Washington sentinel., 1855-02-10


There is a small party in England opposed
to the present war, Of which Mr.. Golden and
Mr. Bright, both distinguished Parliamenta-
rians, are the leaders. A recent political meet.
ing was addressed by Mr.. Golden, and the ex-
tract we make below from his speech will show
that while France and England denounce Rus
sia for seizing upon the territory of another
power, that both are guilty of the same charge:
"You have heard Of Russia's having taken
territories from various countries Now, will
undertake to say, that for every square mile OF
territory that Russia has taken from any Power
by force of arms during the last one hundred
and fifty years, we have taken five. / am glad
to see you hear the statement with so much
good humor for we should have gone very far
towards despotism in this country if man
was not listened to because he spoke the con
scientious truth. tHear, hear.) We are told,
moreover, that Russia has been encroaching
latterly upon the Turkish Empire. That is to
say, the present Gear has had very strong
disposition to meddle with what was not his
own. (Laughter.) Now, it is singular fact,
but a fact Notwithstanding, that, during the
present Cars lifetime, he has not taken slice
Of territory from Turkey, but one Of the parties
engaged in this war for the assertion Of justice
has taken very large slice of the Turkish
Empire during the lifetime Of the Car. We
know that, in 1880, France seized upon Algiers,
and has kept it ever since We know thai. AL
giers was aMohammedan dependenceol Turkey,
and believe that, up to this moment England
has never recognized the right Of France to Al
giers by sending Consuls there, simply because
the British government did not like to offend
Turkey BY recognizing the appropriation Of her
territory. (Hear, and laugh.) know what
my friend Mr.. Baines will say. He will tell
you that it is all very well for Mr.. Golden to
talk in this way, but that two blacks do not
make one white. Let me remind Mr.. Baines
that | set out with the position, taken by some
persons, that we were the judges, and that the
Car was the criminal, and that we were doing
justice in the interests of all Europe and of the
whole civilized world.
" think, before we mount the judgment seat,
it is necessary that we should have clean
hands. do not think Judge who was known
himself to be given to piltering as much as
the culprit in the dock would be very likely to
be sustained on the judgment seat by public
opinion, or that he would be allowed to exer.
else the functions of Judge for single day
after his delinquency was discovered. "a
laugh.) That is the predicament in which we
place ourselves when we come to this argument
of justice. We are taking position in which
the world does not recognize us. Be assured,
gentlemen of the West Riding that however
complacently we lay our hands upon our hearts,
and thank Heaven we are not as other men
who invade and annex their neighbors terrific
ry, other nations, recoecting that we have pos
sessed ourselves in India, during the last one
hundred and fifty years, Of the territory of a
Mohammedan soyereign-the Great Mogul-
containing population Of one hundred mil.
lion or one hundred and fifty million--remem.
bering what we have done with the Dutch at
the Cape, and with everybody else somewhere
or other (great laughter)-wil not regard us
as the disinterested, just, and perfectly immac-
ulate people we allege ourselves to be. They
believe we are just another Russia in that re-
spect-just another Russia, nothing better
nothing worse; we have taken territory where
ever we thought it was worth having, and the
parties who held it were not sufficiently strong
to prevent our taking it. Now, what is the
consequence? We find that only Russia does
not acknowledge our authority as Judge, but
that the rest Of the world does not acknow.
ledge it. That is our anomalous position.
We islanders, with an intense amount Of
pride, arrogance, and conceit, which is COM
mon TO oil islanders, console ourselves with the
notion that we are standing up in this case to
execute justice upon a criminal, while the peo-
pie OF the continent and Of America, believing
this to be struggle for territorial power-be
lieying we are afraid that something will hap
pen to our trade in the Black Sea, or to our
Indian possessions-give rs credit for every
other motive than that pure abstract sense OF
justice, and that entire disinterestedness to
which we lay claim. But in this case what is
the criminal himself? Does he stand in such
position as the helpless man in the dock,
who has been arrested for thieving, who is
guarded by couple Of police officers, and in
whose recapture, we're he to attempt to escape,
not only the whole audience in the court, but
thewhoe public out of doors, would eagerly ioin2
No, our position with regard to him is like that
of Judge who has to descend from the bench
and fight his own battles with the criminal ar
raigned before him, who might not only dust
the judges wig and shake the powder out of it,
but might bid fair TO gain the mastery over
him. laugh. Now, that is our position
with regard to Russia. Cries Of No. NO.
Yes it IS. Russia does not admit that we are
the Judge in this case, and does not submit to
our authority. You see what resistance she
is offering to our interference; and must say
that the tone and spirit which we have mani
tested in carrying on the war is not OF that
calm, impartial, and placid description which
one would expect TO find in Judge sitting on
the bench, and having confidence in his own
authority.
We have used good many strong terms, we
have shown good deal Of passion in this mat
ter, and ! ask You to consider this question
apart from all those highAown pretensions
which believe to have no foundation at all in
reality, and which the world certainly does not
recognize. Take, for instance, the States of
the continent You would suppose that the
King of Belgium would lean to the side of
England, and would be as willing as any one
to pronounce an opinion with respect to this
quarrel. Does he, in addressing his Parlia-
ment, say that England is exercising the func-
tions of judge, and call upon them to sup
port US by the public opinion Of that country?
No; he tells his Parliament that great war
exists between three Of the principal powers of
Europe, and that they must preserve strict
neutrality What says the representative of
the people Of the United States2 lie says with
reference to this war, that it is the duty and
the interest Of the American government TO