New-York tribune., 1902-09-09
THE CRETE-4-PTERROT.

IDCTp anpedIS 10 he 10 sgrOu0u IOT eAtjlt-
ment or for apprehension over the affair of the
Crete-a-Perrot. Each nation> as each man, to
its own taste. We may may not approve the
manner in which the Germans disposed of the
Haytian insurgents ship. Most people in this
country may think they showed a needlessly
yindictive spirit in firing upon the burning boat.
But then other nations do not always approve
American manners and customs The essential
question is whether the German commander
had Il right TO demand the surrender of the
Crtte-a-Pierrot- That is of vastly greater mo-
ment than the details of the abandonment and
destruction Of the ship. On the basis of pres
ent information. there seems no room for doubt
ing that it will be answered in the affirmative.
1t is already reported that the provisional gov
ernment of Hayti has answered il. Germany
will. of course. do SO. The United States is not
likely 10 do otherwise. seeing that Commander
McCrea has been at the point of acting with
similar strenuousness whenever occasion might
call for it; and apart from these three, there is
no one else whom it concerns. save the insur-
gent faction in Hayti, and We are not at all
sure that it will not accep4 the deed of the
Panther as lawful. The readiness of Admiral
Killick to abandon his ship ON demand, and that
10 a weaker vessel. and his act or that of his
men. in setting fire TO his own ship, indicate
that he realized he had put himself in an indie
fensible position by the seizure of the Marko-
MAMMA.
1t is doubtful if the Crete-a-P Pierrot can justly
be regarded as pirate 4 pirate is one that
seizes and plumbers upon the high seas in Il
spirit of universal hostility That was not the
case with this vessel There was no "animus
furandi.' 1t was simply acting for the Firmin-
ist faction in the civil war. 1t had no mission
of universal and indiscriTpinate plunder. That
is why the United States declined to regard
the vessel as a pirate. But then. neither was
the Crete;t-Pierrot a recognized belliSerent,
with the privileges of sea,ch and seizure. The
FirministS have never been recognized by any
government as bellserents. Let us recall what
was authoritatively said by this government in
a former Haytian case. involving identical prin-
cipeS. Speaking Of two vessels in the
vice of Haytian insurgents, Mr.. Fish. United
States Secretary of State. said in September,
1863: Regarding them simply as armed cruisers
''Of insurgents not yet recognized by this gov
''ernment 10 have attained belligerent rights. it
'-s competent to the United States to deny and
resist the exercise by those vessels of the prv-
'Ieces which attend maritime war, in respect TO
'our citizens their property entitled 10 our
protection. We may or may not treat them as
pirates. The United States will not admit any
commission authority from rebels as an eX
cusf or 10 persons oI
property entitled to the protection of this gov
''ernment. They iciU not tolerate the search or
sfopping by cruisers in the re5ct serrcc of ucsscIs
-'0f the United States
That was particularly direct and emphatic
statement Of policy, and it seems to fit the pres
ent case particularly well. Commander McCrea
seems 10 have acted UPON it in his recent deal
ings with Admiral kif7ick. He might not have
acted precisely the commander of the Panther
did had the Markomannia been an American
ship and had the Machias been in the Panther's
place. but we are inclined TO think his action
would have been no less energetic and no less
effective in putting Il stop to the pernlcious ac-
tvty of the Firmnist navy. With change
of names. Secretary Fish'S declaration of 1859
would serve a German explanation and vim
dication in 1902. There may be some dlpo-
matte correspondence upon the subject. Decency
requires the holding cf cOroners inquest when
even an outlaw is killed, and ii may be pleaded
that the Cretea -PierTot not quite an out
law. But that there will be substantial agree
ment among the three powers concerned justice
and reason forbid us to doubt