13-J: THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



the &quot;Charge&quot; and the &quot;Reasons&quot; can not be accident 

 al : it must have its cause in idiosyncrasies of mental 

 constitution. 



This vacillation or contradictoriness of opinion, 

 which strikes the News so much, pervades the &quot; Rea 



sons.&quot; 



Thus Sir Alexander admits want of due diligence 

 in the matter of the Alabama, and yet stoutly denies 

 that the United States had any good cause of com 

 plaint against Great Britain. He insists that Minis 

 ters were to officiate within the limits of municipal 

 law, and yet admits that such is not the law of na 

 tions, the force of which he also recognizes. He de 

 nies that the Ministers can lawfully exercise any pre 

 rogative power in such matters, and yet justifies and 

 approves the exercise of it [although too late] in the 

 case of the Shenandoah. 



The News also calls attention to Sir Alexander s 

 &quot; disaffection to the conditions under which he dis 

 charges his task, a task voluntarily accepted with 

 full knowledge of those conditions.&quot; &quot; He criticises 

 adversely the Treaty of Washington : . . . these criti 

 cisms seem to us to be extra vires. A derived author 

 ity ought surely to respect its source. . . . Other con 

 siderations than those laid down for him have certain 

 ly been, present to the mind of Sir Alexander Cock- 

 burn,&quot; etc. 



There is manifest justness in this criticism. What 

 business had Sir Alexander to indulge in continual 

 crimination of the Treaty of Washington, while act 

 ing as Arbitrator under it, and possessing no pow- 



