The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1914-11-19
Emdsn and Alabama

!
merce, was brilliant and magnificent in
its way, but too short to offer a paral'
lei to the history Of the Confederate
Alabama. Loud cheering at Lloyd's
Exchange in London greeted and al
most drowned the announcement that
the Emden had been run down and
destroyed. That British commerce in
East Indian seas suffered severely, not
only in loss Of ships and cargoes, but
from the necessity OF having to pay
marine insurance rates which we're al
most prohibtive, was eloquently told
in the tumult at Lloyd's. The diE
ference is, always, in whose OK is get.
ting the goring. For the havoc wrought
by the Emden in three month is in
significant compared with the wrought
by the Alabama between the early
summer day in 1862 when she left the
shipbuilding yards Of Laird & Sons at
Birkenhead, where she was built, and
the 10Th Of June, 1864, when she was
sunk by the Kearsarge OF Cherbourg,
France. In two years Of piratical
rowing, the Alabama had swept United
States commerce off the seas. Our
merchant marine has never recovered
from the stroke.
The extent Of the stroke has ape.
culiar interest at the present moment,
when rejoicing in England, and pride
in Germany, may magnify the great
exploits Of the Emden out OF their
just comparative proportions, 1t was
the design Of the Alabama's COM
mander to first cruise Of New York
and capture fixes, but coaling neces'
sites drove him further SO oJth. The
Alabama's first attacks were directed |
against the California mail steamships |
plying between Aspinwall and New
York. The first Of these to be cap
tured was the Ariel. with $40 marines,
several United States officers, 500 |
passengers and quantity OF specie,
but only one large gun, aboard
Following this came long series Of
captures, sixty-fve in all, almost en-
tirely Of merchantmen incapable Of
offering resistance and which we're
burned after being despoiled. In
surance rates on all American cargoes
advanced to the point where they
were absolutely prohbitive and our
marine commerce languished until,
before the sinking OF the Alabama,
nothing Of it was left.
Until the award Of the Alabama
Claims Commission, which arbritrated
the claims OF citizens OF the United
States under a special arbitration treaty
after the war, between
this country and Great Britain. S15,.
100000 was paid by Great Britain,
through this government, to owners
who's property had been destroyed.
The wiping out Of our ocean carrying
trade through prohibitive insurance
rates, could not OF course, be consid-
cred by aIbitrators in terms Of damages,
That the amount awarded was hut a
small percentage oi our immediate and
continuing loss, need hardly be said.
The representatives Of Great Britain
in the arbitration conference at Geneva
contended that that government was
not 10 any way responsible, while ad-
mitting that the Alabama had been
built and QUILTED on the Mersey
River. The decision Of the commission
accordingly, became a valuable con-
tribution to the precedents OF inter
national law in defining the limitations
and obligations Of neutral nations.
Great Britain, OF course, is left with
out any recourse, whatever for the
losses sustained by her commerce
from the Emden depredations. The
Emden was made in Germany" and
no claim can be brought against any
professedly neutral power for letting
her be built in its dominions and put
ting to sea from one Of its ports. The
British loss is total. Could she re-
cover as much as we did it would be
more than balanced, while our losses
from the Alabama were many times
as great as our indemnity. Globe
Democrat