Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1862-12-16
The Attitude OF England To-
wards the Confederate States.

1Ffom inc Riohmond Dispatch an
Airiend reminds US that Lord Russell, when
Questioned ia he House Of Lords rs 70 the
truth Of the rumor, very current a. the time
Ito the eifect that . proposition 81 nediati6n
had been made 10 him by the Emperor Of ths
French-denied emphaticaNy that any such
proposition had ever been made. This, w
believe, il true 10 the letter, although we had
no recollection Of il at the time we wrote the
article upon that sabiect, which appeared on
Tuesday. But did not Seward intimate 70
Lord Russell that IL he would postpone the
recognition Of the Confederate States a GER
tain number Of days he would have subdued
the rebellion aud then send him a plentiful
supply Of cotton 2 Did not Russell cause this
intimation to be- communicated TO the Empe-
ror, who az he believed, was about to make a
proposition Of that kind to the British Govern
ment D Did II not cause the Emperor 70 lay
aside, for the tina being, The design which
he was believed to entertain II such we're
the facts tho answer Of Lord Russell was q
contemplate bubble, unworthy Of a states
man, however worthy Of him.
Let US suppose il to be true, for the sake
Of argument, that Seward made the Ultima
ton in question, and that he held Il out as an
indncement TO the Emperor 10 withhold his
intended mediation. DO the RnnRls of Taci-
tus, or the pages Of Gibbon, or the history OF
Warren Hastings' government Of India, or
any other record Of cruelty and injustice, an
cient and modern, reveal n crime 30 cold
blooded, so atrocious, so utterly damnable, in
all its phases and aspects, either Of imaginn-
tian or eommission2 Did not Lord Russell
know in what manner Seward designed 10 OBJ
tain that cotton, with which he proposed to
- Ii. .Al IL. - "a
obtaining which he held out as a bride to the
Emperor Of the French Had il not been
announced in proclamations, in acts Of Cor
gress, in speeches upon the hastings and in
newspapers Had not acts of c~onfscAtion
been passed. Had not armies been set in
motion ? Had not the slaves been invited
TO rise and massacre their masters, through
every journal that supported Seward and Lin
coin in their bloody crusader Was not Lord
Russell well aware that every pound of cot
ton which Seward would send to England
would be saturated with the blood Of
men fighting for the deareat rights Of bu.
mainly, Of women and children slaughtered
by the ruthless bands OF infnriated slaves Z
Did be not know il could be procured on no
other terms, and that no attempt TO procure il
on any other would ever be made2 What
was the suggestion Of Seward but a proposal
to bride England with the spoils of an EN-.
pire 2
We are far from believing that the people Of
England would have assented TO such a mon
strous proposition, had the whole facts of the
case, in all its enormity, been known to them.
But the question was not put in such e man
ner as to defy evasion. Lord Russell should
have been asked whether or not Seward had
ever proposed to him 10 forbear for a certain
period, or for any period, on a pledge to send
him as much cotton as England required, as
the condition Of forbearance. Then would the
people Of Great Britain have clearly under
stood how far their Government ment to make
them partake Of the Rccursed thing-of the
spoils Of the Confederacy, wet with the blood
of the brRvest race that ever sprang from the
loins of Old England. We are by no means
sure that the people of England would even
than have insisted upon the recognition Of the
Confederat States.
There are many reasons why they should
wish to keep clear OF the war, while wishing
us every possible degree of success. They
own nearly a thousand millions Of stock in the
Yankee States, They have monopolized, or
are fast monopolizing, the entire carrying trade
OF the world. They have an enormous com
merce afloat, which would instantly become a
prey TO the Yankee corsairs. All these, 10
say nothing of the precarious tenure by which
they would hold Canada in the event OF a war
would be strong pledges to keep the peace
But they owe it to themselves TO clear theil
skirta Of the damning suspicion which Their
Foreign Secretary has caused to be attached
10 them, or at least which he is supposed t.
have caused. Above all, they owe il to them
selves to get rid Of the superanuated medic
critics that are rendering them a byeword anC
a reproach to all the nations Of the earth.