New-York daily tribune., 1859-01-26

sense seems 70 convey ecmt hCcfocusoi
ton, have confessed that power" which Is
merely a European Power" cannot be ccnsid-
cred AS one of the great powers Of the present
time. Wha: can this mean, but that the European
balance of power, formerly so important con.
siderstou, has ceased 10 exist, and that general
balance of power Of the world has taken its plsce
We'll, this is just what had come "a in my last
letter. Europe Proper. said-formery, the
whole of the civilized world in a political sense,
just as well IS in reference ~ human culture III
genersl-hss been reduced 10 be the middle term
between America and Russia. A trip,rtite sys-
TEN. embracing the historically active portion of
mankind. composed OF Russia, Europe Proper and
the United States Of America, has superseded that
smaller group of exclusively European states, by
which, now 10 the glory, now To the shame of
human nature, history had been monopolized sud
distributed 10 the rest Of the world.
This il 8 great but simple fact IL remsins To
BE- seen what it signifies. Politics, like military
operations, are game at chess-a game of coz
tending powers, defined by their for.es, their num-
ber and tn cir relative position. In internal polite
the chessmen are the different classes and interest
of society, arTayed in the ranks Of two opposit'
parties. In external politics they are the sovereign
States or Powers of the civilized world, a. they ar
ranged on both sides of any general question
paramount interest. The chessboard, IN the latte
ease, is the map of the world. On this each pcwe
influence, to attack to defend, and TO do whateyer
the law Of the game which is that of history itself,
will allow him. What politicians ssll the balance
of power, is any position Of the game At certals
moment Of its progress, as long as it remains unde-
cided Let us cast glance over the position OF
the present moment. There is more iusi yht TO be
gained from such glance than from all the hints
that kings may drop in public addresses or IN prl-
yate conversations, or from ali the projects sud ex-
Il k,.~ Nn,fha
kings nor reyOutionsts can break the rules of the
game; and if they beat each other they are bound
to do so according TO those very rules.
The principal feature in the political constella
ton of the present period is the fact that, confined
between the two growing powers of Russia aud
Americs, the European Occdent is forced to un-
derstand that all its principal interests are in COM
mon TO all its members. Thus the European Oc-
cdent is forced toward federation or, If federation
should not suit the European taste even 10 central
izaton. The alliance of the Western Powers
against Russia has been the first step in this move
ment: the attemptto regulate the political affairs OF
the world by Paris conferences the ssconIone.
Everybody remembers the language attributed to
Louis Napoleon at the time OF the Russian war,
declaring that the alliance of the Western Powers
was directed against America just as well as against
Russia. From words to actions is great distance,
and the words referred to- fthey ever were uttered
have not been supported by subsequent facts. This
however is not the question here. III those words
are of sufficient interest to be recorded, is because
they proceed from clear conception OF the present
state of the world, just as l have represented it,
And it does not diminish the value of that clear
conception If what IS in reality, to say that the
idea exists in the head Of man hated by millions.
That man may disappear from the stage OF history;
another will take his place, and the state of the
world will not be essentially different from what 1T
is now. Russia and America are continuing to
grow and to develop their immense resources; and
if the European Occident is not willing to loose Its
independent character in the history of coming
civilization, il must be organized some way or
other as a whole-let call it the United States Of
Europe, from fear it might become q centralized
empire Such political organization Europe has
been-the United States of Europe have existed
when the Pope was their President, the Emperor
their Vice President, and kings and princes were
their governors. That great political organization
of the civilized world of former period went to
pieces when no outward pressure counteracted the
expansive forces of the interior; but it, fragments
the sovereign States Of modern EurOpe-like
those of q heavenly body, have, nevertheless, been
moving in the same orbit all the time since. The
United States of Europe have existed all that time
existed though in state Of anarchy. And now,
after many inner antipathics have been weakened
by modern intercourse, or their force exhausted by
its influence. A centralzng movement must be
the natural and necessary consequence of it.
That such an outward pressure has been, and is
still exerted by Russia, needs no explanation.
But that it should be exerted by America--who is
entertaining such novel and extraysgant idea
Have the United States ever attempted ~ infu-
ence European politics! Have they tried to MAKE
an acquisition Of European territory by purchase,
if not by cODquest Have they bought the Prin-
cipaity of Monaco Have they sent Kossuth
back with feet and an army of reyolutonists to
effect landing in some port Of the Adratic
Nothing Of all that. What, then, has Europe to
do with the United States if the United States
have nothing TO do with Europe Ia the interven-
ton of nOn-ineryeDton-tha invention Of the
great Magyar-exerting an outward pressure on
Europe
In some measure-yes, and we have seen il in
the question of the right Of search as IN that OF the
Sund -ZOll. am not speaking, however, even OF
this degree of direct influence. In political sys-
TEN the balance of power is Influenced by the mere
existence of a State. What the natural philos0-
pher calls latent force, has to be recognized by
the political philosopher too. A chessman may
not move at all, and may still decide the
game. Let us consider the case Of an ALI
ance of France and Russia against England
"A case SD foremost an the scale of possibilities
and We see at once that the United States are
power of the first class, deciding, If they choose to
DO so. the destinies of the world for centuries 10
come. Let them but join France and Russia IN
conflict with England and nobody will deny that
almost miracle would be necessary to save Eng
land And would not the fall of England, nay, even
the mere descent from the high position which it
holds now among the powers Of the world, change
almost every thing on the face Of our globe /
trust such position viii never be taken BY tho
United States. But If il will not be taken, it can
be taken, and the possibility shows the power of
the North American Union % the other side,