Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-07-03
OPINIoNs OF THE ENGLISH
PRESS on THE DISMISSAL OF
40 20 aNFPrON

MIX NlIl AOENa -
Prom he LondSn HsI Of Zane Il.
If there ever WAS an occasion on Wnaeh tae
hbofdest might wish to beasle1t i Is Wnen, On
the eve of collision betEeen two worlds-and
what 5 worse, tEo peoples Of the same Eace and
tongue-there arrives a message OF the gr9Esst
Import which must be replied to, yet winch
admits of no simpleand consistent construction.
We have no reason to believe that there exists
any private clue to the enigma with which
American diplomacyi trying the ingenuity and
the courage Of our statesmen
The American Government takes the very
strong act of dissmlssing our Minister ana
three ConsuIS. BY the side Of this strong act
it has sent what it described as 3 most eoueii-
at6ry document, expressing itself fully satisfied
with the. course taken by the British Govern
ment and hoping that the dismissal Of the Min
lister and Gonsuls-w viii not be taken amiss.- If
the dismissal was for one thing and the accom-
nanying %civiiities for another: if. there were
onIv a difference of tone between an act and a
document that happened to be heterogeneous
that at least would would be intelligibie- But
they are npon the same subject. EEl
The American Government has always main
tanned that eur government has been implicated
in the proceedings of its Minister and Consuls.
If It has now given up that charge TINS IS the
first time, and, without the document before Us,
VIC are at a loss to imagine in what words it has
ldOne this. But Whatever those words, by what
ever contriyance of courtesy it acguits our Gov
eminent of the charge, it is impossible to disguise
the fact that the dismissal Of the Minister and
THE Consuls is the actual reply TO the eXplana-
tons Of our Government, the actual result OF the
controversy. and the thing whichtheA American
Government all along threatened and we dcPre-
Gated. I
as for the effect on the world atiarge, not on
" upon the great theatre of nations, but what
is more important, the two peoples immediately
concerned, an act must have infinitely more
weight than any quantity OF words II IS 4
very old and familiar saying that speech makes
small impression compared with startling spec
tacles. But in this case NC are not even allowed
to suppose that the American Government has
our Cancellation very much at heartas 4 hnaioo-
tject. It is a far more natural construction OF
this double policy that it wishes to persuade us
into suffering an insult =G y
II wishes to dismiss our representatives, and
so to take a verdict in its favor, without any in
convenient consequences. 1t would assume the
power to boast that It had done to us what We
ventured not to do in return. But that is not
the whole of the complication. Together with
an act of insult, and words deprecatory of our
resentment, there arrives also a communication
| offering n prospect of settling our Central AIneri-
can differences and asserting to-OuE proposed
arbitration. Thus, amid courtesies and hopes,
there's a.SortofluFe held out thatifAwe will
| take a defeat upon one question we may posi-
bly, obtain a settlement upon the other.
When one has to encounter strange, unin-
telligible, compromising conduct, one has TO
choose commonly between two ways ofJmeet-
ling it. The first recommended itself on the
score Of discretion and even charity. 1t Is thai
we should attempt to make the best of it, to
hope for the best, to do for the best that we
should look for any loophole tosescapc roma
impossible position, and strike a bargain In
which we must not expect to have entirely our
own way.
No doubt such a course is often possible and
wise. but it is never safe, unless it comes in the
form of a comprehensive offer, or from some
one qualified to make such az offer and conclude
upon it, or on some occasion IN which all the
questions at issue may be reviewed and decid,
ed. In the present instance we see nothing al
all but a move as in a game. of chess, where the
PLAYER is committed TO nothing but the move,
and every subsequent step in the game is LEFT
to his own discretion. %
The American Government has dismissed our
Minister and Consuls for a reason which ouI
Government maintains to be no reason. That
is'the only substantial part OF the move, That
the American Government has done It'll such
a way as to induce Us TO take it as quietly and
patiently As possible is a minor affair, and OF
course is to b~ecxpected. The question is, wheth,
or We can acceptsnchs rebuff! The more logical
course is torepy in 1.-The very terms of our antag'
onists move. lie has dismissed onr representa-
tives with the utmost possible civilty and in the
q EAlkA u NAaN W. oAAAAA ASE - -aN%@
We can, if we please do The same.
We can let Mr.. Dallas return to the o. State:
with the assurance that we can have no ill-wil
to them, and only regret that they have put 5
. a wrong construction on our conduct Nudtt
m~utaHzis,, there is not n word in. the communi
cation reported from Washington that may no
be returned in the most cordial spirit OfeouTst
We wonld very much rather that controversy
advanced step by step nearer toa solution; butt
is the American Government that leads it the
other way. The American Government tell Us
that our Minister and Consuls have become diSa
greeabie tp them through their connexion with
a ~disagreable affair.
Mr.. Dallas is, personally, an agreeable man
but he has been made the channel of the intelli
gence that Mr.. Champion and the Consuls have
been dismissed. This, of course, must make
his presence painful to this country. Such nigh
be called the logical mode of replying to the
last move of on the American side. That move
has been made with much art, and the reply
should be made with not less. These are tht
two courses open to our Government, and W.
presume it to be now auxiously engaged in tht
choice between them. +
Prom the London News Of June Il.
We have no doubt that the explanation which
Lord John Russell is to seek from Government
on Monday will be such as to allay% allnpprehen
sions of a rupture between this country and thi
United States. On the conduct of the existing
American Executive we VIII not at present taxi
upon us to pronounce a Judgment With re
gard to the American people, we do not need a
this time of day to state what our feelings ant
opinions are. When Lord John Russell stated
Yesterday, in the House of Commons, 4 thai
the whole nation desire a continuance of peace
with America, he stated the simple and ftera
truth. 7ssIff 49,. h III. 8lila.~
Immediate war with America is out of the
question; the danger is in unforeseen collisions
which might precipitate hostilities. We believe
that the ]strictest injunctons have been forward.
ed to commanders on the American station care
fully to avoid all risks of this description but
it is obvious that eyenthe temporary cessation
of diplomatic intercourse between the Govern.
mentsat Washington and st James's may rem
der the task of carrying out these injunctions
more difficult We cling Confidently to our be