The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-29

upon the heads of the Back Bay Athenians by
offering them magnanimously the above
valuable suggestions.
The Treaty and Its salvation-Pros-
poets for Direct Dsmages-The Glory
or the Affair.
1t may be expected in certain official quar-
tiers that the American people will throw
up their caps and shout hallelujah because
the Treaty Of Washington has been saved,
yet we have seen very little sign Of
the national jubilation yet Everything is
satisfactory to both sides, say our dispatches
from Geneva; everything lovely, say the au-
thorities at the State Department, while hip,
hip, hurrah comes from the English Parlia-
ment. Indirect claims have been kicked out
or ruled out of court, as you please, and the
arbitrators will meet on the 18th of next month
to give us hint whether we are ever likely to
receive one cent on our direct claims. The
plaintiff who goes into court with o demand
for heavy damages and finds, to begin with,
that the best he or the Court can do will
barely secure him his costs, will stand very well
for America at present, while the bungling
lawyer who begged and bullied and was.fned
for contempt preparatory to losing his prepos-
ferrous case, will stand very well for the malgn
genius who conducted our case at Geneva.
The Secretary of State is willing to absorb all
the credit President Grant is anxious to
share it with him. Bancroft Davis will de-
mand his portion, and arbitrator Adams will
not shirk his duty in admitting that his claim
to future fame is based on giving way to Sir
Alexander Cockburn's argument at the right
time The popular enthusiasm which may be
expected to figure in the canvass before No
vember has not yet shown its head, and
is never likely to. The proceedings
in the matter may be summarized
as follows:-In May, 1871, a treaty was signed.
In December the United States went into
court with bulky, inflated case, which GER
tainly succeeded in making the Eagle scream
Lion roar on the other. So long
as the Eagle screamed all went
happily and Americans looked with
some complacency on the flag which
England would have rent in tatters ten years
ago if she could. But the roaring of the Lion
tiles in Washington gave it to be understood
that the Eagles scream was only in jest after
all. Then followed the submarine growlings
and shriekings to explain this, and the old
Lion insisted in the end that if it was joke
America should soy SO in black and white.
oh fho c11ynr al
old Lion, when he came to examine our expla-
nation of the State Departments joke, insisted
that there was skulking earnestness about it
which caused him strange misgivings. How the
arbitrators came to help us out Of the slough
of muddy diplomacy is already told, and with
England presenting its final argument and
Count Sclopis innocently talking of interna-
tional amity, the curtain drops for the present.
There have been two great audiences to this
variety performance, whose utterances have
been at times singularly alike, although from
different causes. The English people found
their bitter denunciation Of the American
''case' reflected in the peremptory action of
their statesmen. The resentment which found
deep utterance in America arose from the
fact that our statesmen, like the King of
France marching up hill, only did so to come
down again. From the moment it was known
that our national honor had been used with as
little regard to our dignity as professional
swearer at the police courts senti-
ment of morose indifference came upon
the people, which is the feeling that has pre-
| vented any of the begged-for enthusiasm
to-day. They know that the careful gravity
which should characterize the representatives
of great nation in matter Of this kind has
been wanting, and when shame has printed its
blush upon the face of the people, let the ad-
ministration remember that cheers do not rise
readily from the throat.
The great question of direct damages, it is
felt must materially suffer- so far as verdict
for America is concerned, by the outrageous
failure in the matter of the indirect claims.
Although the well known legal aphorism,
"Fdlsus in ,leo .fdlsus in omnibus" may not be
pressed in the matter, who will be so bold as
to say that it will not have merited applica-
ton when the arbitrators come down to adju-
dication upon the claims for actual piracies
committed by the Alabama and her fellows?
When the history of this whole treaty comes
to be written there will be curious query
raised-namely why America should have writ
ten down claims and supported them at fiery
length and parallel expense, while a'
the same time declaring the undesira.
bility Of a verdict in her favorp II
will be remembered that these Indirect
claims were fixed in the popular mind by q
speech of Charles Sumner in the United
States Senate. when the Johnson-C Clarendon
Treaty was rejected. 1t will be shown, we are
sure, that weak Secretary of State, rather
than face the unpopularity of combat
ing Summers sledge-hammer rhetoric,
put the indirect claims in the case
in order that England might stamp
them out for him. This may have been "cute, -
but it was the thing which of all others patri-