Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-02-07
WAR OR PEACEP
THE TREATY TROUBLE.
what IL Said ON Both sides Of the
Atlantic-The Queens Speeeh-gha
Debates I'm the English, Fariiss I'M as
and Anne riean Senate.

Debates I'm the English FariiS IN nj
and American Senate.
The opening session for 1872 o, the Parliam mt
of Great Britain took place yesterday. The
attendance of members was unusually full. Soon
after assembling, the members OF the House OF
Commons were summoned TO the House OF
Lords, where
THE QUEENS SPEECH
was read by the Lord Chancellor. IL begins
with thanks to God for the recovery OF the
Prince of Wales and gratitude for the sympathy
OF u people. The relations with foreign powers
are friendly and satisfactory in all respects. A
bill will he presented to check the slave trade i'm
Polynesia, which is severely denounced. The
efforts to secure commercial treaty with
France have not succeeded, so far, but are CON
tinued. As to the Alabama claims, she saws: -
The arbitratOrs appointed pursuant ~ the
Treaty OF Washin gton, for the purpose OF ami
cahly settling the Alabama claims, held their
first meeting in Geneva. Cases were laid before
the arbitrators on behalf OF each party 10 the
treaty In the case so submitted by the United
States, large claims are included which are I'M
derstoOd on my part not 10 be within the
province OF the arbitrators. On this subject
nave caused friendly communication to b
made TO the government OF the United States"
The Emperor OF Germany has undertaken t.
albitrate on the San Juan boundary, and the
cases OF the two governments have been pre-
sented to his Imperial Majesty. The com mis-
sion 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 await its assembling.
SIGNIFICANT DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COM
MONS.
There was a full attendance of members on
the assembling of the House of Commons. At
ter the body had returned from the House o;
Lords, Disrael rose, and called the attention OF
the House to the paragraph IF the royal speech
in reference to the arbitration of the Alabam ,
claims. He animadverted at some length upon
the treaty OF Washington, for the faults OF
which he blamed Earl Granville and Mr.. Glad
stone. In view of the developments which had
IN a 10 INV l1afv he.
at Geneva, Disrael wanted to know why the
government was cNultant over the edifcation il
had given to Parliament on the subject. The
roy al speech was signally unsatisfactory, and
showed, In his opinion, that the government still
lacked proper appreciation OF the gravity OF
the questions at issue between England and the
United states The American claims were
greater than those which would follow total
conquest They we've prepnster6us an. irnprac-
teal. and il admitted would be fatal u the
power and honor OF England "Yet." said DIS
raeli, sneerIngy, "the whole subject is disposed
of IN brief paragraph OF the royal speech"
Gladstone followed in reply. He said the
Treaty OF Washington itself shows that England
Is ready to make every concession short of na-
tonal honor TO establish friendly relations with
America, and to set an example to be followed
by other nations henceforth. 'The govern
ment," said the Premier, ''is ready to explain
everything in connection with the treaty, but Il
will not admit that it has unwittingly ma lie a
mistake. The paragraph in the treaty is the
only fair and unmistakable Interpretation OF
d.,
the preposterous character of the American DE-
mands, which of itself proved their absurdity
for they are such that no people In the last eX-
tremity OF war, or i'm the lowest depths OF ma
tlonai misfortune, with the spiri. OF England in
their hearts, would ever submit to. lCheers.
Gladstone concluded by saying that the govern
ment would maintain the position 1t had taken
firmly, though in a friendly manner.
Our Side.
The Washington correspondent of the New
York Times telegraphed last evening that the
position taken by the British government, al
luded TO in the Queens speech, is explained by a
friendly note from Earl Granville to General
Schenck, in which the excitement in the public
mind is alIayed by the statement that the differ
ence !. the Interpretation OF the treaty will be
amicably settled. Earl Granville calls atten.
ton to these differences in his note evidently
with the hope of securing some expression from
this government. The answer to this note has
| been communicated by General Schenck to the
| State Department. There is nothing in it In
the nature of a demand for a withdrawal OF the
claims for indirect damages as presented in the
| case as made out for the United States. No re-
ply has yet been made to the dispatch of Minis
ter SChenck by the government. The subject
was informally before the cabinet meeting yes
terday, and the general expression of opinion was
that the question OF Interpretation could under
no circumstances eventuate i'm the withdrawal
or amendment OF the case of the United States,
and that the decision of all matters arising out
of the American demands must be left to the
Geneva conference for final arbtrament.
THE DEBATE IN THE SENATE
| In our Congressional report yesterday was
published brief synopsis Of the debate on the
| resolution introduced by Edmunds, THAT the
President be requested, il not incompatible with
| the public interests, to communicate to the Sem
ate any information in his possession respecting
the alleged intention Of the government Of Great
Britain to revoke the treaty lately concluded
between that Government and the United States
| unless the claims OF this Government arising
| under said treaty shall be presented at Geneva
upon principle and in manner agreeable to
l the other party"
Mr.. Edmunds, in advocating the adoption of
| this resolution, said:-I think it extremely de-
| sirable that we should have some information
upon this subject Nobody feels more deeply
| than do the value OF peace between the two
| governments. think the people Of this nation
| when they surrendered what they considered to
| be matter Of national honor and national
| right, which ought not to have been submitted,
as they thought, to any arbitration whatever ex-
| cept themselves, were making a great conces-
| sion in the interest Of peace between nations;
and this treaty, which we are told by the news
paper reports is now under discussion with a
view to its revocation, was the product SO far a.
we are concerned, Of this desire for peace. Eng
land, in the treaty, from beginning to end, shows
US that the people of the United States had
given up what they considered to be valuable
rights and privileges i'm the interest of arbitra-
ton between nations for the settlement Of their
disputes, so that this treaty, which 1t is nov
s ,Is tne goxernmens OF Great Britain pro
more properly characterize it, repudIate, il
the product OF large concessions upon our side
IL IL htdIeu III the newspapers, AS we all know
that the ground of this proposal to repudiate l.
that the case OF the United States, offered under
the treaty to the arbtratOrs is one which M axes
preteDsOns to damages that We have no right to
make; that is to say, that the claims for cOnse
quential damages for the acts of the British
cruisers, called the Alabama claims, are not
claims which the treaty will fairly embrace, and
are not those, therefore, which ought to b.
allOwed-ODe OF the very questions which you
might suppose would be proper for that tribunal
to try. That was the object of having q tribu-
nal-to try and decide something. But now lei
us see whether the Pretension Is we'll founded.
Quoting from the protocol, Mr.. Edmunds said
that it showed that instead OF concluding such a
treaty, which would settle the controversy and
make an end of it, it ended the old controversy
in the form in which II stood, and opened Q new
one in the form OF . civil litigation, in the form
Of an arbitration consisting OF persons mutually
to be chosen, so that the right which Ne re-
served. without prejudice, for their indempidca-
ton, unless we could agree then and there, was
expressly reserved 1t IL stated, also, bevond
this plain provision in the protocol in the treaty
itself, which is, perhaps, the best evidence Of
ywhat the parties intended to submit 80
After reading Article of the treaty, Mr. Ed
munds quoted from the speech of Mr.. Cobben,
IN Parliament, in whichhe said 1T is estimated
that the loss sustained by the capture and burn
Ing OF American vessels has been about 49,
~ r.