The Portland daily press., 1868-09-18

AN ENGLISH VIEW OF THE ALABAMA
CLAIMs.-The Londen Times Of September IA
has long editorial on American affairs.
which is thus reported by the cable:
The writer believes that Mr. johnson, the
American Minister, has a carte blanche from
his government to settle the Alabama case
The case of itself presents very little trouble:
the only difficulty is the reluctance of the
American government to settle d'ficulty
growing out of war resentments. No Amer;-
can statesman ever believed that the Alabama
escaped with the connivance of Great Britain
There might be question of inadequate laws,
making England answerable but this could he
easily settled. The real grievance of the Unit
ed States was the Indifference of England
in the civil war, and her willingness to see
the Union dissolved. OF this the Americans
were conscious at the time and remember
keenly now. They think we should have had
an active sympathy with the North that a
Coniederacy based upon human slavery should
have been at once condemned; that the Re-
publican party was the true friend of Eng
land; that 1t was wrong to even doubt the sue
cess OF the Federal arms. After all, he anger
of the Americans was due to their conscious
ness OF Englands want of sympathy in their
hour nf peril; but the anger, if right, has been
long enough INDUCED.
Mr.. Seward has refused the handsome offer
of America, which should be accredited to
England. He now cuts the past adrift, and
the thing is as good % settled. Legal points
will not stand in tne way. The only thing to
ascertain Is the responsibility of England and
fix the proper indemnity.
The New York Evening Post, commenting
on this dispatch, very pertinentIy says:
1t would be well for our government to be
careful how it accepts money from the British
government Let us not be committed to o
one-sided bargain by any small sum of dam
ages. Tne Alabama and other "Anglo-rebel
pirates were built in English ports, manned
by English crews, armed with English guns,
supplied with English provisions and never
saw the inside of a rebel harbor. They were
suffered to sail out of English ports by the
British government, which knew perfectly for
what use they were intended, namely: to de-
stroy our commerce. Now, having accom-
plished that end, the British government is
willing to pay small sum under the pretext
of damages
Will'the receipt of that money bind us, in
case England is at war, to act in regard to
privateers in any different manner from that
in which she conducted herself toward us? If
SO, it would be be better for us not to take the
money-unless, indeed, the British govern
ment Will accept such broad and statesman
like amendment of the law of the seas as has
been proposed to it by our government time
and again, which would protect all private
property at sea fom seizure, by men-of-war as
yell as by privateers.
The British government as we pointed out
repeatedly during our late war; cannot afford
to refuse payment of the Alabama claims
Every dav these claims remain unsettled the
embarrassments of the English increase; and
if general European war should break out
as it may any day, in which England should
be involved, the Alabama claims would trouble
and hamper Englishmen more than they like
to acknowledge even to themselves II we are
to have settlement, let us take care that it
settles something.