New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-05
THE EUROPEAN NiBROGLIO.

"there is something shocking and even revolt
"ing in the admission that, though policy may
"keep the United States neutral in the present
contest, and interest may plead as iouaiy III
"favor Of Russia as of England and France tne
"feelipps and syupathes of America, the coz
uscience and heart of the nation, which are not
"under the control Of interest nor subject 70
considerations Of State policy, side with the
"powers of the East in their present deadly
Z" struggle with the powers of the West"
That such should be the opinion ., sna' JOUR
nal does not in the least surprise us, for John
Bull has so long been accustomed to proclaim
himself the champion Of freedom and the herald
of civilization that he has, to all appearances,
come to believe the story himself. The almost
universal decay in the condition of the people
subject to his rule, as in Ireland India and the
West Indies-or in close alliance with him, as in
Portugal and Turbey-has failed to open his eyes
to the fact that he is the chief opponent with
whom civilization and freedom have to contend;
nor does the rapid improvement OF those COM
munities which shut him out, as in the case of
France, Belgium Denmark and Northern Ger
many, tend more to produce that effect. Substi-
tutng words for things, he talks freedom and acts
slavery, and then is surprised to wake to the
fact that he has not real friend in the world.
The note of The London Times is repeated on
this side of the Atlantic by various journals no.
torously in the service of British traders and
by The National Era, which last not only assures
its readers that England has really been the
great ciyilizer Of the world, but also takes us
roundly to task for expressing the opinion that
1.-the best thing that could happen to Turkey
"would be for Russia to swallow her up" But
we have yet to meet with an argument to change
that opinion.
Nothing, we think, that is at all likely soon to
happen in Europe, would do more for the eman-
cipatiOn of the people Of Germany, France Italy
and England than the extension over turkey OF
the same wise system under which Russian
manufactures have grown SO rapidly. Were
that done, Turkey would offer to Europe an out
let for population similar to that now presented
by the United States, and the almost boundless
quantity of lands of the highest quality, now
upoccupied and uncultivated, would be reduced
to cultivation. Such measure would bring into
activity the immense mineral resources OF the
Empire, while the vast market thus created for
manufactures would cause demand for arti
sans from Western Europe, such would cause
competition for the purchase of labor to take the
place of that competition for the sale of it which
now exists. Then would be realized, to great
extent, the prospect held by up Golden some
years since when ogitating for the repeal of the
Corn laws-that oftwo men seeking to buy labor
and finding only one ready to sell it. This COM
petition 10 buy labor looks toward freedom, and
yet it is that competition whose growth England
seeks everywhere to prevent. In Turkey there
is none, AID therefore England is her friend.
In Russia it grows daily and therefore England
is her enemy.
Nothing would in our opinion do more toward
the termination of the "cheap labor" system of
England than the establishment of Russia
in Constantinople; and while holding to the
belief that "cheap labor" is neither more
nor less than slave-labor we must be excused
for not siding with our contemporary in any
feeling of anxiety for the success of those
Wetern powers which have just purchased from
The King of Sardinia, at so many guineas per
head, 1900 of his poor subjects. The policy of
the days Of our Revolution is thus revived and
Sardinians are now bought as Hessians then WERE
as food for powder. We can see but little differ
ence between buying black slaves from an Afri-
can prince and white ones from q European
one-and We fancy our contemporary will have to
use his finest glasses to discover where it lies.
further purchase would gladly be made from
Sweden, and because she is indisposed to make
the trade she is now menaced with war. To
guard herself against these Western powers she
is reduced to the necessity of calling her people
from their usual occupations and substituting
the carrying Of muskets for the following of
plows-and yet, forsooth, the cause of those
powers is to be regarded as the cause of civil.
zation II is time, as We think, that some of
our friends should cease to be beguiled BY ste
reotyped phrases and begin to look at things.
Such phrases, as we are told by Goethe, tend
greatly to 'ossify the organs Of intelligence"
That this maxim is true would seem-to cite
another instance-to be proved by the fact that
the great Democratic party in this country is
the one that believes in the buying and selling