
eide lhe question whether these claims are en-
titled to their consideration will be put forth
by the State Department in answer 10 the
complaint of the British Government, which
is expected here by ma'l. In any event, the
thrusting out or rejection of The claims will
be severe reproach upon the President, who
has suffered them to BIZ preferred. The de-
feat of our side OF the Washington treaty, the
great measure on which his administration
has prIded Itself, must also mortify and humll-
late the whole country.
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON.