The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-08
THE ALABAMA CLAIMS.
Recalled by Death Of Chief Officer Of
Confederate Cruiser.

Confederate Cruiser.
The recent death of John Low, the
chief officer OF the confederate pri-
vateer Alabama. recalls to public at
tention the famous Alabama claims,
which secured so much consideration
in the years subsequent to the civil
war. Low bore the sobriquet Of "Dev-
IL of the Alabama" but this was only
by reason Of his daring. and not be-
cause Of any satanic qualities he pos
sessed. He was regarded as kind
hearted and courteous by the passen-
gers of the many vessels captured by
the Alabama while she cruised the
high seas and preyed on the commerce
of the United States.
AS soon as the southern states had
seeded and formed their confederacy,
placing jefferson Davis ut the head
as president. and President Lincoln
had sent out his call for volunteers to
suppress the rebellion, Davis offered
letters of marque and reprisal to the
owners Of private vessels to prey upon
the commerce of the northen states.
All the available craft in southern
ports took advantage of the offer, and
set out to do all possible damage to
the merchant marine of the ports Of
the middle and New England states.
The sympathy in England with the
cause of the south was great, despite
the proclamation of neutrality by
Queen Victoria and the efforts of
Charles Francis Adams. the minister
of this country to England, and there
were many attempts to aid the priva-
teering of the confederacy The cruis-
ers of the sea from the southern ports
were allowed to seek refuge in Mas
sau, in the West Indies. and at Ber-
muda when their own ports were
blockaded, and vessels we're built in
England and allowed to go out to be
fitted up for privateering. The most
notorious of these was the Alabama.
She was built at Birkenhead. England,
and as soon as her keel was laid there
were grave suspicious that she was in
tended for the south. The attention of
the English government was repeatedly
directed to her, but, despite all that
was ostensibly done to detain her. I'M
der the mysterious designation of mo.
290" the vessel was permitted to
escape from English waters on pre-
tended trial trip without registry or
clearance papers. She proceeded to
the Azores, where her equipment was
transferred to her from two English
vessels, and she was named the Ala
bama. There were other like vessels
fitted up under English auspices for
the confederacy and used for like pur-
poses, such as the Georgia, the Flor
ida and the Shenandoah, but none of
them gained the celebrity of the Ala
bama. She is said to have cap
tured and destroyed more than three
score vessels belonging to the United
States before she was finally destroyed
by the Kearsarge. Her career COW
cred nearly two years, as she left Eng
land on July 20. 1862. and was not
sunk until June 10. 1864.
The alleged violation of the English
Foreign Enlistment act by the Ala
bama was called to the attention of
Lord John Russell by Minister Adams
in 1862, and the obligation of Eng
land to detain the vessel was urged,
and one result of the protest was that
several other vessels seeking to so
out on the same mission were detain-
ed. A great change was also effected
in English sentiment by the memoir
able visit and speeches by Henry
Ward Beecher in all parts Of England
in 1863. But much damage had been
done to American shipping interests
by the Alabama and her sisters, and
nd sooner was the civil war happily
ended than steps were taken to settle
the international questions and agree
on basis of adjustment of the claims
put in by the United States.
In 1871 the new treaty of Washing
ton was signed and basis of adjudi-
cation provided. All the so-called
Alabama claims were to be submitted
to five arbitrators, one each to be
named by the United States, England,
Italy. Brazil and the Swiss Confeder-
alton. This court met at Geneva on
December Is, 1871. 1t was composed
of Count FEDERICO Sclopis, of Italy,
president; Baron d'Itajuba, Brazilian
minister at Paris; Jacob Staempfli,
thrice president of Switzerland; Sir
Alexander Cockburn, of London, and
Charles Francis Adams, of this coun-
try. England was represented by Sir
Roundell Palmer, chief counsel, and
the United States by William M. Ev-
arts, Caleb Cushing and Morrison r.
Waite, while ]. C. Bancroft Davis pre-
pared the American case. After long
and labored arguments, in which the
representatives of this country sought
to secure recognition for indirect dam
ages resulting from the work of the
privateers, all these claims we're re-
jected, but the direct ones were ad-
mitted.
The award of the court of arbitra-
ton was that England should pay
the sum of $15,500,000 as indemnity
for the destruction wrought. The
court held unanimously that Great
Britain was responsible for all the
damage done by the Alabama and her
tender, by vote of four to one that
she was responsible for the depreda-
tions of the cruiser Florida, and by
vote of three to two for part of the
acts of the Shenandoah. For the lack
of evidence it was decreed that there
was no liability for the acts of the
Sumter, the Nashville, the Georgia,
the Tallahassee and the Chickamauga,
and by vote of three to two England
was not held responsible for the action
of the Retribution. The final award
was signed on September IA, 1872, and
the amount was paid the following
year. The United States set up
claims court, which heard all the cas-
es of private owners and awarded So
315,7 1853 to them.
We are