M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1863-10-29

baaest cowardice the conduct OF tue
British Government. When they
thought they could bully the United
States with impunity, they made no
secret OF their Southern prochVitiss;
when they heard that Vicksburg bad
fallen, that Lee had tetreated, and
that Charleston was threatened, they
laid an embargo on the steam rams at
Birkenhead, and gave Mr. Mason the
cold shoulder. 1t remains to be seen
therefore, whether the tidipgs which
sent up gold to forty-two premium at
New York will produce a corespou.
ding effect on the language Uf Lord
Russel and the public opinion Of Eng
land; whether Lord Warnclifiea aud
friends win he allowed to have their
own way, and Mr.. Mason invited to
come baek5 and, II nothing Of this
kind happens, what new unworthy
motive will be attributed 70 us by our
American critics. !,
It's, perhaps, unknown to these
gentlemen, but it is a fact, that our
own countrymen resident in the
Southern States are juSt now loud in
their indignation against the English
Government for trucking, so they
Tallege, to the Cabinet of W ashington.
Their grievance is, that their proper.
ty is not respected BY the invading
Federals, but seized or destroyed with
as little scruple as though it belong,
ed to Confederate owners, aud that
Lord Russell has omitted to exact, or
even to demand any reparation for it.
The hardship Of their position has
been brought home to. them still more
painfully by the result Of an applica.
tion made by certain British capital.
lists on their own behalfto the State
Department at Richmond.
The pressure to which this country
lis now subjected on every side to de.
part from the path it has laid down,
is no more than every wise man must
have foreseen. This ia just what we
meant when we-speak OF the danger
Of being dragged into a war. No
nation ever was or ever eonld be
dragged into war in the sense in
which an Irishman may be dragged
that is, boldly-into a faction fight.
What happens is that a multitude of
passions and interests, vai!ing them.
selves under spacious names, invari.
ably possess the popular mind and
ally themselves with the instinct of
pugnacity which no civilization has
yet extirpated, obscuring and keep.
ing out Of sight the colossal evils
which war ever brings upon the vic.
tors no less than upon the vanquish.
ed. 1t is at such times that govern.
ments are often wiser thun peoples
apd when we look back calmly onthe
part played by England during the
American war, we shall SEQ that ex.
lperisnce and statesmanship arc worth,
something ykafterall, in foreign policy.
Had feelings alone, however natural
AID honorable; governed oar conduct.
as nation, we should long before
this have been goaded by the insult.
ing tone Of Northern demagogues and
Journalists into some deviation from
Iimpartality..
Let us continue to practice the
same iorbearance and Self-restraint
when we are tainted by the South
with undue subservience. Taunts
are no more like arguments than
threats, and arguments OF the gravest
and most solid kind are the only con.
siderations which can properly bo
addressed to a great nation in matters
of such moment. Lord RusSel's
speech at Blairgowrie defined in clear
and dignified terms the proper att
tude of Great Britain toward the two
American belligerents. We have
hitherto had good reasons for remain.
ing neutral to the extent of abstaining
from recognition. When those rea.
sons falkland we are neither bound
nor disposed to specify beforehand
upon what condition that failure de.
pends--it will be time to change our
ground. If this time should ever
come, we shall at leaAt have the sat.
faction Of feeling that we have acted
upon our own Judgment, as we must
needs act upon onr own responsible.
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