The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-11

the distinction Of heinS the earliest TO
enact it into law. For the first time in
history a nation. by statute. made A
breach of neutrality "A crime. Virtually
every civilized nation has taken the
path blazed then by the United States
and paid America the tribute of imita =
ton.
If I wished for guide in a system
of netrality." Canning. the distin-
guished British foreign secretary. told
Parliament in 1873. Il should take that
laid down by America in the days of the
Presidency of Washington and the Sec
retaryship of Jefferson. A recent Eng
fish authority. Hall. has hailed the
United States as the pioneer In this
great field. declaring that Washncton's
policy constitutes an epoch in the de-
velopment and usases of neutrality" and
that in the main it is identical with
the standard of conduct which is now
adopted by the community of nations
The First Fines.
Both France and England. however.
dAficd the United States at the time it
took the stand that nation Mt peace
had rights in n war between other ma
tons. But for her infractfons Of ncu-
trality. England under the lay treaty
promised to ccmpensate American ship
pers. And she actually paid American
citizens S10%lI.000 as reparation for
the damages which had been caused
them by her illegal captures and con-
formations.
France was brought. though tardily. to
a like acknowledgment of her trans
grcss'on5 against American neutrality
under Napoleon's various DEGREES. But
after she had agreed. in ISL. to pay the
bill so long overdue. she continued to
delay M
insisted to his more cautious advisers
that he knew them French threat
en"d war in fiery ge TO Con-
gross. Diplomatic relations actually
were broken off. when, in 1896. England
became the peacemaker and King Louis
Philippe paid over the 100000. which
for another half-century the United
States itself rneanly refused to distrib-
ute among the long-suffering holders OF
the French spoilation claims.
In the Civil War.
The American doctrine as Sir
Henry Maine calls it, gained such gen.
eral acceptance that the United States
met with no other notable violations of
the principle of neutrality until the civil
war. In one Instance, a British gov
! eminent did have the stupid effrontery
| to assume the right to enlist troops in
the United States for the Crimean war,
British consulates becoming recruiting
stations under the direction of the Brit
ish Minister at Washington. The Lon
don Cabinet stubbornly declining to dis
avow the practice by recalling the Min
| lister. President Pierce gave him his pass
ports.
The United States proclaimed and for
! three-score years upheld neutrality on
the ground that IL had the right to re-
main at peace and so about its business
unmolested by nations at var. In the
civil war, on the other hand. the Fed
eral government commended that 1t was
the duty of other nations to see that
the United States was not molested
while it was itself engaged in war.
At the outbreak OF the great conflict
between the States Capt. James II. Bull
loch.' an uncle of Theodore Roosevelt
and frcmeriy an oficer in the United
States navy. appeared in england as
the naval agent OF the Confederacy. Eng
lish shipyards at once became busy with
his orders for Confederate cruisers. not
withstanding the protests of Charles
Francis Adams. the American Minister
~ that ..forlorn outpost" ~ Lowell
called London.