Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-12-15

Lord PaImerstOn's American Policy.
We find in BJaekloood q review Of the
long and e~yentful official career of Lord
Palmerston, the late British Premier.
Although designing to be laudatOry, the
reviewer discloses enough of the secret
history of the Premier's office to prove
that Lord Palmcrston was weak, vain,
ambitious, selfish and INSCRIPTIONS. Ac-
cording to the statements of the writer in
BLaeksoOOd, it was fortunate for Great
Britain that such statesmen as Gladstone,
Miner Gibson and George Cornewall
Lewis held places in the British Cabinet
during our late civil war-not only well
for Britain, but well for America and the
world-for, freed from the restraining in
f~uences of these men, the rash and selfish
Palmerston would have inaugurated war
between Great Britain and the United
States. This he desired TO do. This he
attempted to accomplish. But the wise.
and determined action of the Cabinet Off
GERS named prevented the carrying out of
his wicked and foolish plans. 1t is
worthy Of remark that to Palmerston's
greatest failings, weakness and ambi-
ton, is his country indebted for the pros
porous peace it now enjoys. Headstrong,
| dictatorial and vindictive as he was, he
sacrificed all other feelings to the enc
master passion which ruled his soul, ambi-
ton. When he proposed an evil policy,
the Opposition in the Cabinet had only to
PaImerst0n would CONT 10 Nmst qad
this fear which prevented the execution
of his plan to make war on the United
States and aid the Southern Confed-
eracy." We quote from BIack1eood, to show
Palmerston's policy and the spirit which
still animates a leading British magazine.
The writer, after noticing several occa-
sions upon which the Prime Minister was
t'coerced7 by threats of secession" in the
Cabinet, says;
THE first tot these occasions was the Trent
affair, on which it is now no longer a Sc
cret that Lord Palmerston made up his
own mind to go to war with the Federal
States. He had borne with Impotence the
bullying and insoleDcc- of United America
on many occasions, and saw, with the clear
ness of his early years, that the opportu-
nifty was at length offered of putting a
stop to this bullying in time to come. The
Emperor of the French, equally long
sighted, agreed with Lord Palmerston f;
and had there not been with him in the
Cabinet men TO whom the thought of war
under any circumstances is dreadful, the
message sent to Washington would have
required a short and categorical answer,
because a feet, equipped for action, would
have escorted it to the mouth of the Chesa-
peake. In the Cabinet, however, there
sat at that time, not only Mr., Gladstone,
MIR. Miner Gibson, and NJ. Villiers, but
Sir George Cornewall Lewis, the most sub
tie Of political r~easoners, the most pacific of
Ministers-One who could never be brought
to see that in the lives of nations, as in
those of private persons, there are moments
when, though it can never be becoming TO
do wrong for its own sake, it is perfectly
justiiable to anticipate others, and to avert
an injury meditated against ourselves by
inficting 1t on them. We had, when the
outrages on the Trent was committed, a
long list of outrages to be accounted for.
| We had been cheated-for there is no
other word for tin the Ashburton
Treaty. The States claimed as their own
territory what they had in their possession
the c~learest proof belonged to US; and as
if to cap this outrage, the island of st.
Juan, admitted to be ours up to the mo-
ment of its occupation by an American
force, was invaded and kept military pos
session of. These, with other lesser, but
not therefore unfmportant wrongs, ranked
and festered, and the Trent outrage pre-
sented such an opportunity as could never
be expected to occur again for righting
benefited the whole world. Had we Struck
then, as Lord Palmerston was anxious we
shoulddo, the Southern States would have
achieved their independence, and become
to US faithful allies, as well as our very best
customers. But a section in the Cabinet
objected, Lord Phlmerston gave way, and
we are, with the Federals victorious, con-
Quoting, through Lord Russell, one of the
most vexations, and we fear most unsafe.
correspondence that " the Minister of
one power was called upon to conduct with
the Minister of another.
This was bad enough; but at least it
brought no national humiliation with it.
The Federal Government released its
prisoners, and made as ungracious an apol-
ogy for the outrage offered to the British
flag as could well be received. The En-
glish nation,no 10 very particular about such
points, and willing TO make all allowances
for the shortcomings in good-breedIng of
its neighbors, accepted the apology, and
there was an end of the matter"