The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-06-21

HIVE no sentiment OF envy, ana no SenCi1nenG
of hostility to that idea; we rejoice heartily
and sincerely in everything which contributes
to the honor and prosperity OF Great Britain.
we believe that the principles Of civil and re-
llglous liberty depend mainly on Great Britain
and the United States, and everything that
contributes to the power and glory OF Great
Britain contributes to the stability of those
great principles which we value equally with
Englishmen. (Applause.) Britannia rules the
sea now as she has done hitherto, but let me
tell you that the time is very near at hand,
and those who live now will see it, that she
Will cease to rule the sea unless she strikes
down the traffic in Intoxicating liquors. Great
Britain contributes OF her wealth rs millions
OF pounds every year at least to the demon of
strong drink, and sacrifices 10000 of her cit-
zcns Rich and powerful as Great Britain is,
It is not possible she can compete with the
United States while suffering that tremendous
dram upon her resources. Ii Great Britain
does not strike down the liquor traffic. the
soug will be changed, and it will be "Colum-
bia rulcs the sea-" put it to you, not simply as
philanthropists and Christians desiring the
welfare and happiness OF your tellow-men, but
L put it to you rs Englislimen, as her Males
tys subjects, devoted TO her and to the pros
perity and honor of your nation, and desrous
to maintain your position among the nations
OF the earth, and tell you that you cannot do
ii upon any other condition than putting down
the traffic in Intoxicating liquors.
Short speeches, it has been intimated, char
acteize morning meetings, and shall have
the pleasure, hope, for it will be great graf
lhcatlon to me, to meet Engishnlen, Scotch
men and lrlshmen in many places where /
may have more opportunity than here to say
what think and what feel, and what my
countrymen think and feel in this great ques-
ton. Now, just word about another mat
ter. We have had our attention, as you very
well know, directed to a question quite aside
from this, for the last four or five years in
America-a question of absorbing interest to
us. Why, we are Englishmen over there; we
are sons of your fathers hear), and il there
is one sentiment that characterizes English
men more than another, il is love OF country;
the Englishman is everywhere thoroughly and
heartily and fully devoted to his country. l
repeat that we are Englishmen over there; we
are sons of your fathers, ank brothers of your
brothers, and the feeling that characterizcs us
as much, perhaps, as you, is love OF country.
so we put our all into that great event, and
resolved, Heaven helping Us, that come what
would, we would preserve our country from
the destruction with which it was Threatened.
Since have been here, and in coming across
the water, associated as / was tor some days
with most intelligent and highly educated
Englishmen, could not tail to learn tina. very
strong misapprehension exists in the minds of
great many English people about the char
acter of that great struggle in which we have
been engaged; and perhaps it may be proper
here, as just entering upon this my tour and
mission In Great Britain, to say a few words
in relation to that event.
1t has been remarked to me by most intel
li2ent Englishmen that we of the North, the
Federals as you called us, or the Loyals, as we
called ourselves, ought to have conciliated our
Southern brethren, that conciliatory words
and conciliatory measures should have been
those adopted by our side. Permit me to say
that from the foundation of our government
down to the moment OF the election of Abra-
ham Lincoln as our President, conciliation
was our policy always and everywhere So
long as slavery existed in the Southern States
the interests of the North and the interests OF
the South seemed not to harmonize with each
other, and those interests came into conflict
with each other, or seemed to do so. Our
Southern brethren insisted that their interests
were in conflict with ours, and In our national
councils they represented their interests as
distinct from and hostile to our interests, and
always, without any exception, we conciliated
them by yielding what they characterized aS
our interest to what they said was their inter
est. Always yielding and Cancellation came
from us to them; and always from year to-
year this demand on their part was advanced,
until il came to this. We have what is called
in our parlsnce territories" great national
territories, very sparsely settled and pcopled,
OF the most fertile land belonging to the ma
ton; and the demand at last on the part OF
our Southern brethren was not only that we
should recognize their declaration that the
Black man has no right which the white man
is bound to respect, not only thai we should
recognize that and incorporate it into our Or
sanic law, but that we should yield these i'm
mense territories TO be open to slavery. Up to
that point we had done everything to concili-
ate, but when it came 10 that We declared
that, Heaven helping us, let come what would,
these immense territories should be cOnseerat-
ed to freedom and not to slavery. (Cheers.)
There were people in the North who were will
ling to give additional guarantees that slavery
should not be intertered with in the Southern
States; they said: "We will not concede to
you that slavery shall be perpetuated where it
exists; any constitutional guarantees you may
desire or demand for the protection of your
property where it is we will yield, but we will
not consent that slavery shall be extended in
to this vast public domain" There the rup-
ture began; and it was in fighting that battle
of liberty against slavery that we sacrificed so
much, and suffered so much. (Hear.) We
recognized from the beginning that Gods
hand was in it; we recognized from the be-
ginning that it was in that way that kind
and wise overruling Providence thought fit to
punish us for our completely in that great sin
OF human slavery. The result of that great
conflict has been the emancipation of more
than four millions of human beings from most
degrading bondage. (Applause.) We think
ourselves amply repaid for the great sacrifice
of treasure and blood which we have made to
accomplish that great end; and now that that
cause of discord between the South and the
orfJ, 10 TO nm