The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-16 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

THE WOMEN'S PETITION AND CONGRESS.
Under this head the Spectator writes an article.
" Rumour," it says, " states that Mr. Russell Gur-
ney is about to present a petition to Parliament in
favour of extending the franchise to women, and
already numerous signatures of able politicians of
the feminine gender have been. obtained. This
petition sets forth that ' as it has been laid down
by high authorities that the possession of pro-
perty in this country carries with it the right
to vote for representatives in Parliament, it is an
evident anomaly that some holders of property are
allowed to use this right ; while others, forming no
less a constituent part of the nation, and equally quali-
fied by law to hold property, are not able to exercise
this privilege. Further, that the participation. of
women in the government is constitutional, as
women have always been held capable of sove-
reignty, and are eligible for various public offices."
The Spectator goes on to show that women are not
qualified for the right they here claim, and the
argument is illustrated by the address of Mrs.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wife, it believes, of the
Secretary at War, to the Congress, which recently
met at New York, in defence of woman's practical
rights, where, it declares, a larger amount of in-
flated and empty nonsense was talked than would
furnish out a dozen Chartist meetings and a dozen
county balls. " I would have," said this lady,
" man and woman associated together on equal
wages, as inspectors of streets, prisons, and metro-
politan police, commissioned, uniformed, and paid
by the State, to guard the youth of the nation. With
a star on her brow, and a sceptre in her hand, would
not woman patrol our streets with a holier
mission than she now does, a dependent on the will
and bounty of another?. What, to me, the coarse
and brutal crowds that might surround the poll ?
What if my robes were soiled, my feet in slippery
places, my ears heavy with the oaths of men, my
eyes pained with scenes of violence and fraud, if by
crucifixion such as this, one day in the year, I could
save 10,000 women from more hellish sights and
sounds, their lives all through—from stains that
water cannot wash away. Are not these blessings
cheaply bought by sacrifice so light ? As Shadrach,
Meshech, and Abednego walked through the fiery
furnace unscathed and Daniel through the lion's
den unharmed, so shall those whose lives are a link
in the chain of progress that binds the future to the
past walk securely through the hells to heaven, for
love and mercy are omnipotent."—This the Spec-
tator considers " bosh ;" and the article winds up by
declaring that women must show a glimmer of dif-
fused political capacity before they talk of their
general political rights.
CURRENCY IN AMERICA.—The Money Market Re-
view has an article on this subject. The writer shows
that on April 21 the prospect was that heavy ship-
ments of specie would take place immediately from
Liverpool to New York—the balance of trade being
then against this country—but after that date, the
German complications becoming serious, the United
States Securities presented a margin of 4 per cent.
profit on their importation into New York from
London. On the morning of May Ist the rate for
gold in New York was unsettled, at 126 to 126 k
per cent., and there was so little doing in exchange
that Messrs. Brown Brothers could not for some
time give a quotation for. the Persia. Towards
the middle of the day gold advanced, clos-
ing at 138 per cent., and sterling bills at
1094 premium. America is willing to relieve the
London market of all United States Securities
which may be thrown upon it—if only there exists
a profit margin as between the quotations here and
in New York. No doubt some of the gold which
has come, and which may yet come, may be to
strengthen the hands of American correspondents
in this country and on the Continent, but we repeat
that the explanation of the specie movement now
in progress proceeds from the easy and safe position
of the United States at the present time with respect
to money. For ourselves we cannot conceal the fact
that much of the prevailing doubt which rests on Ame-
rican credit in this country has no better foundation
than inability to grasp the complications which arise
in exchange transactions. There is an impression
that something pr other is wrong, and a disposition
to believe in the existence of .a state of things in
America which is sure to end violently. Never was
there a greater delusion ; the position in which the
war has left America being simply this, that the
Government is largely indebted to the public ; that
the Government is able to pay the public ; and that
the public are willing to wait the convenience of
the Government. The greenbacks possess the con-
fidence of the American people to an extent never
previously enjoyed by an American currency, and
we take leave to state that it is as safe as any cur-

rency tha t could possibly be devised, short of coin. It
cannot conceivably collapse, even under the con-
tinuance of extensive and protracted specie ship-
ments from New York.
FENIAN INVASION 'OF CANADA. -- The Daily
News thinks it is probable that the last move
of the Irish Republic was made to conciliate
certain brethren who were growing anxious
about the disposal of the funds subscribed for war
against British dominion. For the fools actually
engaged in the expedition one has scarcely more
pity than one has for-the knaves who sent them out

on it. There are times when folly does so much
mischief that it must not complain if it is put, id
respect of punishment, on a level with more re-
sponsible wickedness, and it will be matter for little
regret if the Canadians make but little discrimina-
tion between the respective shades of guilt which
may be observable in the Fenian force, and treat
them indifferently with such rough judgment as
circumstances may suggest. It is to be hoped that
the ignominous end which awaited the expedition
a fortnight since, and, as the MICE sincerely believes,
has ere long this overtaken it, may have some good
effect in Ireland. The Irish peasant has learned
of late years to look with vague expectation for
the coming succour from America. It will be well
if he is taught by the latest news that neither he
nor his fortunes have any place in the thoughts, or
any claim upon the purses, of the patriotic swind-
lers who have created the Fenian Republic.
The Morning Post considers that the promptitude
with which the Government of the United States
have taken measures to prevent an abuse of their
territory for the purpose of making a hostile attack
ou the British possessions deserves the most cordial
recognition at our hands. We could not expect
that, under a system of government in many re-
spects similar to our own the President would have
attempted to interfere with what has been termed
the Fenian movement; but it is a noticeable fact
that the authorities at Washington have not only
never connived at any scheme for making their
territory a basis of operations for any aggressive
measures against us, but they have invariably taken
the most active steps to prevent the infatuated
people who have been enrolled in the Fenian
brotherhood from carrying into effect their most
foolish and wicked designs.
The Morning Star observes that Fenianism has
now assumed a doubly loathsome and criminal
character. To impose upon the innocent Cana-
dians all the misery, alarm, and expense of a
guerilla warfare because they happen to be subjects
of the Queen is a crime so mean, so dastardly, and
so indefensible as to place the miscreants who take
part in it, whether as instigators or as actual per-
petrators, beyond the pale of civilisation. The
only good thing that can result from it is the total
extinction of the Fenian conspiracy, which, having
begun in ridicule, now ends by making itself de-
testable. The good faith of the American Govern-
ment is a pledge that its career of mischief will soon
be brought to an end.
The Pall Mall Gazette thinks it would be too
much to say that the Fenian raid in Canada is the
best thing that could have happened, but we are
inclined to believe that, on the whole, good will
come of it. -However vexatious and distressing
such disturbances may be, they can hardly be
deemed very serious. The Canadian volunteers,
though obliged to retire in the first instance, soon
recovered and drove back the Fenians. 'l'he regular
troops, who were by the latest accounts on their
way to the scene of action, would make short work
of such a rabble as Sweeney has under his command,
if the volunteers unaided had not already put them
to the rout. It is obvious also that the Govern-
ment of Washington is determined not merely to
avoid complicity with but to arrest any Fenian
operations on American soil. The result will pro-
bably be the collapse of the movement. The har-
mony and motives of the leaders will be put to the
test, and their dupes will be made to realise in the
most effectual manner the hopelessness and danger
of the mission to which they have committed them-
selves. As long, as Fenianism in America was con-
fined to mere talk, there was no means either of
measuring its practical force or of getting at it.
Now that it has come to a head in actual hosti-
lities, we can judge what the movement athounts
to, and administer a severe lesson to the bragging
adventurers engaged in it, who will at the same
time be taught that no aid is to be expected from
the Americans.

Judge Thomas, of Virginia, has refused the tes-
timony of a negro against a white man in a criminal trial,
on the grounds that the Civil Rights Bill is unconstitu-
tional, and it is thought that it will load to much dis-
CUSSiCaI before the Anal settlement by superior authority.