The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-07-20
LORD RAGLAN.

the British Parliament Of the provision which
has made for his family All that selfish opulence of England
which devoes itself cpcurean pleasure at home
while Of the country being sunk in the depths Of
the Black sea- which is willing hire other people TO hight
but not willing fight ITSELF which descends to stealing
recruits in Germany and the United States, instead Of
raising them by lawful power in the British islands-that
selfish opulence of the rich andholders and bankers OF
England may well pour out its fupeuous wealth in honor
of the Lord Raglan dead when il had shrunk from doing
justice the living Lord Raglan.
Certainly if there be among the half dozen British
names most conspicuous connexon with the campaign
of Crnea which than any other is entitled to re-
spectfa MENTION that of Lord laglan The Earl Of
Aberdeen the minister having responsible direction
Of the affairs of Great Britain under whose imperfect p
otage British government drifted into the war with
Russia The Duke of Newcastle the Secretary of War
and The Earl of Clarendon of Foreign Affairs.
In the cabinet which declared the war; in the present
cabinet. Lord John Russell and Lord Pamerston have
been from the beginning to the present the influencing
minds in the progress of the there has TO be sure
been change Of cabinets Lord Aberdeen and Lord New
having been sacrificed to that public indignation
which by some strange haucinaon of popular deuson
crucfed Lord Aberdeen for the very things for which
it deiied Lord Pamerston The present cabinet differs
Aberdeen Sir James Graham, good at least
any who remain and in the substitution Of Lord Panmure
for the Dake Newcastle and Of Sir George Lewis for
Mr.. Gladstone We may regard primarily responsible
fer the declaration Of the Earl Of Aberdeen the Earl of
Clarendon Lord John RUSSELL and Lord Palmerston, in
the cabinet and out Of Lord Straord de Radcliffe the
British Ambassador Constantnople These five states
men will have share the quinuple responsibility of the
condition. whether of glory shame in which Great Brit
ain now stands They stand at the head all things
sidered the statesmen of their country. They all
men of experience in that rashiest of all human know
edge the convenonaes and the Of the business of
the British Parliament Either Of them write
sonably good despatch and make what in this country
would be called reasonably good speech but neither of
them is of genius. They all do well, Burke
said of of their predecessors, long as they can
turn to the files for precedent; but when the
tiers Of the deep broken up, when the great
exgeneies Of nations in agony arisethen they utterly
helpless and borne along by the whirlwnd riding in,
bat not directing the As for the Queen she
to have disappeared from the government completely
II she had ceased to reign, and all legally
we'll in fact vested in the House Of Commons with
committee Of that body and of the House Of Lords for
forms administering in their absolute discretion the
affairs of the British empire. And how superior in thought
and action both the leading statesmen of the cont
nent-such as Drouyn de Lhuys Buo Schawenstin, and
Nesselrodeo the Palmerstons and the Lord John Rus
selsl
1t is with the latter and their colleagues among his
countrymen that should compare Lord Raglan. How
the grand figure the old looms up above
in the eye of history He takes command of the
British army the call of his country because he alone
combines those conditions of social and Of military rank
which are requisite the due control of all of military
force which Britain can muster, to be adventured in
desperate assault the power of Russia He carries
the of future struggle what Of MANNED body
mains him. of the battles of the First Napoleon to fight
those the Third Napoleon and he carries with him the
weearned reputation not of Of high military &C.
MUS il is true but that Of soldier brave his
sword officer of thorough subordinate experience
and gentleman of such high honor right-mndedness
of purpose, and proud integrity, becomes the blood
of the Somesets and the descendant of the great Mar
gus of Worcester He demonstrated against the sense
less idea of the expedition to the Crimea, the evil
dence before Mr. Roebucks committee shows, but it is
forced upon him by the judicial madness Of the cabinet
lie yields of course for how could he the type Of the he
roes of the Wellington school, turn back the path
danger2 He lands in the Crimea with force ptaby
inadequate in numbers for the things be done carry
political purposes conceived
pioabc seconcei and in uncomfortable blindness to
the relative military strength Of England and Russia OF
course the expedition is caamous failure. Lord Rag
Ian is left to struggle through all the horrible dis
asters of the last winter, without troops enough to
man the trenches without transportation Without COM
missarat without food fuel cothing without mcdi-
cines without anything which would constitute army
except destitute and dying perishng BY reason Of the
administrative incapscity Of their government In the
midst of this he is rudey censured at home for the dis
asters that bea his army, If he orsooh the
ernment and if in default Of that government it
in bis power by stamp of his foot TO raise up armies
food clothing transportation, and camp equipage out Of
the frozen earth of the Crimea.
And while he struggles on as he may in battle, want
and disease to maintain the honor Of his country parcel
of ordlings lawyers and country gentlemen in London
who call themselves the British Parliament poering
over small conrvances for place and power and resu-
ming talk Of the incompetency Of Lord Raglan, as i
they competent for nyhng except the game Of party
politics in Parliament.
If they be than this why do they not act? Why
do they not raise their and their neighbor and
volunteer by battaions fill up the voids in the British
army and to deliver the conqueror Of Crecy, Agncour
and Poi,iers from the humiliation of being the ally,