The Express.
London, England, 1862-01-01 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, 'WEDNESDAY

not only rompised in this country, bat realised in
all its hideous and appalling features. The South
is fighting for the worst forme of mocha iniquity,
for the right to brutalise and barter its
own children, for the right to establish
the accursed system which deatzoys social
morality, brands industry as a disgrace,
and gives the lie in the most practical and am-
phatic shape to the central truths of religion.
The attempt, no matter how obliquely made, to
enlist the sympathies of Englishmen in such •
cause must always and inevitably faiL The
mere expectation of success is the grossest outrage
and worst insult which could be offered to the
nation. The appeal which the alaveholders and
their friends would fain make to the countrymen
of CLAXXIION and Wirartaro•cs will be repudiated
with the scorn and detestation it merits.

The conflict is, moreover, undoubtedly fitted to
test the strength sad sincerity of the political
principles which, as a nation, we always professed
end held fast to. England is the ancient home of
freedom, independence, and melf-governamot.
Here popular rights have gained • more
complete triumph over the oppressive claims
of arbitrary privilege than in any other spot of
the Old World. The main principles of our own
free polity transplanted to the Western wilderness,
and adapted to meet the new and special require-
ments of a young and enterprising race, are repre-
sented in the political institutions and popular govem-
ment of the United States. The esetnies of popular
government at home and abroad affect to see in the
present struggle the failure of these institutions.
They strive continually to frighten the timid and
perplex the simple by wild analogies and false
alarms ; and cherish the sinister hope that this
great struggle for human freedom abroad, may at
least promote the cause of reaction at home. In this,
too, we believe they will find themselves disap-
pointed. There is much in the bowing and
language of the Americana, especially towards our-
selves, which naturally tends to alienate our personal
regard. They are conspicuously vain and irri-
table, and often indulge in violent and offensive
speech. But Englishmen, we hope, are too just as
well as too generous to allow the superficial vices
and follies of its more obtrusive representatives to
obscure the sterling virtues at the American cha-
racter. And were the ungenial features far more
numerous and important than they really are, we
should never be induced to condemn their politics'
institutions on any such purely personal and irrele-
vant ground. Their popular system of government
baa so far stood the test of a tre-
mendous crisis. During the present strug-
gle the weakness of the Federal Constitu-
tion bas been strengthened by the prompt and
energetic support of the people at large. The
principle of self-government has achieved a con-
spicuous triumph. Nothing has yet occurred to
prove that this principle is not fully equal to the
greatest emergencies. The awful warning which the
friends of reaction continually point at does not
exist, and if it did it would have no application
whatever here. The American war has produced
no revolution, has made no change in the world
of political truth. Progress through Reform is
still the law of the race.