The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-11-20
TRENT AFFAIR IN the CABINET.

take the following interesting account OF
Mr.. ChsSe'S views, as expressed in a
meeting of the Cabinet held to consider
this famous question:
The Secretary said that, in his judg-
ment, the case stood precisely thus: In
taking the rebel ENJOYS and their seere-
taries from the Trent without in
vOking or proposing TO invoke the sane
ton of any judicial tribunal, Captain
Wilkes clearly violated the law of ma
tions, and in that very principle which
the United States have ever most zeal
ously maintained. Great Britain, there
fore, lad right to ask from us a diSa-
vowal of the act, and the restoration of
the persons to the condition in which
they were taken; and, if this right was
| insisted on, it was our duty, however
disagreeable to do what was asked.
! ''He considered, on the other hand.
| that the circumstances under which the
act of Captain Wilkes was done. not
| only repelled the imputatiOn of aggres-
| sive or unfriendiy intent, but entitled
| him TO eommendatiOn for the motive by
which his conduct was governed, and
| reduced the seizure and removal from
| the Trent of the rebel commissioners,
| to a mere technical violation of the neu-
tral rights of England. Mason and S,i-
dell were commissioners bearing dis
patches from the rebel government to
Europe. and their character and charge
were known 10 the commander of the
Trent At the time of the seizure,
therefore, the Trent was knowingly EN-
ployed in violation of English law, of
the royal proclamation, and of her duty
to the United States as friendly nation.
Conscious Of the fact, the commander
refused, when requested, to exhibit his
passenger list. The capture was, of
course, warranted, and Captain Wilkes,
in making it, performed only his plain
duty to his government. He had a right
to break up the voyage, and send the
steamer as prize into port for trial and
condemnation. But the steamer was
employed in the conveyance of mails
and passengers; and Captain Wilkes was
desirous to avoid the public injury of
delaying the transmission of the former.
and the privUre hardship likely to result
from interruI ing the voyage of the lat
ter.
Governed mainly by these motives,
he obeyed what seemed to him the die
tates of humanity and friendly consider
alton for a friendly nation, by removing
the contraband persons from the Trent
with the least possible Inconvenience to
all concerned, and suffering the vessel,
with her other passengers and mails, to
proceed to her destination In doing
this he surrendered a, prize which
might have tempted eupidity, without
thought that, by the self-same act, he
was depriving himself of the only means
of iustifying the capture, either of per-
sons or vessel, through a judicial de-
cision.
'sAIr. Chase thought it certainly was
not too much to expect of a friendly ma
ton, and especially of nation of the
same blood, religion, and characteristic
civilization as our own, that in consid-
Grafton of the great rights, she would
overlook the little wrong; nor could he
then persuade himself that, We're all the
circumstances known, to the English
government, as to ours, the surrender
of the rebel commissioners wOuld be in
sisted upon.
THE Secretary asserted that the tech
nical right was undoubtedly with Eng
land. As rebels are as traitors to our
government, the pretended commission
ers would have been safe on q neutral
ship. It was only in their character as
envOys that they were subject to arrest
as eontulband. They could not right
fully be taken from the ship until after
the judicial condemnation of the ship
itself. for receiving and carrying them.
However excused or even justified by
motives, the act of removing them as
prisoners from the Trent, without re-
sort to any judicial cOgnizanee, was in
itself indefensible. We could not deny
this without denying our history. Were
the circumstances reversed, our govern
ment would, Mr.. Chase thought, accept
the explanation, and let England keep
her rrebels; and he could not diyest him
self of the belief that, were the case
fairly understood, the British govern
ment would do likewise.
But, continued Secretary Chase,
we can not afford delays. While the
matter hangs in uncertainty the public
mind will remain disquieted, our com
merce will suffer serious harm, our ac-
ton against the rebels must be greatly
hindered. and the restoration of our
overwhelmingly identified with that
of all nations-must be delayed. Better,
then, to make now the sacrifice of feel
ing involved in the surrender of these
rebels, than even avoid it by the delays
which explanations must occasion
give my adhesion, therefore, to the con
cIusion at which the Secretary Of State
has arrived
- 1T is gall and wOrInwOOd to me.
Rather than consent TO the liberation of
these men, / would sacrifice every thing
/ possess. But / am eonsoled by the
reflection that, while nothing but sever
est retribution is due to them, the sur
- 80.
but simply doing right-simply proving
faithful to our own ideas and traditions
under strong temptations TO violate
them; simply giving 10 England and the
world the most signal proof that the
American nation viii not, under any
circumstances. for the sake Of inhicting
lust punishm It on rebels, commit even
q technical w. Jng against neutrals.'
TALES OF THE sTREET.-s'Do you see
the light in that hotel window, said
beautiful, but sad-lOoking girl, to a gen
tleman about entering the Langhan, the
other evening. 1T was there, she ad-
ded. s'that / was ruined by a Scotch
nobleman, who is the father Of my two
children. and now / am a midnight wan
derer of the streets in search Of bread. /
have not a half crown in the world. 1
cannot walk to my room in st, Johns
Wood. Pray give me little money to
pay the omnibus fare It Is midnight,
and they will soon stop running" This
Is but one of tens Of thousands of the
same tales of the London Streets. Can
not something be done for these poor
victimsl Or must all the cream Of
Christianity be expended on the happy
heather of BOrribOOlagha.
-%s%-
Any number Of figures you may wish
TO multiply by viii give the same result
II divided by "a much quicker opera
ton; but you must remember 70 annex
an TO the answer when there Is no re-
Inainder, and when there is a remainder,
whatever it may be, annex TO the an
swer. Multiply 464 by ;, and the answer
will be 2. 320; divide the same by 2, and
you have 232, and, as there Is no remain
der. Won add an 0. Now take $50, null
tiDly by ). the answer il LIDS; and di-
viding this by 2. there Is l19 and re-
Inainder: you therefore place at the
end Of the line, and the result Is again
LBS.
SOMETIMES good fortunes come ~
troops- like their oppOsites- Here / ',r-
yTriIf:a,,, C..-tl,- - P0ston. who woke
mn Wednesdav morning 20 nnd thlt ne
~ :, C.l.,-s-,,or's message 20 write, and
- 1,,.,,,-s- (Col dispatch states tnat
~" NV 81 q ssttte which he bought there
Ie,t for "a. 900 has recently been sold
m 10 ,.,.,I;zed the handsome sum Of Sl63,-
.,1.1 7o1 : Louisville Commercial
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