The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-07-19

I
- -. :, -, IN teryenton in the affairs OF |
-, So. .bsir practise of acknowledging, |
q. .u ,n.,,pces of disputed power, the govern
>. t,,,n-tpeir determined refusal 10 en- |
-. -. themselves in alliances which might by
80 ,o..ibilitv drag them into war-were
,nosaa down upon with contempt, by the SUI
statesmen of the old world. Grad
na,lv however, and one by one, they have
naen forcing themselves upon public attention, |
exactly In proportion TO the advance of know
,n.re and the spread of intelligence among |
tho masses The cause is obvious. These |
acerican doctrines are the doctrines OF
government that springs from the people, and |
has. or ough; TO have, always IN view, the
largest amount of good TO III" largest numbc'
of people As matter Of necessity, therefore, |
they become popular in Europe, in The exact
sroportion that public opinion becomes power
IN, As they make their way through the
,,.s.e. Of society, II is natural that enquiry
should turn 70 the source whence they ema-
mated and as they already begin to receive the
respect due to political axiomS. they nave
cleared the way for a just appreciation OF
American sentiment not upon abstract ques-
tions of general interest alone, hut upon par
ticular questions.
AT the commencement of the present war,
there seems 10 have been in England a strong
repnrnance to engage in II, coupled with
helpless consciousness thai il would Ire i'm
possible to avoid IL. An American could see
no possible reason why England should mix
herself UP with the affair, Of the Continent,
any moro than America should Her interests
are as distinct from Continental interests a.
are olr own; her power can no mere be al
fected nv occurrences on the Continent, than
by a war between Kentucky and Missouri LEI
ALI the mainland Of Europe, tomorrow, iaii
under the dominion of single despot, she
would still be the same free, proud, indepen-
dent England that she now is, with navy
that has not its equal on earth, aud purse
that subjects the whole world TO her Will Yet
we find her government, when the questions
at issue between France and Austria began
20 assume a threatening aspect, arinlng with
a. much haste and aSsiduity, as though she
were situated midway between the two, with
every prospect of being made thoroughtare
for the armies of the con,euding powers, Her
statesmen seemed To think that she could not
keep ont of a Continental war, only because,
in times gone by, she had not kept out of such
wars SO obstinately tenacious was the Der
by government, of its ROUTINE and red-tare
traditions, that it could not recognize the pos
isted on previous occasions Because England
had, in former times always taken part III ev-
ery war that France had been engaged in they
recognized it as q decree Of Providence. and
altogether ignored the agency and the free will
OF man. IN the premises. What has been, must
again be- was their doctrine. and they resigned
themselves to what they regarded rs their
destiny with an indifference supremacy
oriental Fortunately, great changes have
taken place in England, since the enlarge
mont of the elective franchise h IS given
fuller play TO public sentiment. II the peo-
pie of England are not at this moment en-
gagged in a mortal struggle for the continuance
Of Austrian tyranny over a people whom
they have no more right to rule than PHILIP
IL had to establish the Inq uisitlon in London,
they have nobody to thank but themselves for
the exemption. Parliamentary REFORM stint
I'D in measure rs it has hitherto been, has on
this occasion preserved England from another
war OF indefinite cost and duration. Had the
system of close boroughs existed in its origl
nal vigor, the ministry of Lord DERBY would
have followed in the footsteps of PITT, with
out the slightest hesitation. As ii Is, the peo
pie of England have shown, in amanncr which
it is impossible to mistake. that they VIII not.
in future be dragged into wars in which Ito
u
they are required TO do all the fighting, and
pay all the money. They cannot see why they
should be called on TO assist Austria i'll OPP
pressing the Italians. or to continue Il system,
Of which the dungeon and the fusillade, the
scourging of women, and the torture OF men,
the debasement of the mind, and the destruc-
ton of the body, are the main props, they
are the sole legitimate results. Coming more
nd of 81 va
attempt at reform, into the enjoyment of that
power which is legitimately their own, the
people of England begin 10 think that She has
already fought battles enough in favor of me-
dieval tyranny, and they SIZE plainly enough,
that beyond few orders bestowed by CONT
mental despots upon her generals and diplo-
matists for their zeal in betraying the cause of
freedom, she has gained nothing whatever by
her sacrifices and eaertions. They become
every day, more and more impressed with the
conviction that the government is their govern
ment designed for their benefit, ana safe only
when in their hands. The appoin tment of Con-
DEN to a seat in the Cabinet is an event OF such
Significance, that ii has arrested the attention
of the whole world, who discover in ii add
tional evidence of the rapid advance which
public opinion is making upon the stronghOlde
Of prejudice and tradition. 1t is proof that
American sentiment begins TO have weight
At least in Great Britain, that half Il century
ago IT would have seemed absurd to suppose
1t could ever obtain.
1t was we'll known before his late visit 10
this country, that Mr.. Golden was as he has
since said, possessed with a "moral and reli-
gious adherence of war; that he had also
san Intellectual repugnance to it, regarding
II as "the most stupid. as well most sinful
of all devices for settling national difficulties"
That he would, therefore, under all circum-
stances, BIO friendly to the maintenance Of a
strict neutrality. was to have been expected
But he has returned to England with certain
American ideas Oh the subject which seem to |
be quite new TO tho people of England In /
this country, ii is well known that those Sec /
tons OF 1t In which the practice of CARVING /
weapons is most general, are precisely The |
very sections which are most Frequently dis |
graced by bloody brawls and street fights fro
quently resulting III death. From this fact
our people have long since arrived al The com
ciuslon that men TOO apr to use \yeouopx
upon trlrlng occasions when they find Them
ready at their hands, and from analogy they
apply Inc same reasoning to nations when fhev
fAd them armed 10 the teeth. They heliara
that they are bur TOO liable 10 be temn,ed 10 try
Inc temper OF their weapons upon proyocations
eight in themselves, and easily overlooked
when the state OF preparation is not SO far |
advanced. Mr.. GOLDEN has caught not only |
the spirit, but the very tone, of American |
reasoning on his subject In his speech Mt
Liverpool on landing from America, he used
Inc following language: ~ think we are quite
ss able 10 be neutral in these European srns-
xles as the IJni,ed States. and that as the opta