The sun., 1890-01-05
The Troubles with Colombia.

Whatever the merits OF the complaints
made by New York merchants against the
United States of Colombia, the Government
at Washington has sufficient force In the
Gulf Of Mexico to prevent any encroachment
on American rights, and to procure the re-
Cifese OF all grievances. Under Rear Ad-
miral GHERARDI are the Galena, eight guns.
which at last accounts was at Port-au-Prince
or San Domingo; the Kearsargc, seven guns,
recently at Gonaives; the Yantic, four
guns, cruising in the same waters,
with her address for the present at
Curacao, and the Dolphin. This squadron,
or any vessel detached from it, is quite ca
pable Of taking care OF the little Colombian
cutter, La Papa. itself formerly a pleasure
\ yacht, which seized the schooner Pearl last
October, and afterward the schooners Julian
and Willie. The promptness with which the
Navy Department acted In the trouble with
Colombia five years ago. when blue jackets
nnd marines were landed at .Asplnwall and
held the Isthmus affords assurance that 1t
win not be wanting now, should there be
! any sound reason for It's interference.
Accordingly the proposal that the vessels
> trading with the Indians on the San Bias
coast should go prepared to offer armed re-
eistancc to the Colombian gunboats is Who'll
ly unnecessary, while the experiment would
be very dangerous ono for them. The
cutter La Papa is Government craft, act
ing under direct authority to maintain the
Colombian customs laws. According to the
view of the Colombian Government, the
trading vessels which she seized were ell
gagged in smuggling, or certainly In viola
ton OF tho laws OF that country. That may
or may not be the true view. 1t may be
found, as our traders hold, that the seizure
of their vessels was a great outrage II SO,
they are entitled to redress for every dollar
OF damage caused by the seizures. The loss
OF the perishnble goods aboard and the loss
of q seasons trnde by delay are among the
elements OF damage. The State Department
Is proper channel for presenting all such
claims Of injury.
z On tho other hand, Captains OF vessels who
undertake to carry on war on their account,
or on that of their owners, against tho
regular Government vessels of a nation with
which we are at peace, will have our Gov
eminent to deal with as well rs the foreign
nation Each Government must exercise
jurisdiction over its own inshore waters,
and must undertake the execution OF its own
instead OF submitting to seizure by lawfully
constituted authorities, vessels are to arm
themselves and fire upon those authorities,
on the ground that they do not consider the
seizure justiGabIe the worlds present sys-
tenn OF maritime law will have to be funda-
mentally altered.
We have heard something OF this proposed
method of settling revenue disputes in the
Behrlng Sea controversy. There was much
talk OF the Victoria sealing schooners fight
ing the cutter Richard Rush; and certainly
there has been a hundred times as much
denuncIation of the Rush as OF the Papa.
In like manner, it was once declared that
some of our Gloucester fishing vessels had
provided themselves with artillery for re-
elsting tho Dominion cruisers. But, OF
course, no such attempt at carrying on
private war has really been attempted.
either on tie shores Of Nova Scotia or In