The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-15 00:00:00

r_uE SUN, LONDON, S A TURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 15, 1870.

THE IRISH LAND BILL AND FIXITY OF

TENURE.

We have reason to believe (says the Echo) that when
the Cabinet Ministers assemble for the first time in the
New Year, on Friday next, it will be found that their de-
liberations in regard to the Irish Land Bill are very
far from being terminated. We understand that the
progress of inquiry in Ireland shews a very for-
midable bulk of respectable opinion which will assert
itself in the House for some degree of fixity of tenure.
The tenants want assurance that they shall not be turned
out of their holdings, as well as some method of compen-
sation for improvements. Of course fixity of tenure in its
literal meaning cannot be conceded, but the subject which
will earliest engage the attention of the Cabinet will be
whether in some form the strong body of opinion which
is commtted to this view of the question cannot be con-
ciliated.

THE WEIGII7 OF WORDS.

(From Me AngloZimerican Times.)

Surprise is often expressed that two kindred na-
tions, speaking the same language and giving the
greatest publicity through a free platform and press
to their thoughts, though always squabbling, should
never be able to see a question from the side of the
other. It is easier for either the United Kingdom
or the United States to settle a dispute with France,
Spain, Germany, or any other Power, than with each
other, although the negotiations have to be conducted
in a foreign tongue. This might be a matter of
astonishment, as would be any ordinary process of
nature if it were not ordinary, but, being ordinary,
we cannot see why there should be any surprise. It
may display an unfair and prejudicial mode of rea-
soning in each ; the habit not only of gathering into
a mass all the " pros" while carefully excluding the
"cons," but of persuading themselves that no " cons
exist," those alleged being represented and held to be
mere fabrications of avicious and pig-headedenemy.
When communities of such a judicial condition of
mind get into a quarrel they do not soon get out
of it ; and its stupidity and folly might create sur-
prise did we not see the same courze pursued in
every relation of life, and nations are but the:agglo-
meration of individuals. People at a distance, who
know nothing of each other, will quarrel, but, as a
general rule, not very bitterly.; near neighbours,
who know each other well, " will fall out and chide
and fight," but families will tear each other to pieces,
the nearer the relationship the greater being the ve-
nom. Applying the same reasoning to this, as do those
who express surprise at the relations between the
United States and the United Kingdom, greater asto-
nishment ought to be felt at a fact which would be
incredible if it were not a matter of every-day
occurrence in every nation of the world, showing
that it has its spring in the well-known viciousness
of human nature. A writer in this quarter's West-
minster Review uses the same illustration as our-
selves to picture the folly of persistently dwelling
on our own and hiding the opponent's side, as the
act of the ostrich in putting its head in a hole, pre-
dicting for the nation which does so, the ostrich's
fate. Although the English people are quite uncon-
scious of the fact, they have in truth been doing
this in the Alabama controversy. They would not
see the American case which they persisted in styling
a sentimental grievance, out of which Americans
would have to sulk into a better frame of mind. The
Pall Mall Gazette never wearies of sneering at any
expression of sentiment, and whenever an English-
man of position or a leading journal indulges in
sentiment it is sure to call forth a s ircastic remark.
Business is business, says that journal, and English
buncombe meets with the response it deserves in
America, where they are too matter of fact and
wide-awake to be taken in by maudlin expressions of
tenderness. Then it goes on to repeat what the New
York Herald says, or BRICK POMEROY, or GEORGE
FRANCIS TRAIN, and all this is intended to choke E ng-
lish writers from giving utterance to whatever admi-
ration they may feel for a very great nation engaged
in a very great work, which highly appreciates such
approval from the representatives of a kindred coun-
try it deeply respects. Does the Pall Mall know in
what consists the keen edge of the Alabama exaspe-
ration? It is convenient for that journal, as well
as for many Englishmen, to forget the spirit of the
English press and of society during the Civil 'War ;
but the Unionists do not, cannot, and will not for-
get it. The unfriendly speeches of parliamentary
leaders, the bitterest articles of leading organs, the
sayings and doings picked up by Northerners tra-
velling through England, are all recorded in the files
of American journals of that period, and are repro-
duced in the despatches of American Ministers,though
the people require neither the one nor the other, for
they sank deeply into the national heart. Now
what was all this but words, mere expressions, sen-
timent ; yet it has instilled the venom into the
quarrel. Does any Englishman suppose that had
the Alabama escaped through an accident, and had
its career been denounced as it is now denounced
in England, that any such claims would have been
put forth by America? It was not the damage, great
as that was, but the sentiment of England which
fired the heart of COLUMBIA with a sense of wrong.
But these are not the words which call forth the
Pall Mall's sneer, that is reserved for expressions of
love ; yet bringing the effect down to the hard ma-
terial test in which the Pall Mall delights, would it
not have been viiser during the trying ordeal to have
directed such sneers against these expressions of
English buncombe which have brought on the shonl-
. ders of England so disagreeable a consequence. We
areuo t a
t
aware
the
time
that
in
that
existence, and no part of the sin,
therefore, lies at its door ; but the writer of the
paragraphs to which we allude was, and perhaps
has reason to know what were the effects of these
expressions of hate. Now our argument is—lf such
a consequence follows from the free use of words
intended to insult, to depress, to degrade, is it not
fair to conclude that words signifying the re-
verse will in a degree produce the reverse effect ?
Those who have the power of causing bitter pain
through words, can, by the same means, cause plea-
sure ; hence we have a right to believe that the
better tone of England, although it may not meet
with an immediate response, will work good on the
other side in the end. It is curious in glancing
over the same paper to see how this is shown in its
own columns. The Gazette can only account for
the quietness and forbearance now displayed in the
American press, especially on the revolt of the Red
River settlers, by the supposition that Americans
have persuaded themselves the British Possessions
are becoming ripe, to drop as a shower of fruit into
the Union. Supposing they did think so, would that
be a reason for ceasing to abuse England, or the
contrary ? and this idea only shows how little the
Pall Mall understands what has caused the fact it
states, to the truth of which we bear witness.
There is a very different feeling in England towards
the United States now to that which ever before ex-
isted. The deep impression made by the enormous
power of the nation generates respect, respect pro-
duces good behaviour in intercourse, and that is
eventually reciprocated. Yet all this intercourse,
influential though it may be, consists of mere ex-
pressions, though the feeling generated may and
does lead to acts. It was English enmity which dic-
tated the cruel expressions that gave such pain and
bred so much hatred in America. But it was the ex-
pressions uttered by a set of designing men which
did so much to cause the enmity in England. There-
fore the bad blood already existing w as stirred by them
into activity, and the contagious feeling helped to
spread itself till it appeared to Americans that
all England was covered with hatred to the Union,
as with a mantle, and they could see naught else,
though in reality it was but a superficial garment
which hid from their view others of greater worth.

It then suited a strong party to give this appear-
ance to the national sentiment, and they succeeded

so well, that there is no persuading Americans that
any other then existed, and in this lies what the
English call the sentimental grievance. When,
however, it is given expression to in such speeches as
that of Senator SUMNER, there is found behind to
stand a solid array of facts and claims which have
rather a startling appearance. Whence are mar-
shalled these huge claims? Why from the senti-
ment, the universal American belief, that the ex-
pressions given utterance to in the English press re-
flected the bit ter hostility of the English peopleagainst
the Union when engaged in a cause wherein they
had a right to expect England's sympathy. We
admit that prior to the war there was a vast amount
of abuse of England current iu the United States,
mainly issuing from the slave-holding oligarchy,
which saw in England the most dreaded foe of its
Domcstic Institution. But this only strengthens
our argument., and indeed it is one we have often
advanced, that the enmity of England,
which bore
srich bitter fruits to the Union during the Civil
War, was largely caused by the, enmity expressed
in America against England prior to the War.
But such was English ignorance, worked on by
Toryism, that the English sympathies were given
to the slave-holding oligarchy and their allies the
Irish, from whom emanated most of the spite against
the old country to be found in America before the
struggle. But what has all this been, but words,
though, we must confess with sorrow, the words of
hate. Even the Pall Mall must allow their in-
fluence to have been tremendous, and the results any-

thing but gratifying. Why, then, should it endea-
vour to sneer out of countenance those trying the
other tack, to see if some good might not ac-
crue from.changing words of irritation into fair
and generous comments. We want no maudlin
sentiment, but still less the proved evil of the
style adopted by the Pall Mall, the Saturday Review,
and such journals, which always seek their illustra-
tions for everything bad in the United States. It
is amusing to observe what a genuine snob the pro-
fessed organ for gentlemen is. It is vulgarity to call
GEORGE PEABODY--GEORGE PEABODY; either in the
Bishop of LONDON preaching over the remains of
the philanthropist in Westminster Abbey, or in the
Prime Minister in his speech at the Mansion-house.
The gentleman is " Mr." PEABODY, and we desire
American journals, which are so fond of quoting
this Pall Mall Gazette, to take note that it is vulgar
to call men by their names; but we who have
al ways been vulgar in this respect intend to remain
so, and we will continue as usual to write of those
we respect, whether alive or dead, frequently, by
giving their full names without any titles.

711 E COMING EXODUS.

(From the Anglo-American Times.)

We learn by telegraph from Toronto that " the
Dominion Government has decided upon erecting
a large building contiguous to the Grand Trunk
and Great Western stations, as part of the general
arrangements to promote immigration during the
coming summer." It is clear that in every direc-
tion a large English emigration is anticipated, and
even the Mormons are making preparations. They
are about to build a house of reception for their
immigrants from Europe in the City of New York,
for which a large appropriation has been made. As
we have always predicted, British emigration is
assuming the proportions of an exodus, and we
therefore recommend to the attention of lecturers,
of reading-rooms and libraries, especially those of
the working classes, as well as to all who profesb to
give information for the guidance of families on
this most important matter, to procure the
last report of the United States Land Commis-
sioner, some extracts from which will be found
elsewhere. We take the liberty at the same time
to recommend Commissioner WILSON to. send
this volume—for the Report is a book containing
300 pages filled with valuable maps—freely to
England for the dissemination of information,
which cannot fail to prove of the utmost value in
Europe at such a period as the present. We have
dane our best to circulate correct information for
the intending emigrant, so as, we dare say, to bring
on ourselves the appellation of " touters" for
the United States, to whom the ignorant, the mali-
cious, and the stupid so frequently allude. There
are no such persons as these touters, for there never
was a country that more neglected its clear duty
to give information abroad than the United States.
We desire to bring this matter to the attention of
Congress, for it is alike unfair to the Union, and to
the kindred nation of Great Britain. What right has
the Republic to spread itself over the fairest domain
which GOD has created on this globe, with fertile
acres by the score of millions lying waste, and with
the invitation to come, which it professes to give,
not to give information also to the ignorant and
over-crowded populations of this Continent. We
can tell Mr. WILSON that his Report would be of
infinitely greater value abroad than at home. Here it
mightbe Wean(' fortune; there, curious information
and statistics. We grant that a few land companies,
and one or two Governors of States or Territories,
have done a little—but very little; and we venture
to assert that not one British working man in
10,000 ever heard the name of Kansas. The U.S.
" touter" of the Tory imagination is like the British
Free-trade Agent, with pockets full of gold dis-
seminating his selfish British doctrine through the
United States, in the imagination of the Protec-
tionist, and both resemble " Mrs. Halms," furnish-
ing a good subject for conversation—but " there
ai'nt no such a p..!rson," though they might prove of
use did they exist. Fortunately for the States there
is a natural law which, in a measure, does the work
they neglect. Those who do emigrate, whether
their first destination be Canada or Columbia, finally
settle in the United States in the proportion
of ten. to one ; and we are content, knowing
the working of this law, to ace the activi y
in recruiting for the Dominion of those who would
sooner let a family starve than proceed to the LILA. ed
States. If they would only work hard enough we
would cease to labour i❑ this field at all, for the in-
formation we give is not of interest to Americans,
and while it costs much trouble in gathering facts, it
does little or nothing to sell the paper, or in any way
to remunerate ui. We are, in truth, trying to do
the work which ought to be done by the United
States—unaided and unthanked ; and if we are
called ",Yankee touters," we can assure those who
thus style us that that is all we get, unless, indeed,
we may modestly allude to " Virtue being its own
Reward." The best country is the essence of the
question to the English emigrant, and in considering
it, prejudice and sentiment should be put aside. As
the Repubdc has, beyond comparison, the best land,
and deals most liberally with the emigrant, he who
has to emigrate ought to go there, and this is the
truth we desire should be widely known.