The Washington times., 1915-12-16

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bated, and settled in a way that entire
| ly upholds the present contention OF
the United States.
There is no doubt that this Govern
ment will make sharp protest against
the French naval commanders action;
| and there is little uncertainty that ulti-
mately Paris will dlsavow the action.
| Meanwhile however, the subject Will
| doubtless be discussed in diplomatic
communications as long-dTawn-out as
they may well be, in view of the French
desire to terrorize German reserNists at
| tempting to return home.
| So long as they can make German re-
| serviSts fear to attempt the trip Dack
to their native land, the allied powers
( will doubtless continue to assume the
! right of taking German reserViSts from
neutral ships. But sooner or later the
United States is going TO stop the pr1c-
! tive Neither France nor England can
insist upon such rule. They are pom
on record against It. ana the rn,ted
States accepted their view at a time
when It WAS decidedly to the disadvan-
taRe of this cauntry to do 40.
America and England. in the latter
part OF 1861, came 10 the brink OF war
over this very issue, in the famous Incl
dent of the Trent. The Mason ana
Slidell case of that time IL so nearly
parallel to the subject-matter Of present
controversies that 1t * Impossible TO
believe that France will try to mslst on
the right 10 search our ships and take
suspected persons from them.
President Davis commlss oned Messrs
Mason and Slidell as ENJOYS OF the Con-
federacy, respectively, To EpSland ana
France. Mr.. Mason had BEEN chairman
of the Senate Committee or Foreisn he-
lations, and also American minister to
4 France; Mr.. Slidell had been our minis
ter to Mexico. They were sent to Eu-
rope in the hope Of getting recognltlon
for the Confede eracy, (which had previ-
ously tried and failed Of such recogni-
ltion.
They, with secretaries and families.
sailed on a Confederate vesse! to Cuba
and at Havana embarked on the Brlt-
ish packet Trent for St Thomas, , Dan,
ish West Indies where they designed
taking a British ship for Europe.
Decides To Capture.
While these gentlemen were in Ha-
vana the United States warship san
Jacinto. Captain, Wilkes, touched there.
learned OF the presence and plans OF OF
the Confederate emlssaries, and decided
t. capture them. Accordingly he
awaited the Trent on her regular
course. held her up with a shot across
her bow, sent a force aboard. ana TOOK
off Messrs. Mason and Slidell ana thSlr
secretaries, MacFarland and Eustis'
They were taken to Boston and put m a
Federal prison.
Ii IL interesting to recall some details
OF the hubbub that followed. The people
OF the North were in high glce. The
Secretary OF the Navy, Mr. Welles. pub
licly congratulated Captain Wilkes On
his performance. Mr.. Welles being a
good deal more of a navalist than Of a
, diplomat. To make matters more en-
bar rassing the House of Representa- :
tiycs, meeting u few days later. passed
a resolution rendering to Captain Wilkes
the thanks of Congress, and another
asking the President to treat Msson and
! Slidell as felons.
There was distinct cooling OF tne
heads when Great Britain, through dip
lomatic channels. was heard from.
There was no mincing of words The
British government Instructed ITS am
redress. apology, the liberation oe the
prisoners. and their delivery into Brit
ish jurisdiction. The ambassador was
told that II the American Secretary of
State Mr.. Seward, should ask 5or time
to deliberate, Ne should be given. it.:
but If at the end of seven days ne had
not answered. or, answering, had not
substantially granted the British de-
mand then the British ambassador
Was 70 leave WASHINGTON. THIS would
have been severance OF diplomatic rela-
tions, and, in the state OF opinion then
existing. would probably have precipi-
The British foreign minister was Lord
Russell. and the minister in Washing.
! ton Lord Lyons, a man ot eNceilehl
sense and sincerely friEhd NJ TIE
|
rect and consideratc' Lord L""ns' was
femDered by his real friendshin for the
Federal cause But for these Facts. and
also for the sound sense Of President
! lincoln and the cool capacity OF sec
: retarv Seward. there would probably
, have been war. and, so far as outward
manifestations went, 1t would have beer
with Americans popular war.
! Mr.. seward replied to the British de.
mands in a note that at the time proved
unpopular in this country, but that mas
become one of the corners of his fame
: as the great diplomat of the civil wal
$ era lie took up the case In detail
5 argued II I'm a paper of considerabl,
length and distinguished ability, anc
docdHd. in effect:
That It is not lawful for a belliger
ent to take civilian persons from :
, neutral ship that has. not been tried
and proved to have forfeited its neu
tral character.
5 That II is not lawful on the hiEi
n seas to take persons. whether military
8 or civil. from a neutral shin which hal
: not been tried and proved to have for
e feited its neutral character.
Z The argument OF Mr.. Seward was tina
5 Messrs Mason apd Slidell were pos
J. siblv contraband persons. II so. tn
4 United states was entitled to captur'