Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1864-04-12
sTAUNT0N, VIRGINIA. TUESDAY, APRIL u, 1854
SPEECH OF MIR. RoEBUCK ON THE
AMERICAN WAR-HIS OPINION OF
THE YANKEE NATION

SPEECH OF MIR. ROEBUCK ON TIL
AMERICAN WAR-HIS OPINION O1
THE YANKEE NATION
In the House of Commons, on the 14th 0
March, Mr.. Roebuck said:
Sir, have question to put to the noble lord
the First Minister, which am very anxious tina
be should himself answer. will preface thi;
question with two preliminary statements. The
first is that my honorable and learned friend
the Solicitor General, informed this House tha
her Msjesty's Government were prepared to re-
monstrate with the Government of the Confed-
crate States on their employment of agents in
this country for illegal purposes. would sug-
gest to my honorable and learned friend that he
was speaking about q matter which was sub jw
dice; that he spoke not merely in his own per.
son, and that person one to whom we all pay
very great respect, but in the character OF Q
great law officer. And not only that, but by his
side sat the Attorney General, and it was quite
clear that he spoke the opinion of the Attorney
General. Moreover, he was the only member OF
the ministry who spoke on that occasion, so that
he might be supposed to be the organ of the
Admins tration in himself. The matter on
which he spoke was then under consideration OF
the law courts, and he expressed distinctly an
opinion upon it. / think it would have been
wiser if be had abstsined altogether from any
expression of opinion On matter of that sort,
especially in this House. But the question be-
ing sab 5atdSce we have to Inquire at what point
the transactions then were.
It appears to me, sir, that they were exactly
at this point: that the Government believed
certain things were being done by the Confed-
crate States of America in this country which
they held to be illegal; that they had brought
those things before the courts of law, and that,
as far as we have now gone, the courts of law
have decided against the Government. No
doubt there was an appeal, and that appeal, Il
know not what may have happened today is
still SUB 5udice. Therefore we may say that the
Government, on mere suspicion, are about to re-
monstrate nitb the G0uernnaent Of the Ooqsted-
crate States. That is my first position. The
next one is that the First Minister of the Grown
has stated as his policy-and every other mems
Der of the Government who has spoken on the
subject has said the same thing--the First Min-
lister has stated that they wish to maintain the
stqictest neutrality between the Federal and
the Confederate States. Now, I believe that
the noble lord at the head of the Government
really desires to do that; but am afraid that
the noble lord at the head of the Government
is not altogether master of the Government
There are other powers in the Government, and
there is one great power that think somewhat
overshadows him and the whole administration.
Hear, hear.l The noble lord, the First Minis
ter. has won for himself not only the confidence
of the country, but beliye its affeotonate re-
gard-(hear hear )-and anything that he says
he will do we have perfect confidence that be
means to do. But there is another power by the
side of that noble lord, and power such as has
always appeared in the government of this eoln-
try since the days of the revolution.
We have always had some member of what
is called a revolution family in liberal admin
istration, who has governed, perverted, and des-
troyed it. (Laughter.) The person to achona I
aJIade is Earl RusseJ; and may say that the
honor of England in his hands has not shone
forth with the brightness that could have
wished. Clear, hear.) Let us go, sir, from
China to Japan, though that is not far. La
laughl But If go farther, If go to Poland,
then to Denmark, and lastly to America, in eys
ery case find that the honor, the name of Eng
land, has been tarnished by what has taken
place (Hear, hear.) Sir, have read the des>
patches on this matter, and the feeling predom
inant in nv mind Yves that of dire humiliation.
(Hear, hear.) felt that the honor of England
was not upheld as it ought to have been, and
that the strict neutrality which the noble lord,
the first Minister, processes, and processes hon-
estly, | am sure, was not maintained. Why,
sir, the tone used was, in the first place, like the
scream of cookaloo or the scolding Of aD angry
woman. (Laughter) The end was most une-
quail to the beginning, the words were big but
the deeds were the least possible.
The noble lord, the Foreign Secretary, seemed
By the 6zaster Of the FEDERAL Gooern-
ment and the moment Mr. adams threatened
soar he croached before the menace and England
seemed to lose her position among the nations.
[Hear, hear.J That being the case, sir, feel
that have right to inquire what ia the neu-
trality which the noble lord processes, and what
is the state of the two peoples between whom we
profess to be neutral Now, first and foremost,
we may supply contrabnnd of war, and we sups
piled it to both sides. There is no difference
whatever there. The next thing that we have
supplied is the men, who have gone in hundreds
and thousands from this country to America and
enlisted as soldiers to fight her battles. A very
small number of our men have gone and enlisted
in the navy of the Confederate States, and then
comes Mr.. Adams and says, "Aye, but these sail
ors of yours have chased from the face of the
waters American commerce." If they have
done so, I, sir, am very glad. laughter But
where is the difference between this and what
has been done by our own men in America 2-
They have enlisted as military men, and where
peace and happiness reigned before they have
been made the instruments of spreading wide
and desperate desolation. (Hear, hear)
The aohole proceedings Of thas aAmeracGn aoGq
are blot Qpo7a human nature. Hear, hear +
And when / am told that should have sympa.
thy for the Northern States of America, I tprn
ipsa5so1tte disgust from their hypocrisy. (hear,
hear.) They are corrupt, they are base, they
are coCardJy and they are crueL Hear, hear,
and Ohl] You say, "Oh;" but want to know
what they have said of England, and whether
they have not said far worse than that of her
But maintain that the spectacle they have ex-
hibted is truly deplorable and debasing. Sir
there are two things which our law distinctly
prohibits, and the Attorney General can corree,
me il am wrong, The first of those two things
is the supplying of ships, armed and equipped, tc
we are in friendship. This is said to have beer
done in this country with respect TO the Oonfed-
crate States, and that matter is now sab judice
The Attorney General, with all his acumen and
and power of persuasion, has not been able te
convince jury of his oountrymen that our Law
has been broken by the Confederate Sit es of
America.
The next thing is the enlisting of men here tc
fight in the cause of the Federals, and that Il
what is now being done in Ireland. The righ
honorable baronet, the Secretary of the LORD
Lieutenant, last year acknowledged that ths
Government of Ireland was perfectly aware O
what was going on in Ireland at that time-(hear
hear)-and at this present moment we see i
broadly stated in the Times newspaper that the
same thing is going on now. IHear, hear.1 ]
say, then, as you have determined to remon-
strate with the Confederate States on mere sns
pcion--for you have carried it no further-are