The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-09-18

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The Greatest Military Dsspotism in the
World.
The leading journals OF England and France
take very different views Of the state Of affairs
In this country The English papers regard us
as the greatest military despotsm in the
world" and show that they fear us accordingly
by advising the Canadians to display little
spirit and prepare to defend themselves, as
England positively will not help them. The
French papers, on the contrary. do not express
any surprise at our military despotism," such
as it is, and make no comments upon 1t. This
difference ia significant, and its causes are
easily perceptible.
The English have enjoyed tolerable share
Of liberty for several scores Of years, and have
no practical experience of what military des-
potism really means. Before our civil war the
United States was the only nation which ri
vailed England in this, as in every other
respect Consequently the English journals,
with that admirable taste aud excellent feel
ing so characteristic of true Briton, take
the earliest opportunity to exult over
what they are pleased to term our downfall.
The CONSUMPTION, ,Confscation and Indemnity
acts, and the three thousand arbitrary arrests
made at the North, are the arguments employed
by the English to sustain their statement that
we are "the greatest military despotism in the
world" and these acts are continually and in
sultingly flung in our faces with all the power
which the writer's for the English press can
muster. II We are really suffering under such
an iron rule of cannons and bayonets, one
would suppose that the English would sympa-
thize with us instead OF reviling us. But Eng
lish sympathy, as we have abundantly proven,
goes hand in hand with English interests, and
these have inclined, thus far, to the cause of
the South. It is in fact very singular that,
while the London papers have 30 much to say
against the military despotism" at the North,
they have absolutely no epithets left in their
vocabulary to appropriately stigmatize the
military despotism" under which the South
now groans and dies. We can truly say that, if
we have established such dreadfully tyranni-
cal system, Jen: Davis first set us the
bad example, and that, If we have
committed snch heartrending outrages, JEFF.
Davis has rather exceeded anything we have
hitherto done in that line of business. While
this does not, of course, extenuate our wicked
ness if we have been guilty, it should at any
rate induce the English press to divide their
abuse more equally and impartially.
With the French the case assumes alto
gether another phase They live under mill
tary despotism themselves. and do not seem to
think 1t a very disagreeable and intolerable
sort Of government. Or, if they secretly enter
tain any opinions opposed to military
despotism," they do not publish them in the
papers and waste words in abusing either their
own administration or that of this country.
Perhaps, too, they recognize, as we do. many
striking points of resemblance between Presi-
sdent Lincoln and the Emperor Napoleon.
The Emperor is ''the nephew of his uncle" and
so is President Lincoln. Napoleon used to be
very fond of practical jokes, as he demonstrated
at Strasbourg and Boulogne, when he attempted
to capture France with his uncle's uniform and
. trained eagle. Eincoln's love of the same
kind of fun is too well known to require
comment. Napoleon has a charming wife,
and President Lincoln is equally blessed
Napoleon is shrewd, sly, cunning
man, and President Lincoln has these
same characteristics. Napoleon is mill
tary despot, and, if all that the English pa
pers assert be true, Lincoln is military despot
also. The consideration Of this similarity may
have superinduced the silence of the French
press upon the point in question; for an attack
unpn the military despotism' Of Mr.. Lincoln
would certainly be construed into an Attack
upon the system Of government adopted by
Louis Napoleon. Perhaps, also, the French,
who are much more observant and philosophi-
cal than the English, clearly perceive fact to
which the preiudiced British are obstinately
blind. That fact is that our military despot-
ISM if we have any, is but thing of the mo-
ment, assumed for certain purposes, and easily
changed when those purposes are fulfilled. 1t
is true that the republic of Rome ended in
military despotism. and that the republic of
France had similar finale. But the Romans
and the French belong to the Latin race, while
we are Anglo-Saxon; and races alter circum-
stances as greatly as circumstances al
ter cases. This country is now passing
through the same historical experiences as
England did during her civil wars. We
are hurrying through this period of our history
much faster, however. 1t took England about
a century to settle upon a stable form of gov
eminent, and about fifty years more to UNDER
stand and organize the government which she
finally adopted. We started with the right
government; the South has been trying to upset
it, and we are now re-establishng it. This task
will not take us century. We work with rail-
roads, telegraphs, iron-clads, unparalleled
armies, and guns which throw shells five or six
miles A few months more will end our labors.
and then our military despotsm" will be
quietly put aside, and we shall return to our old
habits under new administration and Brother
Jonathan will once more take precedence Of