Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-06-18
MEMORIAL ADDRESS
COL. PHI. DALE'S ADDRESS DELIV.
Erred AT LYNDONVILLE
CONTINUED

and maintained between the Federal
Government and Great Britain be-
came apparent to the President and
his Cabinet Immediately after the
call went out for volunteers. Like
all events preparatory to warfare
this necessity was much greater than
realized even by those who under
stood it best. The Confederacy had
announced a separate government
and assumed authority to issue COM
missions to privateers to cruise the
seas and capture ships and merchan-
disc of the United States. The Fed
eral Government lad declared all
Southern ports under a blockade to
prevent ships going after or bring
ing in supplies for the Confederacy.
At this juncture it was a critical
question between the United States
and foreign powers as to whether
the latter would recognize the
authority of the Southern States
which had no ships or open ports to
issue its letters of marque to priva-
teers. Till then the United States
was the only organized government
within the Union and for three
quarters of century that govern
ment had maintained diplomatic re-
lations and carried on commerce. al
and political affairs with England in
manner that had strengthened
from year to year the good relations
between the two countries. Because
of these and other reasons it seem. d
eel tain to the Federal authorities
that they nigh safely depend, if not
on the advocacy Of the Union cause
at least upon neutrality by Great
Britain to the extent of delaying
any recognition of the Southern
States as having distinct authority to
maintain the position they hadassert-
ed on the sea. In this reliance Charles
Francis Adams was selected to meet
the urgent contingency and within
sixty days of the Inauguration of
President Lincoln he was on his way
as Ambassador to England. When
the new minister arrived in London
he was astounded by the informa-
ton that without waiting to hear his
statement of the conditions and dis
regarding the interests of the gov
ernment he represented Great
Britain in concerted action with
France had proclaimed its recogni-
ton of the Confederacy as a bellig-
erent power. In this manner began
the humiliating and aggravating
train of events which Charles Fran
els Adams in London and Secretary
Seward in Washington had to meet
for years to come, and often ad-
versely criticised, sometimes assailed
with calumny at home and abroad
and always perplexed beyond meas
ure, they had to cope with the terri
fic responsibilities of their positions.
There is no. question as to the right
of England or France under the rules
of maritime law to recognize the
Southern States as a distinct belli-
gerent power but to so precipitately
give this material advantage to the
South was surprise to the Federal
authorities and compelled them to
enforce rigidly the blockade of
Southern ports at the very first
when least able to spare the men or
the means to do it. This quick
recognition of authority in the Con-
federacy before the Minister of the
United States could cross the sea
and the very day before he would
arrive, illustrates an important ele-
ment in diplomacy, An act of itself
wholly sustainable by international
law may by the sole influence of the
time within which it is performed
change the whole course of human
events. The unparalleled haste in
which the European catastrophe took
form discloses somewhere an impulse
to create war. Official preparations
must have preceded the quick culmi-
nation which cut off all attempts at
settlement or arbitration. The ulti-
matum to Servia limited to forty
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