New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-09-10

asserted that her political prestige has never been so
small since the period when she first took
up her position among the leading nations
OF the world She has in fact, under
species of moral compulsion, virtually abb
dicated her place in the councils Of
Europe, where her voice was once all potent FOR
good or for evil. One of her leading statesmen has
Just proclaimed England to be more of an ASlatc
than European power and this dctum seems to be ac'
cepted by the English people as expressing the true
state of things. Indeed. if are to take the En-
glish press as guide cannot escape the conclu
sion that Englands power is more in reputation and
outward show than in reality. According to that au-
thority-and better we cannot hsye-the navy OF
England once the pride and the boast of the nation,
and which has cost an almost fabulous amount of
money. has been so grieyouSly mismanaged that
it cannot be depended upon for efficient SER
vice. The Crimean campaign first revealed the
military weakness Of the empire-a danger 10
which attention has been again unpleasantly called
by the recent astonishing successes OF the arms Oh
Prussia; and it is now frankly admitted that the
warke resources Of England are by no means
equal to the exigences which may at any moment arse
in the interests of national safety and honor Add TO
these things, the monstrous domestic grievances OF
which such loud complaint is made; the extremes oil
wealth and poverty that constitute 50 marked and
painful a feature in the English social system; the
denial of the right of suffrage to the tong millions;
the offensive class distinctions, both in matters civil
and ecclesiastical through which the claims OF hum
BILE merit are ignored and the arrogance of titled stu
pidity upheld and honOred; the fatuous resistance
shown to any change in the absurd and unjust law OF
primogenture, which RENTS the great bulk OF the
population to life Of hopeless serfdom; the growing
discomfort among the people at their persistent excu-
sion from participation in political power-and it
must be admitted that the continued stability of En-
glish institutions is an exceedingly problematical
question and that the national Vitality is in seri-
Gus peril
In these circumstances Englands only hope OF
safety we venture to say lies in the full Development
among her people of the principles of constitutional
freedom, and in cordial alliance with the American
Republic alliance Of the peoples, we mean,
and not simply of the governments. Such alliance
is hardly possible at present. so opposed to each
other on vital points are the political systems OF
the two countries We are aware that according
to the English theory Of constitutional freedom,
government il the creation of the popular VIII,
exists for the promotion Of the popular well-beng'
and should be administered in obedience 10 the
popular voice. But long az the great bulk Of
the people are excluded from their fair share
of political power so long as the administration Of
public affairs is confined to privileged Olgarchy, SO
long as class legislation-he natural and inevitable
consequence of such Observation-Disclosures to dis
grace the statute books Of the Kingdom it cannot be
said truhfully that in England, as in America, gov
ernment is of the people By the people, and for the
people" Let this glazing anomaly in the political
system Of England be corrected and hearty alliance
between the English and American people would be-
come possble--yea would be certain to spring up;
and the moral support at least which such Oh ALI
ance would bring to England might give her new
lease Of vigorous life
Engands primary want at present then is political
reconstruction of a radical type. Once the great ex-
empar Of Constitutional freedom, she has fallen sadly
behind the spirit of the present age. The consequence
is that while she has not single sincere ally among
the nations, by most of whom she is cordially hated
the unjust and exclusive policy pursued by the so
called ruling classes, under pretended Constitutional
sanction is having the effect of alternating the regards
Of the bulk of her people from the Government and
Of preventing that alliance in which lies her chief
hope for the future. Already all but completely
Isolated in Europe, whittier she look save to this
Republic But with what chance Of success can she
direct her eyes in this direction, while her Govern.
ment continues to be synonym for oppressive class
legislation
The true patriots, the sagacious and hr-seoing
statesmen Of England, are they who are aboring to
remedy this state of hngs-John Bright, and his coad
tutors in the work Of Parliamentary reform Whent that
reform shall have become accomplished fact, then
may we expect to the existing monstrous abuses
to which we have alluded in this article swept away,
and the way opened for alliance that shall indeed
deserve the appeation Holy, between England and
America The Reform party in England, and the party
in this country that has raised the banner of Impair
tal Suffrage are laboring in the same cause and for
the same noble ends With their success, the triumph
of liberty will be complete and new era will dawn
upon the world.