Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-29
Privateers and Priyateerinu.

| What part if any would be played by
| privat"ers III naval war between the
! nltcd States and Spain is largely a mat
| ter OF conjecture. As is well known. the
| nitcd States and Spain are not bound by
| the treaty Of 1896, which abolished the
| practice Of issuing letters of narque and
| repflsal: Mexico and Uruguay are the
| only other civilized nations which have
| not approved the treaty. And in this con-
! nfCtion ii il well to correct the popular
| Impression that the United States de-
| ciihed to sign the treaty III order to pre-
| serve the right This is 4 mistake. Sec
tetary Marcy declined because the treaty
| did not go far enough and pointed out
| the weakness of its enforcement in the
| absence Of Il proper definition Of contra
! band With more stringent clauses he
! was willing to approve il.
| Should privat"ering exist the United
| states would TIE the greater loser, says
| the Chicago Times-fIerald. The tons reg
/ l~tGf ~ American shipping is some seven
| Or tl&n' TIMES las great that of Spain.
! X is reported that Spanish priYateers are
I"huN 4" prey upon our commerce as soon
| ~ the Madrid government shall grant
| them the necessary permission. But
whether priNateering will be allowed is a
| question Neutrals always suffer in such
| z conflict and it is quite likely that BY
| the right Of might the other nations may
! forbid IT. Such action by Great Britain
| would restrain Spain and not only is
! England our friend hat Spanish priva-
| terrs might easily damage her commerce.
| letc. II belongs TO the old days of small
| sailing ships and of pirates. And the dis
| }inctipn between pirates and priNateerS
| IS not easily drawn. the only difference
belng that the priVatcerS are legaliZed Y
| the home government. They belong 20
| an era when naVies were small and were
the weapon of a weak nation against
greater maritime power, Effective use of
them was made by the United States m
our wars with England.
Congress has power to issue letters of
marque and reprisal. hut Congress has
not made usa of the power for years al
lhough il delegated the power to Lincoln
during the war when it was not used.
Confederate priVateers were numerous.
The word marque. by the way. is from
the German mark meaning frontier.
and means the right to cross the from
tier. and make reprisals, 1t was given to
private owners, who We're authorized to
arm vessels to prey upon the commerce of
III" enemies. Sink. burn and destroy
We're the old words. To encourage priva-
to"ring Great Britain once ordered that
All the property captured should 80 to the
captors.
In enc form or another privateoring
COOS back 10 ancient times but it -four
isiled chiefly from about the middle Of the
Si>trenin century to the close Of the Ma
poicunic wars. Ii WAS then the custom
when nations Of Europe were AZ war With
each other for most Of tho time. for the
crew of an armed private vessel to hail
another and climb over the sides of the
vessel with naked cutlasses ANA demand
70 know their nationality. It the prize
were especially rich nculrals were not re-
snect"d. 1t was 50 easy for the command
~ of the attacking vessel tn believe that
the captain Of his prize WAS q liar,
These priVatCCrS of the old days were
not much better than pirates. They made
mon walk III" plank Just as did the black
hIG@clS. and. in fact. the buccaneers were
sometimes priVarecrS and sometimes ri
rates. 1no practice Of Sir Francis Drake
"a man nonorcd in English history, may