1869. · Washington
by Sumner, Charles
Washington, 1869.. 14pp. printed in double columns. Original printed self-wrappers, string-tied. Small stamp in upper outer corner of front wrapper. Old faint stain throughout, else fairly clean. Good plus. Official government edition of this important foreign policy speech, printed after the "injunction of secrecy [was] removed by order of the Senate." The Johnson-Clarendon Treaty, signed by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Clarendon, and the American Ambassador to Great Britain, Reverdy Johnson, sought to settle all outstanding financial claims between the two countries. Foremost among these were the so-called "Alabama Claims," a blanket term used to cover depredations against Northern shipping by Confederate vessels that had been outfitted in Great Britain. The Alabama was one of many ships that raided Union commercial vessels, and some $15 million in damages were claimed in all. On April 13, 1869, Senator Charles Sumner, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made a devastating speech against the treaty, helping to ensure its defeat by the Senate. Sumner argued that the British should also have to pay collateral costs associated with the damaged shipping, which he estimated at more than $100 million. An important oration in American diplomatic history. (Inventory #: WRCAM35908)