Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-30
An UGLY COMPLICATION.
Administration TO be Oyerhauled
About the Virginius-The Tangled
Maze of TechnicaIities which our
Diplomacy has Woven.

FROM the Cincinnati Commercial.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-Appearances
indicate that Senators Sumner and
Schurz will unite with the Democratic
Senators in citicising unsparingly the con-
duct of the Administration in the Virgin
Jus affair. Mr.. SchurZ is said to be of the
opinion that the Administration will find
it difficult to justify the somewhat precipi-
tate measures which it adopted, especially
when it considered that we were not salts
fed that we had even priRd tdcje case, if
our authorities were not really satisfied
that they had no case at all. He is inclined
to characterize as an evidence of weakness
the Welding to popular clamor on the part
of the President and his advisers. The in
vestigation into the character of the Virgin
| ius should have preceded any demands on
the part of our Government, that such de-
mandS might be made in good faith, and
with an appreciation of all that they in
yolved. Secretary Fish, he thinks, is ell
titled to great credit in resisting the pres
sure brought to bear upon him by the Pres
ident. and the other members of the Cab
met. who all showed an inclination to
rush into combat without first ascer-
taiLing whether such course would be adj
visable or iustifiable.
The grounds upon which Senator Sumner
will question the wisdom of the Admins
tration in this affair are said to be in the
main similar to those given above. The
recklessness with which the public funds
have been expended to prepare for war
which would have the effect to very much
weaken.if not overthrow, a sister republic
struggling for existence, without having
good reason to believe that war would
be necessary to settle the dispute, will also,
it is believed, receive Mr.. Summers atten-
ton at the first opportunity.
From the ST. Louis Republican.
The Spanish Minister at Washington al
legged that his government could produce
proof that the steamer Virginius which had
cleared from the port Of New York in the
fall of 1870, was not, within the meaning of
the term, an American vessel entitled to an
American register, and consequently was
not entitled to the protection of the Ameri-
can flag. Upon the eX-parte statement
made under the protocol, the Attorney-Gen-
eral decided, not upon the merit of the
question, but upon the testimony presented,
| that the salute to the flag must be waived
according to the terms of the protocol.
That portion Of the protocol which required
| a salute having been waived. and the time
| for the salute by stipulation having passed,
| our government has no longer claim upon
| Spain for any insult to the flag, although
| the evidence in the courts Of the United
| States NAV hereafter show that waiver was
not justified by the true facts Of the case.
The first point is when the Virginius ar
| rived in the port of New York. The
| United States demanding from Spain the
return of a vessel captured on the high seas,
asserts that the vessel was the property,
| either of the United States as nationality,
| or citizen of that nationality. 1t has as
sIImed. without asserting, that it was a YES
sci of the United States; that it was the
property of a citizen thereof, and i'll so do
! inc the United States must claim that a
direct and sole jurisdiction is vested in the
| United States under its own municipality,
to determine the status of the ship AT any
time. and to punish violations of its laws
| by her. The Virginius having been sur
rendered in the port of Bahia Honda by
consent ofthe Spanish Government, accord
ing to the terms of the protocol, and being
| now i'm tow of United States vessel OF
war to an American port, the United
States has, by that act, confessed under the
statute of 1860 the jas pOStli1iIlii which
| obligates the United States to deliver the
vessel to her rightful owner. If on the ar
rival of the VirginiUS at the Brooklyn navy
ward. under the instructions to the COM
mander ofthe Ossipee the United States
| shoIlld tender the possession of the ship to
| nor ALLEGED owner, then the United States,
by its legal representatives, may proceed
AGAINST The vessel for an alleged violation
of the navigation law. But should the al
leged owner refuse to receive her and re-
| =. - nhn I,n nut in the same DOsitiOn