Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1861-08-31
Hear Mr.. Bright, of England.

At late meeting in England, Mr.. Bright
sad:-
Now. recollpct what breaking the blockade
means Ii means war with the United
States; and | don't think myself tha; ii
would be cheap to break the blockade, at the
cost Of war with the United States. |
think that the cost of a war with the United
States would give, probably, half wages, for
| very considerable time, to those persons in
| Lancashire who would be eut of work if there
was 10 cotton. to say nothing at all OF the
manifest Injustice and wrong against all
international law that a legal aud effective
| blockade should be iGtcrfpred with by another
| country. Ii is not exactly the business OF
this meeting. but my opinion is that the
safety of the products on which this country
| depends rests far more on the success OF the
| Washington Government than upon its fail.
ure and ] believe nothing could be more
monstrous than for US, who are not very
| averse TO war ourselves, to set up for critics
-carping. carling crltcs-of what the W ash
ingtoD Government is doing. ] saw letter
the other day from au Engiishman, resident
| for twenty-five years 10 Philadelphia, u
merchant there, and very prosperous mer-
chant. He said, 81 prefer the institutions of
this country 1.-THE United States) very much
to yours 10 England )" but be Gays also, eff
| IL be once admitted that here we have no
country and no Government, but that any
! portion of these United States can break of
! from the central Government whenever it
! pIeases, then it is time for me to pack up
what have, and to go somewhere where
| there is country and q goverDmen.."-
! Well, that is the pith Of this question. Do
you suppose that if Lancashire and Yorkshire
! thought that they would break off from the
! United Kingdom, that those newspapers who
ure now preaching every kind Of moderation
to the Government Of Washington would
advise the Government in London to allow
these two counties to set up a special govern.
meut for themselves? When the people Of
lrelasd asked that they should secede, was
it proposed in London that they should be
allowed to secede peaceably? Nothing of the
kind. | am not going to defend what is
taking place 10 n country that is we'll able to
defend itself. But advise you, aud advise
the people Of England. to abstain from
applying to the United States doctrines aud
principles which we never apply to our own
case. AT any rate, they have never fought
for 1.-The balance Of power" in Europe. They
have never fought TO keep up decaying
empire. They have never squandered the
money OF their people in such phantom eSpe-
ditioDs as we have been engaged in. And
now, at this moment, when you ure told that
they are going to be ruined by their vast
expenditure why the sum that they are going
to raise in the great emergency OF this
grievous war is no greater than what we raise
every year during time Of peace. Loud
cheers They say that they are not going
to lberate slaves. Mo- the object Of the
Washington Government is to maiutau their
own Constitution, and to act legally, Us II
permits and requires. No man is more in
favor of peace than am; no man has de.
nouuced war more than have, probably in
this country few men 10 their public life
have suffered more obloquy-l had almost
said more indignity-in consequence of it,
But cannot for the life Of ne see, upon any
of those principles upon which States aTe
, governed now-l say nothing Of the Literal
word of the New Testament--l cannot see
how the state of affairs in America, with
regard TO the United States GOvernmen,
could have been different from what il is al
, this moment. We had a heptarchy in this
! country, and il was thought to be a good
, thing to get rid Of it, and to have united
nation. If the thirty-ihree or thirty foul
; States OF the Am rican Union can break OF
whenever they like, can see nothing bu
disaster and confusion throughout the whole
+. OF that continent. ] say that the war; be- il
\ successful or not, be il Christian or not, be il
wise or not, is war to sustain the Govern
q ment, and to sustain the authority Of a grea
nation; aud that the PEOPLE Of England, i
b they are true TO their owD sympathies, Il
their own history, and to their owo great ac
A Of 1894, TO which reference has already beef
Q made, will have no sympathy for those Wit
S wish 10 build up great empire on the per
b petual bondage Of millions of their fellow
: men. Loud cheers