The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-07-22
Aasaaks-Skh ExpIanat60al
European Press.

In an article OF the Times OF July 2, 1t declares
that society in the United States both in its po
litical and social aspects, is "perplexing pro-
blem." Notwithstanding the profound attention
the Londcn press has given to American affairs
| II continues to be in a thick fog. 1t eulogizes
our courts Of lew and legal codes, our commerce.
our manufactures, and the law and order which
prevail at our middle, bat opens its eyes in as
tonishment at the confusion which prevails in the
extremes. How long is this medley to prevail?
Disumon would appear to be the natural result
| and yet it does not come On the whole, there is
| a good deal Of celebration and mutual forbear
ance" in the United States, and one thing "coun-
| terbalances'' another. So, while it asks for an
| explanation, it concludes that nothing very bad
| will come out of our condition and so do we.
This admitted federation and this forbearance
| of Americans towards each other have always
| been marked. These feelings belonged to the
States at their confederation-thes principles
| were engrafted upon the Constitution, and in
spite Of all the reasonable efforts Of few hot
| headed fanatics who seek to emerge from obscu-
rity, they will remain and triumph. q.
But this is not all the explanation of the mat
istics of our country which are overlooked by our
| philosophic friends abroad 1t must be remem-
bered that we have crowded more events-have
| effected more decided changes, and have moved
more rapidly forward, than any nation which ever
existed. This concentration of thousands Of years
| into our brief republican exstence-this rapid
crystalization of thought, energy, action and life
is peculiar to ourselves. With this wonderful
acceleration of our progress, we have its wonder
| full concomitants. We rapidly appreciate its
| good-we as quickly discern its evils The
| entire freedom Of discussion, and the gene
| raj disposition to anticipate the future,
precptate our action, and compel us to encoun-
| ter and overcome in brief space of time the
difficulties which, in other countries, are the ag-
| gregation of centuries. How vast has been our
progress! The greatest nation in the world has
been constructed on very short notice. What
mercantile marine; what wide commerce; what
admirable manufactures; what lines of railways,
| canals and telegaphs; what magnificent cities;
what numerous States; what extensive posses
| sions what code Of laws, and what unheard Of
prosperity II took four hundred years Of scuffle
and turmoil for the people of England to arrive
at the moderate security of the Magma Charta;
it has taken thousand years Of domestic bros
| and tumults to reach its present condition Of
constitutional acknowledgements of blood
have been she'd on her own soil to make England
an orderly people.
Here so tardy result would be ntoerable.
We have quick and lively sentiment of right
| and wrong. and in our haste TO obtain the one
| we not unfrequently plunge into the other.
Take the question Of slavery. Ii is become
leading one only within few years Its oppo-
nents, like its friends, will not wait three or
| four hundred years to adjust its bearings. We
are competent to discuss it now; and now il will
| be settled. either by yielding to its necessity
and its constitutional existence or by it, being so
arranged as to give no further anxiety. The
| American mind is seriously discussing it, and it
must come to some speedy conclusion.
| The civil war in Kansas might never have oc-
CURED If we had adopted the slow methods
which attend the changes in the public opinion Of
| England. Neither the aboltionists nor the slave
| holders would have troubled themselves about
an immediate result, but have left the work to
time. They have chosen their own arena; II is
fought out by their mercenaries, and II must in
evitably have termination.
50 in California Instead Of delaying for a
century or more the correction of intolera-
/ bic evils the people for the nonce
have taken the subject into their own
keeping. They will some way or other
effect the required reform, and the evils they en-
dure will be followed by concessions, by more
perfect social organization, and more energetic
| administration of justice. If these movements
were made in instruments they would remain
source Of trouble to future generations The
| Californians are resolved TO come to an immed-
ate settlement.
| We have had instructions in Massachusetts,
| Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, all Of a very dis
/ agreeable and threatening aspect but in a
| few months they we're peacefully ended and
there are not now three more orderly States
| in the world than these, where the disturb.
ances occurred. II is the conviction we have
| Of similar results in all similar cases. which
| produces such apparent indifference to our pre-
sent political strife, among the great body Of
tire people. II, on the outskirts of civilization,
| Il il unavoidable to muddy the streams, they
| will by-and-bye run clear, and we all know II.
We prefer having the experiment made In the
| quickest way, and to be done with il. The foun-
tain head Is pure enough-there is principle at
the bottom-the impurities stirred up in its out
let's do not reach the great ocean Of American
liberty. That remains broad, and deep, and un-
| disturbed
1t is only this then; That we do everything here
with lightning speed; We sec the goal we would
reach, and we clear away the obstacles as we CO.
not leaving them to be settled in ages yet to
| come. We are in haste to build up our empire
and cannot wait.
Perhaps this will help the foreign press to a
solution Of its 'perplexing problem