The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-10-06
INSULTING NATIONAL HONOR

The Belgrade Istok, which is said to be
the semi-oficial organ of the Turkish in
surgents, advises the insurgents, ii the
foreign consus seek further Interviews, to
receive them in camp and give them twen-
tv-tive lashes so that they may enter into
the spirit of the eastern question and sex
perience the sensation of the christian
rayah under the Turkish yoke" The
advice is excellent and, if put ia force,
these meddling consuls might discover that
the insurgents are terribly in earnest and
the reason why they are in instruction
and SO earnest about it. Mctaphorically
speaking, General Butler pursued about the
same course with foreign consuls while in
command in New Orleans, and the lash
ings which he gave them with his tongue
and pen, not only made them behave them
selves and cease from their ofiicious inter-
meddling, but emphatically taught them
that the United States was terribly in
earnest in her intention to suppress the re-
bellion. Whether or not if the advice OF
the istok is followed, the "honor" OF the
nations represented by the thrashed con-
suls would be inslilted it is difficult to say,
but the insurgents could say as the New
Orleans Delta did, that whatever else may
be said of business "one thing is certain,
Z" consuls are lower" And the lowering OF
consuls in New Orleans was not taken as
much of an affront to national honor.
This Irrational honor" is difficult thing
to define. At times it is exceedingly deli
81 cate and ticklish and again it is blunted
and extremely difficult to affront. For
long years the United States suffered Great
Britain to board her ships on the high seas
and impress American seamen and the
national honor was untouched, but after
awhile the country became educated up tc
the point of believing that 1t had such Q
thing as "honor" and that England was in
sulting it, SO we went to war about it and
after fighting years, our honor was satisfied
without the right of search being given UP
We invaded Mexico, in 1876, and couldn'
see what reason it had TO complain, bu
when it resisted the invasion our nationa
honor was insulted and we forthwith wen
to war about it and fought until the stall
was wiped out in blood. About the SAM
time we put our foot down for q northern
boundary at "fifty-four, forty, or fight,
but we did not get our boundary, our homo
was not insulted, and we did not fgh
about it. When Wilkes took Slidell ant
Mason from British mail steamer, tn
national honor Of Great Britaia was insult
ed and we were compelled to fight TO
them or give them up and choose the latte
alternative, but our national honor was no
insulted when rebel raids were organize,
in Canada and the raiders, after robbin
our banks, were welcomed back with opel
arms and, when arrested, were given bacl
the stolen money as well as their liberty
1t was no insult to Spain that sleame
floating the United States flag should al,
insurgents in making war against her, bu
when, to protect herself, she captured tn,
Virginius then our national honor was In
suited and Spain was compelled to max
reparaton. .t...
The last case of insulting our natiohl
honor-unless the Turkish insurgents hav
ere this given one of our consulstwenty-fv
lashcs--was the case of Vidal, our consu
mt Tripoi. 1t was fearful insult but
has been atoned for and no blood she'd
patty Of sailors passing the consuls hops
took it into their heads that they woul
visit his gardens, and 80 several of thei
entered, one of them going into the hops
and asking the ladies for ga light to d
Cigarette" Before the sailor got his ligi
the consul appeared and he incontinentl
fled accompanied by his companions. An
then the residents Of Tripoli were treate
with the dgnifed spectacle of an Unite
States consul at the heels of party of sal
ors running through the public streets, an
OF the consul capturing and shakin
one OF the sailors. Pien diplomatic 90
respondencc commenced, the consul con
planning to the Pasha and asking for pr,
lection, and the Pasha charging the cons,
with breach of the peace. Simultapeou
ly with the Pashas charge came a sun
mons from the police court requiring Il
consul to appear the next day and answ
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