Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-09-04
AMERICAS TOPICS ABROAD.
British Interest in IAe Wer-.sWhat is
r ThnugeI OF the NOrIh.
From The l Old0H Tines, August H.

From the Old0E Tines, August L.
IS The Americans, We are told, are exceedingly anx-
i0us to know What is thought in England Of their
war and their policy. HOW that the campaign has
been opened by pitchel battle. In one particular,
but perhaps IN one only, they will be thoroughly
satisfied with our opinions. Naver was there a
war in which the people Of this country took
greater Interest. We watch with the utmost soil Il
III lie all the proceedings of the beligerents and OBJ
serve not only the operations of their armies, bat
the manifestations of popular feeling. with senJi-
mehts which no other struggle cOald excite. We
can say 1a0re. Though 1t Is impossible TO avoid
hectiSg that the division of the Uni0Fiate two ca
States may relieve us from many troui Is wan
which We were mensced by the Overbeariny policy
the old Federal Government, we can safely assert
that Englishmen desire nothing more than to see the
quarrel terminated and the strife appeased. We
wish no harm 70 either party and would far rather
see America, strong, united. and prosperous than
speculate on the advantages which its premature
disruption might possibly bring to its neighbors
But when we have said this, we have said all that
the Americans are likely to hear with much salts
faction For the rest our conclusions certainly
not favorable to those institutions under which this
great catastrophe has been matured What the
Ameri ass call freedom, but what we call demOc-
racy, does not show to advantage at this critical
time. The theories att -ibutiDg unreasonable supe
riOriEy to Republican forms OF government have all
been falsfed in the plainest and most striking
ner; and the last six months have proved beyond
all question that the p-eponderaHce of popular viii
without Oh eek limit is at least likely to hurry
a nation into war and debt as the caprice of the
most absolute despot or the intriguss of the most
selfish of AristOeraci s.
We are not finding FAULT with the Northern es
for going 10 war We have repeatedly admi ted hat
the Federal party could not be expected to view the
Acknowledgement of the Union without effort to
avert the loss But, though civil va" Is the most
frighttul of all wars, the Americans plunged into
it with less concern than would have been shown
by any European State in adopting diplomatic
quarrel. Though the people Of the South were Of
the same flesh and blood with the people of the
North, and connected with them by thousand links
of interest and feeling, the NOrtherners instantly
heaped every conceivable apprObrium on the he ads
of the Southerners a MuscoYite Minister would
speak more moderately of insurgent Poles than the
citizens of Massachusetts, spoke of the citizens OF
South Carolina; and GER family Lord North never
used such language or such threats the Rev York
Journals have been necessarily hurting at the re
besl, of 1861 Any suggestion or arbitration has
been fercey rejected and even before the blood of
the people was fairly up. preferred mediation was
received as a deadly insult Nothing but war, con-
quest, and triumph would satisfy the States whose
alliance had been repudiated The old French cry
of Fraternity de 4th" was Interpreted to mean,
BE my brother or 1 will kill you" ard that, after
the capture of Fort Sumter, the sentiment OF
the North. The people would lisAz to nothing but
plans for an immediate campaign. Their states
men seized the opportunity of establishing
gigantic system Of Gu door relief for themselves
Ill The shape OF Prote- 1--we far1d, and. having
catered in this manner tor eli interest. they pro-
vided for the war in the most extraYsgant and i'm
provident manner They have just proposed TO
ralse, not by taxation, but by loan, sum greater
than the whole expenditure of this country in the
most costly year of the Crimean wsr. Five years
Of such borrowing as they have now begun would
saddle them at the proposed rate of interest, with
ChTge greater than that of our whole national debt
OF urse, q standing army becomes an incidental
necessity, and with it approaches another and
more alarming apparation. Our corPesp Hndent
speaks ominously Of "some coming man, whose
face one can see yet, bat his footsteps audi
hle and the ground shakes beneath his tread"
Perhaps before twelve months are over we may
see how military dictator will deal with universal
suffrage and her pc 9ular institutions
If tie Americans sho i'd conceive, however. that
we, IN forming these opinions. are attributing to
them any special faults, or any peculiar incspacity
for self government, they would be greatly in err
ror We consider ihal the course of events in the
Union has been perfectly natural and that Ameri-
cans have only done what Englisbmen or any other