, 1866-11-21
HENRY VINCENT.
I'll. Lecture In Providence on the Lnte
Civil War.

luuuturul en1nty to u mighty people, ell
uged in the throes Of q stNpendous rcyolu.
ien. But you will understand how diihcnlt
t is for thasc who are unacqualntcd with the
ife Of your country fairly to appreciate your
,rcat resources. the nature Of your local and
latioual institutions, the extent Of your ter
'itpry, TINT ~undroas combination of nat
lral and scientific forces that builds you mp
nto consideration not enly the present but
he outset that in England at
he outburst Of your war. we were
placed ntler circumstances essentially pccu-
liar in our own social and national. expert
cucc. The repeal Of the corn laws Of twenty
gears ago had led to 4 wonderful! expansion
of our manufacturing and commercial pow
crs. There had been spreading orer the na~
tion for several years all Intense matcrllltstic
feeling which led people to believe that ab-
straet political questions would not speedily
engage the attention. especially Of the work:
Ing classes Of our country again. We had
moreover passed through tho Russian war-
a war thai had created great division Of |
opinion. Thu nation, partly inllamed by
military notion anu partly absorbed By great
military questions, found itself always III the !
presence Of those three divisions IN our po:.
liiical parties that have long prevailed and
are becoming in more than one respect more
and more marked among us.
In the first place there Whs the Old Iorf
blessed days when Geor.e the Third was
king-the party that believed in the divine
right of Kings. This old party, though mod
idcd by time and the action Of those cnlight-
ened principles, which IN modern Lie have
been called everywhere into more Or less &C,
Its skin, was still the same, using subtle ar
gufnents against progress, constantly ex-
citing the aniulosity of the upper classes
against all measures Of reform that would ~
crease the power Of the working men. We
need no. wonder that this party which never
did like America, was termed III reference to
the American struggle, the prophetic party.
But its prophecies were rarely rcalizablc in
The actual experience ofmcn. 1t had always
said ''yes, yes, The Americans have founded
Republic. But never mind, there is rock
ahead, and the day will come when that Re-
10 pieces amid the tactions and revolution
ary capstccs of its own people, Aud no
sooner did the news reach our shores Of the
gigantic rebellion III America, than certain
diSc'kanfi politicians and weak'lninaed mem
Der Of tho T"ry. party, those elegant, refined,
suIe5cilious mobiles who have a perfect con
| ttlnpt for trade, commerce and work, used to
| 20 down to snail literary institutions
aud deliver what they called lectures
suitable to-, tic working classes
| spots on tho wings Of butterflies, and at the
close Of their lucubratioas would say,
'.Laa1cs and gentlemen: there Is n question
| to which must refer bct0fe sit down, and
that is fthc fratricidal war that RACES on the
other side Of the Atlantic a war that shows
,hc instability Of democratic institutions
war which ought to bc a warning to the
| working classes.' It was this old senons that
seems il all nations to animate the enemies
Of liberty, that led these men in Indecent
haste to rrophesy the, speedy downfall OF
your great Republic. Every conceivable ar
I rur&fIt 1rns II Sptt upNfuSt yOlJ.
Wlcu we turn iu the direction of the Wing
| rarty, they have q splendid record. They
arc assoeiated with many sublime passages
| in the past history Of England. This Whi,
party, strong in Its hold upon the CONNER
| cial and middle orders, seemed Us q party
| compounded by the conflict before it. The
weak and thoushtless members began to
speak doubtiDGly Of the success Of the Fed.
cral Government. They rather Inclined II
what they called neutrality. don't know
whether you know what neutrality means
but man who Is neutral is always against
you. There were many Of the Wings wht
did not scruple tn express themselves II
favor Of the North. But they generally
were characterized by unfrlcndly silence, o.
In some Instances manifested direct depar
turc from tue traditions Of the past. 4
spirit Of opposition 10 the American caus'
began 10 spread oscr the country like fln
of darkness.
OF tho radical party must not .spea1
much. 1t Is beaded by my noble friend Joh1
Bright. At first they looked on with some
leading men Of the radical party, that thcr
| ehou1 be such hostility to tho Northern nGl
Federal Government, and such subtle splri
working In tayor Of slavery, shareholders an
! d1snnion. But It must be observed that thi
influence did not at least sufficiently arous
itself 10 aprea. 70 public opinion on til
| great questions at issue,
And what were tlese questions, gentlt
, .aens do not deal With them tonight troE
the American point Of view. To you,
me, It seems that they presented to th
mind something more than the. sns
; Of that. Yonrs was 4 Republic resting npo
the widest suffrage. Is it true, then, as th
!, morarchical party has constantly a'legct
!. powerful monarch and d strong aristocrs
cy? Isit true that q Republic must Of n
. ccssity iall o prey to anarchy when war b
: comes inevitable, and when she is torn
i internal dissersiuus and stirred By Tue bla:
y Of civil wnr? But yentured in the outse
+ Z gentlemen, to say whit ! repeat to SO,
! aud which became III all our n1outf
4 ,hc 1aalsing cry Of that section
:, tle politicians Of England WHO b
9 lived IN america, That 7 y'1 GoysS'
= uppn free churches and free schools, su
: tained by fee Parliament, without b
= rcdItary monarch or hereditary aristocrac
:. without laws Of primogenlsaFe-if sneh
:, Government has no right to sustain itse
= against armed traitors, show nc a Cover
~ t,on-Is there legitimate force IN the 2
- rublfc to defend itself against trcasons
INV, and I think most Of M friends 81
d that slavery xonld die. The meme
q that ! heard that the glorious fagg b
~ ~ slavery Is dead and will never rise again.
~ ~ This guestipn WIS one Of great gravity,
n. there were the people In England who US
s. | to believe In slaveTy and took care to pocs
-. thelg proportion Of the money that vas 7
~. abolished, and who neycr were convert
W W when they pockctcd the money. They 4
nr nr not kneel down and say, Let US pray
-. ~ but they knclt down ard said, LET Us re-.
l. vest" firmly believe that IN Liyerpe
u; ard elsewhere they had as much to do s.
S1 tlcly aud secretly with. the s!aye trade
IT. any body of men in existence. These ~
40 rle began to say, Look sou. these am
leans are not sincere. They don't mean
abolish slavezy..", And l am sosry to
Cabinet, of whom would speak in terms
N, warm estecm-Earl Russelt-who belongs
'ut family that has long been identified v
W s the canse Of civil and religious liberty,
e. imprudent cnoash in a speech In
~ ncr1h Of England to add fucl 10 the fame,
I
eG tomination and the South for iudcpepdeu
om on This kind Of dsivel went through the CO
"a! try. and assure you it wns very popular.
ne In England do not think that the Gro
j.. was against you. There is every reason
,no ,no believe that the Intc 1amcn.ea Prince Alb
eES I had personal sympatkies with you, SO far
ere | he was able to express them. At any r
in be was desirous that England should l.
,scs peace with America. Aud there Is gene
ys, convictsen, hased> I think, upon tolcra
iSe nne testimony, that the Queer, was persona
uT. avcrse to anything that would irEitatc
tio embroil the two countries in the danger
di- | var.
not We found ourselves confronted By c1t
~ Of argument, and by clouds and daskn
and I; vas d serious question, bow was this te
ssi resisted, for there came to play upon US =, !
powerful engine the press. The III
,so newspaper, a Journal OF Immense inaue1
- 10 its American correspondence, In its Il
IS a ine and monetary articles. With a subtl
:, ); almost too diabolieal ior belief, bent the
hit. lie weight Of Its ingenuity In the one di
M, W.. lion, OF telling that the Americans were
~ rorapt. treachcrous and hypocftttcAl, q,
nn+ .rhat: cnyerinr Oyer the n