Washington sentinel., 1855-03-10
The PeriIous Position of England.

Ine FERROUS Position OF England.
| The following article, from a late number Of
the London Ittas, contains more plain truth
than we are accustomed to find in the Eng.
| lish newspapers. 1t shows that aristocratic
shams and gewgaws no longer deceive and
dazzle the honest journalists who represent the
people of England
every step towards the war; and in the
war has been made in the densest, grossest,
and most calamitous ignorance the people
knew nothing, for what was movable was con.
cealed from them by secret diplomacy, the
cabinet knew nothing, for they were wilfully
| blind the commander knew nothing, for they
had no capacity to see indeed, the only men
who did know anything, were the common
soldiers who knew their duty, and did il bravely,
and knew likewise for their reward all the
miseres that plague, pestlence, famine, and
| Incompetence could bring upon them. Instead
OF being nearer peace, as we ought to have
been, we are just commencing war-without
plan, without principle, without peace, and our
only preparation for the great coming struggle
is to have lost the finest army which ever left
our shores, and effectually frighted our towns
men and peasantry away from the recruiting
sergeant, whose efforts we paralize, while upon
them we must rely. We have made ourselves
ptied in France, despised in Germany, dis
trustsd in Poland, an object Of wonderment
and contempt in Switzerland, who for months
| past has been offering us the troops we pre-.
tended to want, but had not the common sense
to accept In addition to these deplorable re-
suits Of popular apathy and aristocratic mis-
rule, many branches Of trade are languishing.
provisions are dear, and commercial distress.
starvation, and social disorganization stare us
in the face. We do not draw this horrible but
true picture of our position and prospects, for
the mere sake OF creating alarm. Far from it,
we tell the plain unvarnished and unpalatable
truth. in the hope that it will arouse the public
from slumber which is as suicidal as it is
insane. Our people are sitting upon powder
barrel, and smoking their pipe as if it were
calumet of peace, and war, with its alarms had
passed away. We fear that the consequences
of such fatal conduct, and would do our part
TO excite rational action while there is vet time
to avert the most serious danger with which
our country has been threatened since the revo
luton of 1858.
IF the middle class does not act at once with
wisdom and energy, we shall, before many
months are over our heads, have the masses
reused By distress, impatient of guidance, and
clamoring with angry passions for the over.
throw of anything and everything which they
imagine rightly or wrongly has brought evil
upon them. This state of things we implore
the more intelligent and influential part Of So
ciety to prevent, by removing, without delay.
firmly but safely, the causes which are fast
leading towards ii. The spectacle of the
Queen, unable for more than week to secure
the advice and assistance of Cabinet, is both
scandalous and alarming, and become still
4 ponr yha tba
sidered. In the FIRST place. her Maieslys choice
is limited to few families by the aristocrstc
perversion Of the House of Commons from what
it was intended to be-the Peoples House
into a muddy reaexion Of the House of Peers.
In vain, under the present arrangements, NAV
that House possess dozens Of men that would
make good Cabinet Minister'S Honesty and
fitness are not the tests for Office, but family
connections and borough mongering powers
II one of the men whom the Queen sent for had
possessed the moral courage to propose Cab.
met which omitted all the old used.up political
hacks, and contained new and useful persons,
such Cabinet could not, by any possibility,
have gained support in either House of Parlia.
ment. The state of our representation is so
bad, that, except under strong popular pres.
sure, an efficient government is thing utterly
impossible; and the aristocratic fabric Of mis-
rule IS so rotten, that if one part we're touched,
the whole would tumble to pieces A misrep.
resenting Parliament supports incapable ad.
ministrations; an army sytem of aristocratic
communism, in which folly and ignorance.
when conjoined to wealth and station, outweigh
capacity aud knowledge; and national
church, in which toadyism stands higher than
integrity, and whose pulpits are filed with
dumb dogs that cannot bark except in de.
fence Of clerical pelG Earnestness, honesty.
and truth, are wanting-can the nation find
them, or will it sink2 Let the middle class.
who have command Of vestryhalls and town.
halls all over the kingdom, ponder these things
in their hearts and meet in every part OF the
country, loudly demanding national safety and
reform. Let there be no waiting for respect
able leading-'respectability is at discount
be earnest, and if you are worth leading,
leaders will be found.
And the foremost danger comes from con.
| tinued mismanagement Of the war; let the recall
Of Lord Raglan and all his family connections
whom he has thrust upon the country, be one
requirement Of the people. Let the entire abo.
litlon OF the iniquitous system of selling com
missions be another and most urgent demand;
let merit, and merit only, be the test OF fitness.
III the descendant Of the great Panjandrum
himself goes into the military service, let him
Il
justice in the race Of honor for the aristocracy
and the rich, but justice also for the poor; and,
above everything, justice for the people.
In the next place, let all the "boards," those
screens for bleckheads and tricksters, be
marched off at once into the dustheap of the
past, and let one simple and intelligent officer,
| with responsible Minister for its head, regu.
late the whole military system from top TO toe.
Then let us know what we are fighting for
| IL for the liberties Of Europe, to whose promo.
ton the conservation Of Turkey is so important,
then let us fight as our forefathers did in the
days Of England's greatest and uncrowned
King, with a solemn earnestnees Of purpose,
and as men who will take care that human life
is not sacrificed in vain. But IL it is proposed
to us to fight for Hapsburgh dynasties and
German Princes, let us rather turn Quakers,
and away with every thought Of war. We be-
lleve there is truth at the heart of the nation
if so, out with it; and the truth will set us free
from every danger, secure victory abroad and