The New York herald., 1864-11-06
NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY NOVEMBER q 1864

and Spain from active cooperation in his pro
ceediags. with some. induced an impression
that they were not parties 10 these designs
The conduct of the Spanish government in its iil
treatment Of General ~ and in its subss.
quent operations againstA Domingo and Peru,
corrected this in its regard. And now we have
Great Britain exhibiting her share in them by
the course which she is pursuing in this con-
federation scheme-s course wholly at variance
with her usual policy, and dictated only by the
belle that it will procure for her, CONNER
cia'.y ls we'll - politically, greater advsu-
| tages tuaa she can hope to derive from con-
| tinuug @ hold the provinces to their allie
glance. e.c knows that on the first outbreak
of war with rs they would, in their present
condition, be Immediately overrun and taken
from her, and she equally sntertains the belief
that by thus uniting them they can be rendered
self sustaining snd perfectly defensible against
invasion.
We will not stop to inquire how far this
latter conviction is we'll founded 1t is suffi-
cient to say that the ablest of the Canadian
journals express grave doubts on the subject.
The suggestion of the plan from Downing street,
in any case, proves the truth of what we have
always asserted-that Great Britain holds the
check Of the growing political and commercial
power Of the United States as of far more i'm
portance to her than even the retention of her
American provinces. Independent of her and
of MS, they would be of greater value to her,
commercially, than they are at present, or than
| they could possibly become as members Of the
| American Union. United to us they would.
| politically, so contribute to the overshadowing
greatness and influence OF this country as to
place Great Britain in the position OF second
or third rate Power. These are dangers that
she has long appreciated, and that made her
bail with joy the outbreak of our present trou-
bles. She saw in them the means, II not of the
destruction of our ascendency on this continent
at least of arresting its further growth. To es-
tablish hero that balance ofpower by which in
Europe, she has contrived to maintain her posi-
ton unimpaired she is willing 10 sacrifice
60 the provinces. She fears in short, more the
effect Of the triumph Of republican institutions
upon her status at home than sine does upon
her American interests, although she believes
that these interests will not suffer by this pre-
tended act of generosity.
How short sighted are these calculations?
Even now the leading journals Of Canada and
the other provinces are covering them with
ridicule, and predicting that within less than
two years the result will be annexation. How
can it be otherwise? The "materal influences"
which have decided the British government to
take this step are in themseves too powerful
and too much OH our SIDE ot to insure it. The
fundamental error IN the confederation scheme
is the basng it upou the assumption that the
commercial interests OF Great Britain and the
provinces are identical They are not, and
never can be SO. The commercial interests Of
the provinces are intimately bound up with
those Of the United States, and no efforts that
foreign statesmen can make can even divide or
break them up. For this reason the provinces
must gravitate, politically, towards us as soon
as they are left to their own free action. Even
now, in the inception Of the very scheme by
which it is intended to oppose barriers to such
result, tho Canadian journals point to it rs
inevitable.
Bat, even admitting shat such prepondor-
ating influences did not exist, they could affect
but little the ultimate Issues between the two
governments. The events Of the present war
have demonstrated that there is no security for
our institutions but in the firm and unswerv-
ing maintenance Of the Monroe doctrine. This
cannot be insured withous our obtaining
possession Of the provinces, aud sweeping
from Mexico aad this continent generally
every trace of European domination. Who
doubts our power to do this. The very move
ment initiated by the English government for
the confederation OF its American depend
euces is evidence sufficient OF the conviction
entertained by those most interested Of our
ability and readiness to accomplish, it as soon
as the crushing out Of the rebellion leaves US
leisure to give the matter our attention.
THE SHAM DEMOCRACY AND TAMMANY HALL
At the little Mcheon meeting at Union square
on Thursday evening last the resolutions