The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-23
The United states and Grea, Britain.
The Present State Of Feeling Toward
America.

's"4iA alsPatca 2 TIE American n mister
IN our Saturdays columns. Il is only
seven months since We heard Of the news Of
crime which grows in magnitude ana in
horror as we drift away from il down the
swirl stream Of time The Intervening ne
rod has not been uneveutful or u1ercItipg.
We, toe, like the Americans, have Lost the
political chief Of our government. and Quiet
y accepted the next Ia AUTHORITY. The
United states themselves have been uaci-
Il 80, reorganized and reunited with a fapid-
ny end ease that c0mmsnd cur admirstios
oar VI immense empire hss never failed
10 produce, somewhere or other, objects Of
agreeable interest At home We are divid-
ing our time between domestic eeonoIni es
and organic rec0usiructiou. Our hands are
never ials, but We can stiu feel the shock Of
the irghtful tragedy which only in the
spring Of this year threw into the back
ground every J. seer OF older misery, and
might atone for any number Of errors. Il
30 happened that Abraham Lincoln. bV the
progress Of either amendment or truth. had
righted himself 10 English esteem, aad
then stood e. well in our regards as Ruv
foreign potentate could ever hope TO stand.
We admired the man, and we're beginning
10 like him, seeing 10 him the able aud
klnd-bearted administrator Of the greatest
work Of social pescemaking the world hal
yet seen. SO we felt his murder as VIC
shol 4 have done that Of a leading
British Statesman at the hands Of . politi-
cal tHnstlc. There was more, indeed, in his
case than there would ever be in this coun-
try unless we could suppose half the realm
making head against the other half for sew
eral years. There was the grand ceremony
Of national reconciliation 20 be performed,
snd, a. Heaven would have il, there lay
bleeding before US the victim to conss crate
II. Other victims were intended, aud the
asssssins 60 far succeeds that one, the E re-
most statesman on the Federal side, ard the
man with whom Ne had most 10 DO, had TO
endure for months q living msrtyrdom.
The strong viii, the active intellect, an the
ready tongue, lay trembling between life
and death, when the most difficult stage Of
his great task had only just begun. We
could not but be deeply imp1e sed with
catastrophe that appealed 10 the chief quail
ties Of our race, and the nat 'onal sympathy
burst out at thousand openings, wherever
many or few had been wont 10 come togsth-
er aud make q common uttersnce. Il was
the same elsewhere. So mail after mail
took across the Atlsntic such piles Of condo
lence as had probably never before been
evoked by sny national bereavement An
sweT could hardy be expected, for the man
10 answer was himself dying man, for the
time as helpless as bis cher So we were
all content 10 wait ard now, after seven
months, we find that We can revert 10 that
crisis with uudiminished horror at the deed,
and larger and more certsin knowledge Of
its place in the work Of American recon
struction.
The Ameficsn Secretary ofstate has done
al that could be done under the crcum-
stances. Any attempt 10 produce q form Of
words specially appropriate 10 every ad-
FrHTrf "a -
been only q ridiculous attempt at literary
clerkship. Even in this country people are
little aware Of the pres sure Of work in the
principal departments on an extraordinary
crisis or in q busy season. At Washington
there was g war 10 be brought 10 sn end, 4
great empire 70 be rebuilt, and good many
questions with other countries 10 be settled,
% possible, 10 the satisfaction alike Of the
American aud Of the foreigner. Mr.. Sew
ard. who has recovered slowly from his ter
rible succession Of injuries, has only Just
been able 10 speak for himself and his gov
eminent. The British public will not have
failed % notice the modesty with which the
Secre' ary alludes 20 the delav. HIS depart
ment was indeed crippled when he lay, as
many thought. on hrs death bed, with
wound upon wound; for tina. was the pc
culiar calamity" which then impaired the
efficiency Of the American Forei gn-Otice.
That q Government simply constructed for
the transaction Of necessary affairs in the
ordinary urse Of public business should
have bean able 20 do Tvs share Ia the work Of
the war was itself wonder 10 this country.
Bat when ueT calamity involved new
obligations the calsWity partial mas
sacre Of the government, and the "obliga-
tons" the duty Of anssering condOleuees-
the worst foe Of Republican institutions
cog!d not but do justice 10 the Government
which went on at al under such circum-
stsnces. We al saw, end duly appreciate,
that there was not the loast symptom Ci
failure OF collapse. livery thing weat on a.
usual, as far as met the eve. Our own diff
culties, indeed, are so different in kind that
&c b. not easy 10 make a Just and ntelligi
be comparison; but ter witnessing tne
confusion apt 10 take place ia other states
upon the sudden Withdrawing or the dis
aiding OF those at the head Of critical ailairs,
sge SEEMED 10 recognise u character tikc our /
0Isa iu g people whose chief rJlers fell OF |
were Frustrated in day, at time when |
they were more shan ever wanted, but /
which went on Just usual.
The simple but very hearty acknoW' edg 4
meuts OF the American Score ary seem 10 /
give us En opening for a word OF two on tn |
prevalent feelings Of thiscOuntry toward the 4
United Stsues. IL would be quite idle TO /
deny that there sre points upon which this /
country 10 jealous, OF sore, or without the
perfect sympathy that ob'alas be .weeu two /
similar social syslems. With long q reaTs 4
of gulTre upon one yrife or an Their, and /
new one every year, and with d very strong 1
opinion on this side that our rights were
very often sscr feed % political exigencioB
IN the United States, We have certainly
found il dihicu 10 appreciate the Americans
az we really wish 90 do. We can afford 10
A.. q i
believe 30 be the truth as 10 the great ex sut
of ouI good wishes Tor America. We have
not the le 81 objection 10 the United States
inc-ea ing 20 any extent, and EnnexIug any
amount OF territory or number Of States, 20
long a5 it is ali done honestly, above board,
and by fair appeals 10 the sympa by snd
good sense Of the people. II tire Popu alton
either Of cur own provinces or Of Mexico
freely and spontaneously declared that ther
thought his their best chance Of peace and
pr sperity, the British people would only
feel tho most passing regret al the loss
Of a name, Hnt the prOpOrtionats az
grsndiEement Of the United Etes. or
course the case is altered IL the object lie
10 be obtained by fraud, by force. or by in
ilmidatiOn. In that case, not only is there
q wrong done upon our own loyal fellow
subjects aud others entitled % our Fympa-
thy, bus there 10 also ests blished a prescrip-
ton, pppcy aud temper ruinous to the
failure peace and even progress Of the world.
History contains some very colossal iustan-
res Of continual augmentation BY fraud and
by violence; In TACT BY olicies constructed
with a special view 10 perpetual sggran-
di-cmenL But the event vet CONDEMNS
them the neral sense IS opposed 10 them
aud modern politics are mainly r. cted %
prevent the recurrence Of the evil. Il is
from DO special Jealousy Of the United
States that we dread the indefinite en-
ergcmaut BY the means too often employed,
and yainly denounced BY American mo.al-
ists, Il BE- our English habit, our second
nature, cur historical teaching, our Euro-
Pean law. Even In Europe We are glad 10
zee ltUliuus OF Germans achieve IA re com
prehunssve unions than circumstances have
hitherto allowed. Nor should we Object %
any amount Of aggregation in America by
equally allowable means. Only, a. great
state, we canuot bear to De olsied. outwlt-
ted. sud ccsrced, and see uur own people
sU3rr Cor their loyalty.