The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1862-09-18
BRITISH VIEWS sOFTEsE AMER
ECAN CONELsCE.


The London Press OH The Situation.
From the London Post, Aag. 10.
Ii any one wishes to see TO what fright
full extent fratricidal war can demoralize
people, let him read the accounts, fur
uished by the American papers, of the
great war meeting held at Washington, at
the beginning of this month"; under the
auspices of President Lincoln. The saw
ages in the yet uncivIized parts of Ameri
ca, hold war meetings, and VOW eternal
enmity and the utter determination of their
enemies. The ancient republics did the
same; but that great progressive nation,
proud of lis rapid growth, its liberty, its
civilization. and It's religion, should 30 far
forget itself as TO rival the wild Indians in
savageness. and be so far behind its age as
TO have recourse to popular passion instead
of patriotism, and to call in The fury of the
mob in aid CT the policy of government, rs
tie Greeks did three thousand years ago,
is a spectacle which we had not thought
TO witness in the middle of the nineteenth
century. Yet what wild tribe from The
Red River or the South Sea Islands, dane
ing round its fires, and goading each 9th
er to fury by cries aud curses, could ex-
ceed in deliberate cruelty and implacability
the citizens of Washington on the occasion
/
ed were stud,ously inhumap, and were as
disgraceful to the coountry as tie assem-
bly, itself was inconsistent with the first
principles Of good government.
A war meeting such as tina! reported is
an anamoly in any constiutionalIy govern
ed State. What must be thought of gov
ernment which in time Of war, has no re-
course but to collect mobs, and after excit-
ing them with speeches full of blood and
fire, 10 pledge them while in the burning
heat of passion to extremiles of policy and
cruelty which make the rest Of the world
stand aghast in disgust and CONSERVATION?
Wherever power may reside in popua:
governm surely the conception and di-
rection of policy ought to rest in the Ex-
ecutive But these war meetings pre- sup
pose the direct contrary. They appeal to
those who have not the power TO reflect,
the wisdom to guide the materials for form
ing sound judgment. nor any response
bility 10 a superior power. The conse-
quence is that the great question which
must sooner or later be entertained; wheth
er the people OF the South shall be recog-
uized as independent, or oStermlnated as
traitors; is not only indefinitely postponed.
but hopelessly prejudged. The effect is
most disastrous. The voice of reason may
be heard in councils and cabinets. A few
men solemnly deliberating under deep
sense of the gravity Of the questions at is-
sue, and of their own perlous RESPONSE
bity, have some chance of arriving at
what is right and of seeing the way out OF
a friehlful complication. But tie con-
science of crowds is nowhere. Their judg
ment counts for ne;hing. Their policy is
pretty sure to be destructive. The gov
, ernment that is constitutionaly bound to
' refer its measures in detail, to a mob, is
j founded on a wrong principle, and must
give way at the base. The governmer t
that does so when 1t is not SO bound, is
y helpless and incapable; its days are num-
bered and its end not far off, Of course
n we can all understand the necessity, when
line OF policy is determined upon. OF
, keeping public opinion up to the mark, IN
. order to get the greatest amount ofpopa'ar
g support. especially when heavy burdens
have to be imposed upon the people. and
i for this purpose public msetiugs, speeches
IS and explanations are very proper and use
o full. But the war meeting to which the
IS government of the Federal States is now
o. resorting are very different things. as may
he be seen by the resolutions adopted. w,
take i, as sad sign of weakness in tn,