Year: 1869

greater, | have often said, than was ever
before received by one civilized power
nom another, short of unjust war. | do
not say this in bitterness hut In sadness
There can be no doubt that through Eng.
llsh completely, our carrying trade was
transferred to English bottoms-our for
cign commerce sacrificed While England
gained, we lost Our blockade was rcn.
dCred more expensive; and, generally,
our war, with all its fearful cost of blood
and treasure, was prolonged indefinitely.
This terrible completely began with a
wrongful recognition of rebel bclligcrcncy,
under the shelter of which pirate ships
were built and supplies were sent forth.
All this was at the very moment of our
mortal agony--in the midst Of tho strug-
gle for national life and it was done in
support of rebels whose single declared
object of separate existence as nation
was slavery, being in this respect clearly
tlistinguishabc from a power where slav-
cry is tolerated without being made n cor.
ncr stone. Such is the case Who shall
fix the measure of this great accountable
ityS For the present, 1t is enough to cX.
pose 1t, l make no demand. Not dollar
of money, not word of apology | show
simply what England has done TO
us. IL will he for her TO deter
mine what rcparation to offer, II will
be for the American people to determine
what rcparation TO require. On this head
content myself with the aspiration that
out of it may come some enduring safe
guard for the future, some landmark of
humanity. But have little hope of any
adequate settlement until our case in its
full extent has been heard In all contro-
vcrsies the first stage of justice is to under
stand the cause, and sooner or later Eng
land must understand ours. The English
arguments, so far as argument can be
found in the recent heat, have not in any
respect impaired the justice of our com
plant. Loudly is it said that there can be
no sentimental damages for wounded feel
ings, and then our case is dismissed as hay
ing nothing but this foundation. Now,
without undertaking to say that there is no
remedy in the case proposed, | wish 1t UNI
dcrstood that our complaint is for damages
traced directly to England. If the amount
is unprecedented, so are the wrongs. The
scale of damages is naturally in proper
tion TO the scale of operations. Who
among us doubt that these damages were
rcceiycdP The records show how our
commerce suffered, and witnesses without
number testify how the war was prolonged.
Ask any of our great Generals. Ask
Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, Meade, Ask
Grant, In view of this great wrong it is a
disparagemcut of international law to
say that there is no remedy. An
eminent English Judge once pronounced
from the bench that THE law is astute to
find u remedy but no astuteness
is required in this case. Nothing
but simple justice. Then it Is said,
Why not consider our good friends in
England, and especially those noble work.
ingmen who stood by us so bravely? We
do consider them always, and give them
gratitude for their generous alliance. But
they are not England. We trace no dam.
age to them nor to any class, high or low
butt England, corporate England, through
whose government we suffered. Then,
again, it is said, Why not exhibit an ac-
count against FranceY For the good rea-
son that while France erred with England
in recognition of belligerency, no pirate
ships or blockade runners were built un-
der shelter of this recognition to prey upon
our commerce. The two cases are wide
asundcr, and they are distinguished 10y
two different phases of the common law
| The recognition of the rebel beligerenc,
in France was n wrong without injury
and it is of this unquestionable injury tha
we complain"


In concluding, Mr.. Sumner rcpudiated
the suggestion that the claims against
England could ever be settled by trans
fer of Canada. Such transfer would be
hostile to the spirit of liberty essential to
both countries. But he entertained no
doubt that Canada would one day be ours,
voluntarily, by the action of its own peo-
pie, and with the free consent of Eng.
land,