Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1913-03-31
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How Charles Francis Adams
Managed the Geneva
Tribunal
By Holland.

ton with the late David A. Wells. At
that time Mr. Wells was widely
known not merely as a writer upon
economic subjects and as an advocate
Of the North were ample to meet the
as the man who prepared, in the sec
ond year of our Civil War, state
ment which showed that the resources
ofthc North we're ample to meet the
expenses Of the war without too heavy
burdens upon the people even though
the war should last ten years or
more.
Il was this exposition by Mr.. Wells
which served. as much as any one
thing, to create confidence in and
credit for the United States sufficient
70 enable national securities in large
amounts TO be marketed in London
and on the continent OF Europe.
81 believe" said Mr.. Wells, that If
the award Of the Geneva tribunal had
been made a year earlier Charles
Francis Adams would have been
unanimously nominated by the Lib
eral Republican party for President
in 1872 and / suspect that he would
have received a great vote, although
I presume that the prestige Of Gen
eral Grant was sufficient to make his
success in 1872 certain"
I asked Mr. Wells to explain to me
his reasons for holding that view.
"Why. don't you know" said Mr..
Wells. that IL it had not been for
Charles Francis Adams the treaty
with Washington and the Geneva ar
bitration tribunal with the award of
fifteen million dollars made by that
tribunal to the United States, would
have been impossible?'
/ was obliged to confess that / did
not know anything about these mat
tiers of which Mr.. Wells spoke.
well | will give you a little re-
cent history" he said. 1.-THE arbitra-
ton tribunal which sat at Geneva in
the spring of 1872 was an epoch
making event. It established the
great principle OF arbitration. For
the United States it was a triumph be-
cause the tribunal held that Great
Britain was responsible for permit
ting the Confederate cruiser Alabama
to escape from the British shipyard.
The commerce that was carried under
the Union flag was practically de-
stroyed by the Alabama.
For FIVE or six years this was the
subject of very serious correspond
ence between the United States and
Great Britain. There was danger
that war might come as a result of
IT, How bitterly our own people felt
IS evident from the fact which was
stated to me confdentially that the
British government was told that the
United States would he willing to ac-
cept the cession of Canada in pay
mont for the losses she sustained
through the Alabama.
well, at last. commissioners were
appointed to meet at Washington for
the purpose of drafting a treaty.
think that the Secretary of State, Mr.
Chase, and the British minister. Sir
Edward Thornton, were very doubtful
about the ability of the commissions
crs to come 10 such agreement as Il
make a treaty possible, but they did
The treaty was drafted and was RAFT
fed. and II provided for the submis-
sion OF the Alabama claim to an arbi-
tration tribunal which was TO meet al
Geneva.
Charles Francis Adams was ap-
pointed by President Grant as the
American representative of that tri-
bunal That was a singularly fortu'
nate appointment Mr. Adams had
been our minister to Great Britain
from 1861 to 1869. He had shown him.
self TO be a master Of the most diff
cult features of diplomacy. If he haC
not been such a MASTER he could no
have decided upon the heroic actor
which saved the treaty and the Gen
eva tribunal from failure.
Il ought to explain to you wha
the difficulty was Charles Sumne
and other Americans insisted that tn
Geneva tribunal should consider. il
case the tribunal found Great Bri
/ tain responsible for the escape Of tn
! Alabama, not only the damages di
rectly caused by the Alabama but in
direct damages such as loss Of Amer
lean commerce and the increased cos
of maintaining the Federal troops an
navics and various other incidents
and what arc called consequence
damages. Ono estimate was tina
these damages represented a total o
! think. two billion dollars
Great Britain would never hay
consented to a proposition of TIL
kind. When Il was known that III
American agents purposed making
demand OF that sort the British ageI
was instructed TO ask the tribunal 2
soon as it met to adjourn for eigl
months.
1T looked as though the who thin
was to be a failure and il would ha'
been but for MIR. Adams. think thel
is a general impression that NJ
Adams saved the day for us. but vel
few persons know how he did II.
was told conhdentially a few yea
ago just what Mr. Adams did.
"He proposed to those who were
serve with him as members Of q
Geneva tribunal that the first thin
tho tribunal should do was volu
tarily to announce that Il would n
under any circumstances, consid
any claims for Indirect or conseque
tial damages.
THAT was bold step for NJ
Adams 10 make But he dared tai
IL. The tribunal agreed TO follow h
suggestion. So soon as It met 1t maj
the announcement exactly as NJ
Adams proposed Great Britain 4
stantly withdrew any possible obie
tions which her agent was instructi
TO make and the American age
raised no embarrassing question
The result was that the tribunal -four
that Great Britain should be held
damages and give us the amount
fifteen million dollars.
THAT award was made about fo
months after the Liberal Republican
nominated Horace Greeley for Pres
dent. am sure If it had been ma
four months before the Liberal r
publican convention Charles Franc
Adams would have been unanimous
nominated for President"