The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-25

money Is sour compaTcu VIII tuo bWcotness
with which our Minister to England, Rsverdy
Johnson, besmears over and over again the
question of the Alabama claims at all the
feasts and festivals Of which he appears to be
the honored guest. At the recent demonstra-
ton in Liverpool the representatives of the
rival parties in England, Lord Stanley, the
Foreign Secretary and Gladstone, the acknow-
lodged leader of the opposition, were also
participants. So was Mr.. Laird, M. p, the
gentleman who fitted out the Alabama-that
American merchants have cause to deplore
In the history of our diplomacy there is nothing
so placable and amiable as the spoken utter
ances of Mr.. johnson. If pleasant words can
heal international difficulties, surely Mr.. john
son is just the man to make everything square
between Great Britain and the United States.
But it is evident that Lord Stanley, judging
from his speech at the Liverpool banquet does
not regard the matter as settled. Where Mr..
johnson costly and sanguinely afiirms Lord
Stanley only cautiously hopes. A few points
have been partially arranged, he says, but he
trusts that ''Mr. johnson and /" can settle the
matter satisfactorily. Lord Stanley declines to
say that two Of the impending points of differ
ence between the two governments have been
absolutely settled and disposed Of, because it
remains with the American government to
ratify the views of Minister johnson. What
these two points are is not defined by either Of
the diplomatic orators. That Mr.. johnson is
quite sanguine of success in his diplomatic
connections appears evident from his language;
but comparing one spokesman with the other,
it does not appear that Lord Stanley is in en-
tire accord with Mr. johnson as to the GER
tainty of an amicable arrangement.
As far as we here on this side of the Allan
tic are concerned, the post-prandial pleasant
ries Of our Minister and Lord Stanley assume
very meagre aspect compared with the vital
question as to whether the three hundred
thousand millions of dollars-more or less
which our merchants have lost by the direct
interference of Great Britain with our
trade on the ocean during the war by fitting
out privateers in the service of the con-
federacy, ana the thousands of millions more
to which extent our shipping interest has suf-
fered since that time, are to be paid. Apart
from the elegant banquets, the eloquent
speeches, the political devices of British poll
tcians to make these ovations to the Amerl-
can Minister the occasion Of bid for popu-
larity, the question which we desire to see
answered is this: Are we going to be paid our
money, or are we not? All else connected
with these ovations is mere fummery.
We can read with appreciation the finished
oratory of Stanley, the two-edged rhetoric
of Gladstone, the exquisite play of both these
accomplished orators and statesmen on the
chessboard Of politics-all the more keen and
careful play just now that the interests of the.
parties they respectively represent are on the
eve Of a settlement, are in the balance between
triumph and discomfture-but the material
point for us is the payment Of the claims re-
sulting from the piratical invasion upon our
commerce created and encouraged by British
statesmen, members Of Parliament and ship
builders like Mr.. Laird, who, on the occasion
of the banquet at Liverpool, appeared prom
inently in the twofold capacity of the
builder of the Alabama and the bosom friend
of Reverdy johnson. While we are not very
forcibly impressed with Mr.. Johnson's calibre
as diplomatist when pitted against
such sagacious heads as the British poll
ticians he has fallen in with, we cannot refuse
to give in our adhesion to the opinion that
his attributes as q peacemaker of the most
saccharine order are unquestionable. We
only hope that he will succeed in settling
the Alabama claims to the satisfaction of the
many American citizens who are interested in
the matter, and with due regard to the dignity
of the government he represents.
Seymoar's soothing System-Blair Don't
A copperhead organ or two of the East with
certain Bohemian affiliations, under the infu-
ence of the fraternity of gamblers, have been
since the October elections clamorous for q
new Presidential ticket In place Of Seymour
and Blair, and especially for the removal Of
Blair from the course The cliques demanding
this change of front say that General Blair
has well nigh brought the democratic cause to
wreck and ruin by that damaging Brodhead
letter, in which the plucky General says if he
were President he would ''trample the recon-
structon laws Of Congress in the dust, compel
the army to undo its usurpations in the South
and allow the people Of those States to recon-
struct their State governments and send new
representatives to Congress" But notwith-
standing all this clamor Of the democratic Bo-
hemians concerned against Blair, he still keeps
the field, still holds his ground and does not
abate one jot or title Of that Brodhead letter,
but plants himself in its defence upon the
constitution. Now, 1t seems to have been
arranged here in New York that Seymour, on
this stumping tour Of his, shall be brought into
the foreground and that Blair shall be thrust
into the background out of sight But Cen