The record-union., 1898-05-09

privateers whenever she feels that her
interests demand such additional force
to be put into the naval field in her
behalf
The practice Of privateering is at
tended by so many abuses, is so nearly
allied to barbarism, and is so objection
able from moral standpoints that we can
understand very well why the United
States Government should now decline
to exercise the right to employ this
agency of war Her declination has
unquestionabiy placed her in most
favorable light before the nations of
Europe.
It requires very little thought for any
one to realize how evil privateering is,
and how hard pushed a nation should
be before it employs it as an aid to war
fare. The personnel of the privateer-
ing craft below the position of COM
mander is generally of the lawless
class; hardened men whose sympathies
are dull, and whose sensibilities are
deadened, are preferred for such crews
To slit a throat or cast a human be-
ing overheard is no more to most of
these fellows than the same kind of
treatment to dog.
If a privateer takes prisoners they
are ercum brances, and to be got rid OF
as speedily as possible. They should be
HI RI h1It ny n
walton and i'll treatment in privateer-
ing ships. When a privateering crew
comes ashore with its plumber it riots
uproariously, and by it's conduct, ex-
men to engage in the legalized free
booting, and thus a most pernicious
poison is injected into the veins Of
community thought
The greatest of our commentators.
Chancellor Kent, says of this evil sys-
tenn: Under all the restrictions which
have been adopted, privateering is still
liable to abuse The object is not
fame, not chivalric warfare, but plumber
and profit The discipline Of the crews
is not apt to be of the highest order,
and privateers are often guilty of enor-
nous excuses. and become the scourge
of neutral commerce Under the best
regulations, the system tends to blunt
the sense of private right, and to nour-
ish a lawless and fierce spirit of ra-
pacity."
Wheaton, the eminent jurist, in his
international Law" says: THE prac-
tice has been justly arraigned as liable
age spirit of lawless depreciation, and
as being in glaring contradiction to the
more mitigated modes Of warfare prac-
ticed on land" 1t is a pity that we
did not agree with the decision of the
Congress of Paris, but in our condition
at that time our statesmen felt that
it was necessary to reserve this pri-
watering right We have now an
nounced that we will not have recourse
to it's exercise in this war while Spain
says she will employ it if her inter-
ests demand.
If Spain lets privateers loose upon our
commerce we will probably be moved
to reta1iate in kind, though the hope
may be entertained that our Govern
ment will refuse to do so. It would
be far better if auxiliary aid is needed
to fit out ships offering such as are
usually sailed by privateer command
ers as commerce destroyers, commits
sion them regularly under the law, gov
ern them as the rules Of the navy re-
quire for the revenue service or hold
them TO the same accountability as
are other ships Of the navy. That
is to say, it will be better to take these
private ships regularly into the service,
and hold them to the same obligations
imposed upon the regular navy.