The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-04-05
William Pitt, fthc Younger.


to the satisfaction of the world In general
The same parties that then divided England
and Europe s,ll exist. BY the one he Is still
revered as demi god; the other reduce him
to the level Of quite an ordinary man. Both,
we think, are wrong. and truth, IS usual, lies
in the middle. The man who, at the age of
twenty -four, could triumph in the British
Parliament over the most powerful opposition
that had ever banded itself within the walls
OF st. stephens to pull down a Ministry
who could. almost single handed, resist the
united efforts of Fox, BrRKR, SHERIDAN, EEs-
kline, WISDHAa, GREY, and a host of others,
and resist it with success-who could retain
power almost uninterruptedly for the space
of twenty three years, in the face of such a
combination, was surely no ordinary man.
On the other side, we see nothing in his life
to ntitle him TO that lofty praise which his
partizans still continue to lavish on him.
That he was great declaimer, we have no
doubt; for O'CoSSEL, who surely was com.
petent judge, and was certainly not very
friendly one, declared he had never, in all his
life, heard anything like his defamation
That he was skillful financer, his scheme
for the payment of the national debt by
means of the sinking fund, abundantly
proves But that he was a great minister, in
the large sense of that term, may seriously be
doubted. If ii be true, as has lately been said,
that he engaged in the long war with France
reluctantly, and at the In stigation of the King,
much must be subtracted from the strength of
will, and disinterested devotion to country,
for which he has SO largely been credited. If
he entered into it of his own accord, as has
been generally supposed, then he was, in Our
view, the greatest enemy England ever had,
BoSApARrE himself not excepted. We are
we'll aware of the contemplate subterfuge 10
which his partizans resorted, when charged
with bringing on that war. II is true, France
first declared war; but she was forced in to it
by England. A clause in the treaty OF 1857
stipulated that when either party withdrew
is ambassador, with view TO put an end to
diplomatic intercourse, it should be regarded
as a declara ion of war. England not only
Withdrew her own ambassador but refused to
receive one from France, and for that PITT
was responsible. He found the English debt
about $3.50, 900, 900. 1t had sweled to four
times that amount before the end of the war.
AT the close of the American war, the very
period at which PITT became Prime Minister
the demand for reform had become very gen.
eral in England. People could not fail to see
that that war, with its consequences, the loss
OF the thirteen colonies to the crown, and the
dishOnor of the British arms, had arisen from
the defective represen tation in Parliament
These demands, originating not with the poor
and suffering classes of the nation but with
large and growing country party, We're be-
coming, every year, more important and i'm
Fortunate, when the French Revolution
broke out, to arouse their hopes and stimulate
their exertions. The aspect which France at
first presented, was well calculated to fire the
hopes of those in England, who had ntsred
heart and soul into the demand for reform. -
But the excuses of the dominant party in
France soon produced reaction, COM
mencing with the timid and moderate, and
gradually extending its circle, until it en-
braced the greater part of the nation, who
dreaded that the same scenes which had rem
dered the French Revolution odious. might
be re-enacted Oh English SOIL The domi
nant party did not fail to take adyan
tase OF TINS recoil in public sentiment,
ana they succeeded in precipitating England.
WHICH Doasts OF her freedom, into a war with
France, with the avowed object of restoring
'he grinding tyranny from which she had Just
escaped. AT the very time that they were
uniting WIN the continental de spotisms, to
put down liberty in France, the English peo-
pie were taught to believe that they were
waging war for national liberty and the
rights OF mankind. When once engaged in
conflict, reason, of course became silent in
the roar OF battle. The nation forgot for what
they were lighting, and looked neither a the
allies by their side, nor the cause which those
allies We're asserting. As time rolled on
france, instead of being trampIed under foot
with lmpunity, reused herself to furious ac
ton. She chased her invaders, W ho had come
Tor the avowed purpose of riveting her chains
across her frontiers. She did more They
had invaded her soil without the slightest
provocation. Reused to frenzy by the insult.
she retaliated. She pursued her enemies in TO
their own coun tries. She exacted heavy VEN
geance for the injuries she had received. That
she may have been wrong, in n strictly moral
sense, is true enough. But who can blame
her for doing what she did g? When a nation
is reused by causeless Insult and iniury
without provocation, who haso right TO pre-
scribe the limits of her just revenge?
We do not hesitate to say that the war into
which the dominant portion of the English
arlstocracy, represented by PITT, precipita ted
the English people with France, was the
most atrocious war that was ever waged
against an unofending people. 1t was nei-
ther more nor less than war of old estab.
hshed abuses, against the increasing know
ledge of mankind. For their own selfish mr.
poses, the ruling aristocraey interfered in the
domestic quarrels of a people struggling to be
free, taking advantage of the moment when
they were in the very commissions of change
from degrading system of DIES potc govern
ment, from which they had been suffering for
ages. That was the moment that PITT. rep
resenting the ruling power of England. chose
for joining league of despots, to put down
people who We're trying to be free. 1t WAS
not enough that France was suffering aImos.
the pangs of death, from the excuses of her
revolution. Those very excuses, to her the
greatest of miseres, Were made the pretext nv
the despouc governments for leaguing against
her. And England joined this league Eng
iano, VINO had always maintained the respon-
siolh'y OF rulers 10 the people; England that
had Drought one King to the block and ex-
peiled another from the throne, upon this
very principle England, that resen ted with
herce enthusiasm the attempt of Louis XIV.
to restore the STvARrs TO the throne: Eng
land, that had always protested against the
right of any power whatever to interfere
with her perfect independence. The aristoc-
racy of England THAT Is, the ruling portion of
III represented by PIrr, were now waging the
bloodiest war of moderp times, to force upon
France detested fHmily, doing the very
thing which LOUIS had attempted to do, and
for attempting which he nearly lost his
throne, by the arms of England and her al
lies for though that was not the ostensible,
there can be little doubt that it was the real,
cause of that war which is called the war Of
the succession.
Troubles OF the LincOln's Administration