The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-11-11
The Esgftsh Fyeet-Tsxisisf Interference In
American Affairs.


| The language in which the British organs Of
| the Pamerston government have referred to
! the increase of the British feet in the West
Indies, Is too plain to be mistaken. The ships
are despatched to the American coast because
! the government Of the United States is too
weak to perform It's function Of causing the
| laws to be executed. 1t is the opinion Of the
British government that certain individuals in
this country contemplate Illegal acts, and that
without help from abroad the constituted au-
thorities of this country will be incapable Of
resisting them; therefore, out of pure love for
US and regard for the abstract cause Of order,
these British lords send out a feet to keep
these turbulent fellow countrymen of ours in
| awe.
A number of questions are suggested by
this proceeding. Is it a fact that the tenden-
cies and temper of any considerable portion
of our people are such that armed squadrons
| are needed to keep them in subsection? Those
who are really acquainted with the facts will
have some difficulty in answering this question
| as the British government has done-in the
affirmative. For several years we have been
| used to hear the United States accused of fill
husterism and lawlessness by their trans
atlantic friends. Yet what justification
for these epithets does history afford?
We can safely assert that during the last three
OF four years, there has not been a country in
the world in which the neutrality laws have
been more faithfully or more scrupuiously car
ried out than by the citizens of the United
States. And has not the government of Mex
leo been sustained with our money? Where
are the instances of this filibusterism which
Lord Palmerston feels it incumbent upon him
to 60 out of his way to check in the interest
OF "the thinking portion of the American peo-
ple' and humanity at large?
1T is very true that in some instances lately,
the neutrality laws Of the United States have
been violated, and with certain degree of
IMMUNITY; it is even likely that these viola
tions are in some measure due to the careless
ness and negligence of the officers of govern
ment. Had the public officials kept closer
watch upon his Excellency, Mr.. CHAMPION
the British Consuls, and the other agents of
the British government in this country,
some breaches of the Law might possibly have
been prevented. But are we to suppose that
Lord Palmerston has the impudence to boast
of his having enlisted soldiers here in defiance
OF our laws, and actually used the circumstance
as pretext for sending feet to America?
In this country not little sympathy was ex-
erted on behalf of the British officials who
were arrested in consequence of this enlist
ment business; it was charitably presumed that
they acted in ignorance of the law; but if the
forbearance Of the public officers and the courts
is to be made the basis of an assertion that the
government of this country is incapable Of
doing its duty without the aid of British
squadron, why, perhaps it is not yet too late to
see if the mistake cannot be remedied, and q
practical evidence given to the world that our
neutrality laws are not dead letter, even
when opposed to Her Britannia Majestys Con-
suls.
But ii will be time enough to exculpate our
selves from the charges of lawessness and fiji.
busterism when we are before a court compe-
tent to try u.s. Even granting all that Lord
Palmerston has said about the character of the
American people to be true the interference
of the British government in the concerns of
ours, their arrogant assumption of the right
TO enforce American laws against Ameri
can citizens, would still remain examples
of intolerabe impertinence. So long as the
government of the United States exists, it
would seem that no excuse can be offered for
| the wanton intrusion of foreign government
/ upon its duties Most certainly-f we may il
lustrate the case by reversing tiff the United
States governments were to send a squadron
into the British Channel in order to prevent
| British ships from molesting neutral vessels
as we hear they have done-and to intimate
| quietly that for the future we would undertake
| the police Of their coast, orr offer would be met
| by sharp rebuff and our vessels would be
treated unwelcome intruders. We should
be told that the British government was still
able to take care of itself, that when it wanted
help, il wond ask for it,
Now, has the administration of Mr. Pierce
spirit enough to make this protest against the
new West India squadron? We do not believe
| i has. II is our conviction, founded upon
| nearly three years experience of the Pierce
Cabinet that they viii not protest against this
encroachment ON their functions, but that on
the contrary it will operate to induce them
to abandon any projects they may have en-
tertained with regard to Cuba, st. Thomas
or Central America. The President himself is
a compound of recklessness and timidity; and
! while on the one side he would not recoil from
bombarding an inolensive city like Greytown,
be cannot be expected to preserve common self
respect in a case in which the powerful en-
| pires Of France and England are involved. A
man Of more character would meet the insult
ing measure of Lord Palmerston by an imme
date demand for explanations and for a with
drawal Of the feet. Indeed, after what has
been said, it seems doubtful whether anything
short of the dismissal of Mr. Crampton--harsh
as that measure might seem-would prove