Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-01-09
From the Lond Review.
OPINIONS OF THE ENGLISH PRESS.

But il the Southern States once succeed
ed in constituting seperate federation, it
is surely clear that every question now
pending between themselves and the North
would become at once an international
question. Every point now at issue in the
domestic forum of congress would come
under the cognizance of the general society
of nations. What sort of division of the
unsettled territory now belonging to the
United States. would ever be agreed upon
between the Northern and Southern fcder-
ations nObod. can pretend even to conceive;
and this is the very difficulty which seems
to show that the severance could never be
effected without bloOdshed. 1t is plain how
ever, that every attempt Of the Southern
States to expand beyond the territory alb
sOiutely secured to them would be resisted
not simply by their Northern neighbors.
but by tie aOhOLc strength Of European
ciciii=ation.
The more reckless spirits of the South
are pushing on their quarrel in the belief
that if they were once disembarrassed of
the Union, they could rcnd province after
province from Mexico. and fill each success
i've acquisition with their slaves. But
Europe l0OUld hare icord az the matter.
IL is simply tie iRcorpOretiOR Of tie North
a0ith the South rhich preUentS European
statesmen from treating tie a,ncrations
Of tie United States as GcOlCed extensions
81 area Of sLacery. They cannot now up
braid cOnfederacy, of which more than
halt the members have no slaves, with con-
queriDg and annexiug merely in the inter-
est OF cotton and negroes. but there would be
no scruple about taxing the Southern fed
Grafton with designs which it would be at
no pains to conceal. Nor is there, We take
it the slightest doubt that the free States
would rather assist than impede the efforts
of European diplomacy. The Monroe doc
trinc would be destroyed by the very fact
of separation, and Northern Union, divid-
ed from the South, would not be long in
making the discouragement of slavery the
cardinal principle of its foreign policy.
In short, the measure of the dangers
of the separation is tho advantage now
derived from union. Slavery is sufi-
GENTLY unpopular in the world for a mere
slave holding commonwealth to run no
small risk of becoming the victim of gen.
eral crusade But the actual connection Of
the Southern States with the North has
the effect Of masking their exclusive devO-
tien to hated system. The Constitution of
United States. as experience has abuDH,
antly shown. can often be so mar. ,oed as
to promote the eljectS of slave -e,vrcrs.-,,,,I
whenever advantage is eaIned in this way.
it Is gained withor... incurring danger, and
almost without attracting attention.
The eE'ravagant notions of their own
proves entertained by the Americans of
the Southern States has persuaded them
that they would lose nothing in military
strength and resource by casting off the
bondage of the Constitution. We C. on
ly say that England is the only country
which has had serious struggle with the
United States and English experience does
not bear out the Southern pretensiOns.-
During the revolutionary war. the English
troops scarcely commanded foot of ground
in the North which they did not actually
occupy. But. later in the struggle. the
South was all but subjugated; and had not
the incOnceivlble strategy of the English
generals given differe turn to the issue,
1t seemed at one time probable that, even
if New England and the middle States OBJ
tanned their independence. the mother eoun-
try would be lett in possession of Georgia
and the Carolinas. just as she was Of fCan-
ada and Nova Scotia. Similarly; in the
war of 1872, nobody in England ever doubt
ed that the Southern States were the vul-
nerable part of the federation; nor has the
result changed this opinion. 1t is not, in
deed. to be supposed that anybody in Eng
land ever doubted or doubts, the personal
gallantry of the Southern whites Even
if the Southerner be somewhat of bully.
we have no faith in the popular assump-
tiOn that bully Isl pOltroon But We in
Europe have recently learned to distrust
the strength of every system which is bas-
ed on the depression OF subject pOpula-
tiOn. There were brave mtn in Italy who
were welded to the cause of legitimacy
such men. for example, as are still group
ed round King Francis at Gaeta. But the
lesson we have received is. that it is never
safe to calculate on the abasement of sub
jects. The Southerners can hardly dis
dain the negro as a rebel more than the To-
cal Italian despots desrised their people as
mutineers. 1t the negro is considered half
an animal, the Italian was thought half a
woman. My people, wrote King Ferdi-
nand, ''bend their necks and obey" Yet
a very slight assistance from without swept
away the Italian tyrants; and for our part,
We do not envy the Southern whites when
ont.e n morn E,rihal1 Lii is onnOnO their slaves