The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1862-01-08
Our Relations with England.

mason ana Dnuell, We nave hNeIteu buc
threatened declaration OF war by Great
Britain for the present, but we fear that,
instead of being such a removal Of the
difficulty between the two countries as
will secure lasting peace, il portends but
hollow truce, 10 be broken upon the first
plausible pretext which offers itself.
The alacrity which the British govern
ment have shown in fastening a quarrel
upon us, their open exultation at our
troubles, their sanguine prophecies of our
final defeat and the destruction of our
constitution and Union, and the open
sympathy they express for the satanic
slave holding oligarchy which jeff. Davis
is trying to build up from the Cotton
States, are such patent evidences of Eng
lish hatred of America and her free iusti-
tutions that no one can longer doubt that
our only security against British agrees
ion lies in our ability to resist her arms.
British philanthropy is thus proved to
be a mockery and cheat. We see it stat
cd that even the British pulpit has gener-
ally spoken for sustaining the government
The English clergy doubtless find war
rant in their bibles for harboring the pi-
rate Nashville, after she has burned our
American merchantmen in soundngs on
the British coast
Our government should not delay a
moment in placing our Canadian border
in complete state of defence. The
Straits of Mackinaw should be at once
secured by batteries of such power that
nothing could run their fire and escape
destruction. This would secure Lake
Michigan from any coup de main. On
Lake Michigan we should have Naval
Depot, an Armory, and n National Gun
Foundry. A railroad connecting Lakes
Michigan and Superior would secure the
possession of the Upper Peninsula Of our
State, with its valuable mines of materi-
al for bronze and iron guns, and small
arms.
The Illinois Canal could very readily
be decpened, and the locks enlarged so as
to permit the passage of the class of gun
boats needed TO command the western
rivers, and thus, our Sebastopol on Lake
Michigan, would furnish the means 10 con-
troll the vallies of The st. Lawrence and
the Mississippi.
While our Canadian neighbors are
Boosting so loudly about the swarm of
steam ,un boats which can be brought to
ravage our lake ports, our government
should quietly gather the material for
such fleet rs would clean the great lakes
of everything British.
Our commercial policy should DO care
fully revised, and we ought to consider
whether by our reciprocity treaty, and
our removal of the restrictions upon COM
mercial intercourse with the Canadas, we
are not playing the part of the silly coun-
tryman, who warmed the frozen serpent
into life, to flesh its venomous fangs
among his children. Judging from the
spiteful hissngs of the Canadian press,
the snake is getting warmed up and is be-
coming dangerous, and ought to be turn
ed out again to cool off and quiet down.
The system Of public works of the
Canadas have been planned mainly with
reference to drawing the trade of the up
per valley of the Mississippi, and the ba-
sin of the great lakes, down the st. Law
renee River to the Ocean. Should our
boundary line become a barrier, as it
must, if the venomous hostility of tho
Canadian people toward our government
and institutions continues, our friends
(o0er the lett,) east of Detroit River
must hereafter content themselves with
their own local business for their Grand
Trunk"
Canadian lumbermen should be no long
er permitted to market the products of
their forests in the United States 10 the
injury of our own lumber manufacturers.
While it is hardly probable that the
policy which we have proposed will be at
once adopted, it should be aimed at, and
In our intercourse with Great Britain, in
Guiding the Canadas, We should always
recolIect that we are dealing with enemies,
ready to strike US foul blow whenever
h"v have us at an advantage. and we