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Show TODAY IN HISTORY SUNDAY; MAY 8, 1910- J Treaty of the Alabama Claims. Ono of the conspicuous legacies of tho civil war was that known ni the Alabama Ala-bama clalmB, that is. claims against tnc British government for damages bc&uiae that country permitted the Coiifedo ate government to build vcbsoIs In her shipyards ship-yards for the purpose of Pro)ng on American merchant vessels, whlcl "J0 north claimed was against International law. at least International courlesj. The Alabama was built In the gieat English shipyard of Laird U Sons, o Mersey river. There was a law passed by parliament long before rorbldding an vessel to be built or equipped for use against a friendly nation The Amorluui minister In London. Charles Fra i s Adnms, called the attention of the authorities au-thorities to this law. bui all action was deferred until It wns too lute, iho -JU. as the vessel wns known, had been finished and had escaped. It was In August. 1802. that the Alabama Ala-bama hogan Its wonderful tour of the world, the most remarkable of Its kino In history. It was noL a pirate ship, nor was Its purpose to acquire riches. is object was to weaken tho north by destroying de-stroying northern shipping, and It captured cap-tured sixty-nine vessels, Including mei-chantmen mei-chantmen and whalers. . m Tho vessels captured by the Alabama were often hurncd and the passengers and crews carried to some port and set rreo. It was In June. 1864, that tho Alabama reached Cherbourg, and hero It met tnc Kearsargc. a United States cru ser of about tho samo size. It was a death due . In neutral waters, and tho Ivcarsarge sunk tho Alabama, .thus ending the strange career of this famous vessel- When tho war was over the British government was politely Informed that she would be expected to pay damages for the destruction of American shipping, but tho English Ignored the request. In President Pres-ident Grant's annual message In ISiO lie made reference to the subject which awakened the British public to the realization real-ization that there was something quite .xerloua between the two countries. The English minister at Washington proposed a Joint high commission, to sit In thai city and arrange to adjust the relations between the two countries. The commission com-mission met and produced the treaty or Washington, which was rallhed by the senate on May 8. 1S71. it provided for settling several points of dispute and the most important of those was tho Alabama Ala-bama claims. It was provided that thl3 be settled by a tribunal or Jury of five men to meet at Geneva. Switzerland. Only ono of the live was to be an American Ameri-can and one an Englishman. Ihc tribunal tri-bunal met, the case was argued, and the American claims won. and It was decided that the British government pay the United States the sum of ?ln.o00.000 In gold In settlement of the Alabama claims, and the money was paid to tho last dol- At the Geneva court of arbitration, the government of the United States was represented rep-resented by Charles Francis Adams, the British by Sir Alexander Cockburn. lord chief justice of England: Italy named Count Sclopls. Brazil the Viscount d Ita-Juba Ita-Juba and Switzerland Jacques Steampfll. These men all were of great eminence. Thev began their sittings on December 15. iS71, and did not finish until the following fol-lowing September. On May 8. 184G, occurred tlie battle of Palo Alto In the Mexican war. and the battle of Spottsylvanla Court House, Vn.f In tho civil war (1864). It Is the date on which the northern conFt of Greenland was discovered by Lieutenant Peary In 1000. It Is the birthday of Alain Rene Lc Sage, author of "Gil Bias" (1WS): James Hamilton, tho southern statesman (17S6): William H- Vandcrvllt. financier (1R21): William Walker, the filibuster (1824); Louis M. Gottschalk (1829). and Augusta M. Evans, the author (1S35). |