Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-03-31 00:00:00

REPUBLICAN INGRATITUDE

IN using this phrase, as the heading of a few ob-
servations upon a matter of passing interest, we are
not ourselves inventing it for the occasion. We
have before us a recent issue of one of the most
popular of the public journals of republican America,
which, after referring to several instances of the
republic's ungrateful treatment of men who had
conferred great benefits upon their country, and con-
trasting their cases with those of several English
worthies who had been honourably rewarded for
their public services, declares :—" We could cite many
more examples, not only of republican ingratitude, but
of positive meanness ; but these are enough for our
purpose. That is, to show that between the politi-
cians quarrelling for the spoils, and a want of proper
appreciation and mercantile honour among our people,
our best men are often forced to the wall." This
is the contrast, in such matters, between a
monarchy' and a republic. It has long been a pro-
verb, that "republics are ungrateful." They always
were, and, it would appear, they always will be.
The occasion of such a contrast being drawn, just
at this moment, by the American journal we refer to,
is that of quoting an intimation in the English papers
of its being the intention of her Majesty to bestow a
mark of honourable distinction upon one in whom
the Americans cannot but take a deep interest.
" There is a simple announcement," it is remarked,
•' in the news by the last European steamer to the
effect that Mr. CUNARD, the founder of the Cunard
steam-ships, is about to receive from the hands of
the Queen the dignity of a Baronet of the United
Kingdom. The circumstance is one of many of a
similar nature ; and, by contrast, they should
put our people and our Government to the
blush." Herein, then, lies the ingratitude ;
and in this particular instance it is the
more glaring, because there happens to be in
the United States men occupying a very similar
position to Mr. CUNARD, whose treatment certainly
does present a most unfavourable contrast. One
could scarcely expect that the well-known Ameri-
can jealousy' of the decided success of the British
line of steam-ships which bear that gentleman's
name, would ever allow an American journalist to
say very much—at least very impartially—in praise
either of the achievement, or of him by whose
enterprise and energy it was accomplished. It
is confessed, however, that " the Cunard Line is
well managed,"—that " during sixteen years its
voyages have been made with commendable regula-
rity,—that it possesses the confidence of the mercantile,
and the travelling community "—and that, "in a
business point of view it pays." It is further declared,
that " the British people point with commendable
pride to the CUNARD ships as a British institution—
a thing to be quoted, and upheld, and defended, in
season and out of season, like the British Consti-
tution, and the British Museum, and the British
Parliament, and all other matters that our Eng-
lish cousins especially delight to honour,"—and
that " this public feeling, reacting upon the Govern-
ment, makes Mr. CUNARD, the man of steam-
ships and of trade, a Baronet." All this
is acknowledged, and evidently with a latent
feeling of mortification ; for there is betrayed,
in the manner of the acknowledgment, if not in its
very terms, a soreness that it should be an English
affair, and not an American, where so great a
triumph had been achieved by " a man of steam-
ships and of trade," and achieved, too, in an
undertaking to which American energy had been
unequal. "It is not much, perhaps," adds the
writer, "in our view, for Mr. Cunard to be a
Baronet; but it is a great deal in England, and is a
most significant mark of recognition for special
services." And this is everything. The honour,
the reward, is one which a republic could not, in
fact, bestow, were it grateful enough to desire
it. But the treatment of " special services," of
a similar kind, by the republic of the United
States, rendered for the public good, and to the
credit of the country, by one of its own citizens, does
certainly present a most disreputable contrast. Well
might they be asking, when they heard of the inten-
tion to do honour to Mr. CUNARD, " What have we
done for our European steamship proprietor, Mr.

What, indeed, but lure him on to his
ruin ; and then stand by and see him sink, Without
one hand stretched out to save him ! "He estab-
lished," it is now recounted, "in the face of difficul-
ties which Mr. CUNARD never encountered—a line
of ocean steamers. They were unequalled in the
previous history of naval architecture. They were
larger, swifter, more commodious, and more beauti-
ful, than the Cunard ships. They made for American
ships a world-wide reputation. Englishmen were
forced to acknowledge these facts. We were, after
our manner, proud of them. We wrote poetry about
them. We wrangled with the English on the
questions of time, and model, and machinery. In
fact, we did everything but pay for them. Congress
gave a subsidy, and then, through the efforts of
Philadelphian and other provincial jealousies, with-
drew it, and refused to pay a portion of the mail
money. That was the first blow for Mr. COLLINS.
Subsequently, rival proprietors of steamships under-
mined and underbid him. He was thrust aside, after
years of toil, and his ships laid up to rot. His
services to the republic are matters of history ;
others reap the profits and he suffers the losses
accruing from them." Such is the native account
of Mr. COLLINs's case,—the American "man
of steam-ships and of trade." And what a
contrast ! Is it not only too true, then, that
republics are ungrateful ? Well may COLLEY
GRATTAN declare, in his " Civilised America," which
we have more than once had occasion to refer to
lately, that it "is not the country where a public
and a poor man may meet misfortunes with im-

CourNs

* Saturday Roview,