The Empire County argus., 1855-09-22
r u s. STA.
AN ELOQUENT LETTER.
COMMUNICATED TO THE WASHINGTON UNION.

The startling events of the past year in Europe,
have produced in this country profound interest.
Our remoteness from their immediate theater,
avoids the sudden excitement that starles the mind
from its repose and unfxes the sober Judgment
Yet, the magnitude of the war now shaking with
its thunder and fury every throne in Europe Vi
brates, less violently, the hearts of twenty
millions of Americans. It's suddenness took us by
surprise. The rapidity of its developments have
followed in such quick succession that even now
the sober mind is unconvnced of the reality of a
war; involving in its consequences the interests of
three hundred millions of the races of Adam We
do not see " the mourners in the Streets" nor hear
the shrill voices whose piercing woes 90 up to
Heaven; yet we feel for miseries we can not abate
and are appalled, by the horrors of war that
startles Mercy in her insecure denizenshp with
man.
Many voices have reached us from Old England
appealing in tones that 90 to thousands of hearts
here, for sanction of war, staying the world in
its progress, and turning civilization and freedom
back upon the circle of retrocesson. You. srs.
have been most eloquent in the language Of these
appeals. You have appealed to us being of kith
and kin -" to Old England as the only branch of
the Ango-Saxon race, as speaking the same Ian
guage, and having, with Englishmen, the civiliza-
ton and christianization of the world. These are
appeals whose eoquence find willing and welcome
audience with millions of American ears, and take
strong hold of many hearts beating with hope for
the emancipation of man from whatever bondage
enthrals his liberty or his soul. We thank you
much that you have made plain issues, as the intel
lgence of American sentiment is inaurin civ moved
whenever the sword is unshcathed in the work Of
Freedom and Christianity. Let us look, for a mo-
ment, into the Of this war; and pass upon its
probable effect upon the age and progress of man
The equilibrium Of Europe, was the ostensiblc
purpose of your alliance with France to maintain
the integrity of the Moslem Empire. Is not the
equilibrium Of Europe an ancient abstraction1 Has
it not been the fnesse of European diplomacy in
the chance and game of war, the past three centu-
ries! Has not experience taught Europe its plain
impracticability! Can Europe enjoy peace while
the conflicting interests of eighty irreconcilabe
thrones are eternally deyisng war! Are the peo-
pie really interested IN these ceaseless feuds! Or
are all these contentious, these never-ending con-
hicts the contrivance Of factions contending for
throne and dominion in which the masses have no
interest! Has England joined France, her heredi
tary enemy, to secure peace to Europe? Has
France invoked the help of England for the same
purpose! Have yau united yourselves and put on
the armor of war against barbarism? Is your war
one of civilization and Christianity against super
stiton and ignorance? Could you, sirs, respond
satisfactorily to these inquiries and convince the in
telgence of the American people that you are on
the side of civilization against barbarism of Chris
tianity against infdelity and superstitution, the
great American heart would Join you, and invoke
the God of Battles to crown your standars with
victory.
In this country we have taken another and wide
ly different view Of the causes of this seemingly
unnatural alliance and this war of horrors. Among
the first disturbing causes, as they appear to US
that divided Russia and Turey were pretensions of
Roman Ponttf to religious privileges before
set up claiming participation in the ceremonies at
the Holy Sepulchre," and in the guardianship of
the Holy Places" This gave the first alarm to
Russia The Greek Church had, by the prescrip-
ton of centuries of care, and by the guarantees of
repeated treaties and concessions from Turkey the
keeping of the {" Holy Shrines" and certain reli-
gious privileges in the " Holy Places" Russia had
good ground for alarm when the Chdrch of Rome,
through the office of an ambassador from the new
throne of France, raised so novel pretension of
Romish Pontif'.
Again, while Russia has for years, by her system
of Pacific treaty, rather than wars of conquest
been carrying civilization into the East, and so
consolidating her power there by engrafting better
laws and better institutions upon the nomad races
she has civilized, as to strengthen every sinew of
war in her vast empire, France and England, by
other systems OF conquest and acquisition, by emf
grafton and colonization, have so weakened their
thrones at home as to be overawed by the rising
magnitude of Russia France has felt the influ-
ence OF Russia in all her possessions in Egypt Af-
rica and the East England has felt the same
power wherever she has Il colony in linda. or trade
in the East Formidable Russia now is in her
Oriental provinces England is looking at her vet
more formidable future; when the rich possessions
of eastern Siberia shall be filled with millions of
Muscovite subjects, whose industry, trade and COM
merce will find their outlet through the rivers that
flow down from the northwest into the seas of Ja-
pan. 1t is the growing power of Russia in her
Asiatic dominiOns that England most fears
Again, the intelligence of America has not been
convinced that Russia is barbarous nation. The
history OF the past century contradicts that pre-
sumption We are not prepared to admit that
rude uncivilized race, within that short space of
time, can rise from weakness to rank and place
among the first powers Of Christendom that out
OF barbarlsm the most powerful empire of Europe
has emerged, and, with centurys growth, over
shadows all the continent with its stature and as
sumes the worlds destiny. We had been taught
by your own historians that the Russians proper
were highly civilized certainly entitled to the
name of Christians We know they have the
practical arts and the practical sciences in very
high state of cultivation. They are advanced in
the fine arts. Every embellisnlent of civilization
they cherish. Their diplomatists are the most
skilful and finished. Their generals are the BRAY
est and most accomplished in every professional ac-
quirement; their scholars rank among the first
their laws are the most humane, and the best ad-
of any empire of the world their le-
gislators are wise and prudent controlling with
great wisdom and in equity the interests of seventy
millions OF the human family, and among them
twelve distinct types of the races of man. Their
laws bear with equality upon these masses Of I'M
homogeneous beings, securing life property, and
conscience, giving satisfaction if not genuine hap
piness, to every soul. Their judicial system is per-