The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-04-06

/ The criterion of the correctness of con-
duct adopted by the ancient parsonage who
feared he had done wrong when the wicked
praised him, is still in use. Hence many per-
sons who favor impeachment began to exam
inc their motives very narrowly when the
London Times gave its qualified assent to
that proceeding. Failing to discover any
| wrong intention on their own part or any
ground for abandoning their position, they
nave since looked upon the attitude of the
Times as one OF those unaccountable politi-
cal phenomena that defy analysis or eXplana-
ton. The truth. is that the English govern
ing classes and their newspaper organs have
been whipped into good behavior. They
feel constrained to assume a conciiatory tone
| and put on hypocritical mask OF friendli-
ness. 1t tottoaos as matter of course that
| Mey conciHdte the Republican party. In
stlnctiVely all foreigners regard that party
| as the true representative of the people of
| The United States, and as undistinguishable
from them As they become friendly, either
sincerely or feignedly, to the nation, they be-
come friendly in the same degree, either sin
| cerely or ostensibly, to that party which alone
Identities itself with the cardinal ideas of the
republic. No greater paradox can be con-,
celved than that Of foreign journal, liberal
in its views and assuming to be friendly to
the United States, which is nevertheless
conciliatory toward the reactionary, disin-
tegratng, conservative. party of this country.
And this is the true solution of the great
riddle of the London Times.
Having disposed of the Thunderer, we
have plain sailing among the other European
journals with no more problems to solve
With very few exceptions they range them
selves for OF against impeachment, as they are
well disposed or hostile to democratic govern
ment and particularly to the United States.
Especially is this the case with the Continen-
tai papers. We have before us series of
carefully selected extracts from the principal
French and German papers, and their decla-
ratlons confirm in the most striking manner
the theory set forth above. With reference
to the trial of President johnson their feeling
is graduated with the utmost nicely not only
to their degree of friendliness to this country
but to the general liberality of their political
creed. Thus the servile organs of Louis Bon
aparte's despotism, like the Pays, Patrie,
Constitutional and STANDARD, emulate the
dismal bowling of our own anti-liberal Jour
mails over the impending decapitation at
Washington. The less violent government
papers, like La France, moderate their walls
OF horror to just about the pitch of the New
York World. The Journal Des Debates,
semi-liberal paper, oscilates from one side to
the other with that exasperating uncertainty
that characterizes a class of Republican pa
papers which is well represented by the New
York Times. The Gazette de France, the
organ of The Orleans faction but friendly to
the United States, approves of impeachment
without any qualification. Then we come to
the Liberal papers that express the views of
the Radicals of this country with French We
hemence and exuherance of emphasis. The
republican government OF the United States
is the model after which they would fashion
the institutions of France, and after which
they aeit model them, as soon as they can
shake off the Bonaparte vampires. G
Passing to Germany we find the newspa-
per organs of despotism arranging themselves
on the side of the would-be autocrat of
America. They hate democracy and nat
urally approve whatever tends to weaken it
and bring it into 5isrepute. On the other
hand, the Hamburg News, moderately liberal,
THINKS that tne applelIrnsions ioio "a.
quarters that impeachment will have ten
deney to depreciate the value of United
States bonds are without foundation, and the
other liberalpapers of Germany are of SINH
lar opinions.
But one deduction from these facts is pos
sible. The European democracy regard the
destinies of free government as for the time
committed to the care of the United States-
They are so far removed from the scene of
our political contests as not to feel in the
slightest degree the influence of personal,
local and accidental considerations in form
ing their Judgment of case between the two
great parties of the United States. They
have all the conditions of absolute impartial
ity. Under these circumstances their decis-
ion may be regarded as of the highest value,
and their unanimous verdict is that the per
| petuity of American institutions, and democ-
cratic progress throughout the world are de-
pendent upon the continued ascendancy of
the Radical party of the United States.