Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-08-10

beginning of the present century, to sho
Is what brave nation can do when the
!, liberties are in danger and their nation;
}. existence is at stake. There were tw
periods in the history of that conte:
when England saw darker days than an
t we have, or, | hope, ever shall see. Cor
slider her condition in 1897. For ten year
. the tide of mad revolution had bee
! sweeping over Europe like destroyin
pestilence, demolishing thrones and prin
cipalities, and, while many evils wer
swept away, chaos and anarchy were lef
in its track. In 1872 France declared wa
against the world; and in February, l79S
specifically declared war against England
At that time the British debt was 81, ,26S,
COS, 945, and its annual interest S45. .22j,
304. The population of the United King
dom was less than twelve millions inclu
ding Ireland-Irsland then as now "tht
tear in the eye of Great Britain" source
of weakness rather than strength. The
spirit of revolution pervaded the king
dom from colleries to court. The throne
distrusted the people, and the people
were jealous OF the power of the throne
In 1874 the habeas corpus act was .us
pended against an opposition in Parlia-
ment more determined and far abler than
its suspension met in our Congress two
years ago. In 1916, three and a quarter
millions Catholics in Ireland were organ.
lied to revolt against the Government, to
be aided by French feet of forty sail
with twenty-five thousand French soldiers
on board. But for the storm which dis
persed the feet the revolt must have been
successful.
In the same year the naval power OF
England was threatened with dissolution
by wide spread mutiny in the fleet
Ship after ship deserted the feet off Cadiz
and in the North sea. The channel feet
ran up the red flag of mutiny from almost
every masthead, and was drawn upin line
of battle across the mouth of the Thames.
prepared to lombard London if the de-
mands of the mutineers were not accs-
ded to. 1t required all the firmness of
the king and his Government to save the
city and the navy. In 1897, oppressed
with financial disaster, the Bank of Eng
land suspended specie payment, and pa
per money animmense circulation which
crowded the country wss the legal cur
rency for twenty-five years thereafter
In that fifth year of the war, Alison says:
Everything seemed to be failing at
once. Their armies had been defeated,
the bank had suspended payment, and
now the feet, the pride and glory of Eng
land appeared on the point of deserting
the national colors."
"Public creditors apprehended the
speedy dissolution and the cessation of
their wonted payments from the Treasu-
ry. Despair seized upon the boldest
hearts, and such was the general panic
that the three per cents were sold as low
as forty-fve after having been nearly one
hundred before the opening of the war
Never during the whole contest had the
CONSERVATION been so great, and never
was Britain so near the verge OF ruin. -
Volume 4, page 256.
All this time France, with frenzied ac.
tivity and enormous power, was dealing
deadly her blows. In Parliament the
great Fox was leading powerful opposi-
ton against the Government Though
we have no Pitt to lead US, we at least
have ne Fox to lead our enemies in this
Congress. The record of their divisions
would and answer for own. Alison says
$50 violent had party spirit become,
and so completely had it usurped the
place of patriotism or reason, that many
of the popular leaders had come to wish
anxiously for the trinmph of their enc
mics. 1t was not a simple disapproba
ton of the war which they felt, but fer
vent desire that it might terminate in
the disadvantage OF their country, and
that the Republicans might triumph over
the British arms. They thought there
was no chance of any parliamentary re-
form being carried, or any considerable
to democratic power acquired,
unless the ministry were disposed; and
to accomplish their object they hesitated
not TO betray their wish for the success of
the mobocratic enemy of the country
These snimosities produced their usual
effects of rendering the moderate or rs-
tionsl equally odiousto both parties: who
ever deplored the war was reputed foe
to his country; whoever pronounced it
unnecessary was deemed a conspirator
against liberty, and an abettor of arbi-
trary power."-Volume 4, page l4l.
Against such an opposition and such
discouragements, the like of which we
have not yet seen, England with brave
king, a wise ministry, and courageous
Parliament, rose to the level of the great
occasion, passed laws both for volunteer
ing and draft, filed the ranks of her ar
my and navy to more than three hun
dred and fifty thousand men, poured out
her wealth with lavish hand, renewed
the great contest, and continued it, not
four years, but five times four years long
er.
But England saw darker days than
those OF 1877. In the beginning of 1871 |
Napoleon had risen to the height of his
power. The continent of Eu-
rope was at his feet. By victorious diplo-
macy and still more victorious war he
had founded an empire which seemed to
defy human power to successfully assail
it. Every coalition against him had
been broken; every alliance had failed
More than half the nations of Europe fol-
1ovv this oopouaripo aoola From the