New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-05-17
MR.. SUMMERS SPEECH.
LATER FROM THE LONDON PRESS ON MR.. SUM-
NER's SPEECH ON THE ALABAMA CoNVEN-

deed from supposng that Mr. Summers sentiments Iore
shadow the instructions under which MT Mo'IeS VIII
have resume negotiations, since this wOnid DC 10 I'M
pugn the pacific intentions Of his Government ana 70
beforehand the failure Of his mission We prefer
believe that Mr. Sumner pleading ion behat OF the
United States piled the damages lie himself expressed
It. mountains high" with the view OF enhancing the APP
parent moderation OF the demand which may ultimately
be presented. At the same time, we cannot allow
allegations hagrantly unfounded to go forth ul-
refuted upon authority so nearly official. Had
speech Of such extravaganza been made by o states
man OF equal emlnence in either House Of the
British Parliament, it would not only have been re-
undated OH the spot, but would have permanently in
ured political reputation OF its author Greater lat
tude is allowed In American Debates especially where
the national pride has been wounded and It should al
ways be remembered that responsible Minister is
present 10 check statements by reference TO
documentary evidence. stl regret that no Senator
felt It his duty dissent In his place from Mr. Sumners
representations against which In the interests OF rsh
we confidently appeal TO the calm judgment OF the pup
lie both in England and America The fact is That IL is
altogether afterthought TO represent Onr premature
concession of belgerency" to the Confederate
States as having opened the gates Of war; and etoose
the Alabama upon the marine OF the United States As
suredy no American Minister I'm position TO MAKE
any such charge in 1861 for the best OF all
the Alabama did escape until APRIL 1902 us there
fore utterly irrelevant, as Lord Stanley poeu OUT ~
insist that Her Majesty proclamation Ought 70 De
pospOued for few weeks or months, unless IL Cah w
proved that 1t ought not 10 nave peeh saeueu
even after Bull Rum ana %1en over The
North american Continent This, however is not the
most conspicuous pervesOn Of dates to DC fouhd ia Tue
proach England with having consciously aided tne
wicked cause" when civilization was hghtinE a last
Mr. sumners own mind and that Of the New'England
Aboonsts the Civil War assumed, from the very nrst
ermined 10 convert IT from contest for national unity
into contest for Emancipation and they succeeded
ton that such the object OF the war In the NINA OF
Mr. Lincoln or the nation generally ana can ~, s
more uprea sonable than 10 denOunee Great BRIAN ior
not having fastened upon 1t that eharacter whe1 lhe
United States Government so earnestly dlsavOWeei is
monstrable facts and Mr. Sumner cannot be Ignorant
Of the records when ueinoiss MS iR vi,
the limited States falls short OF the importantly 10 DO eN
eGeS Of s or Of op rossGns
advocacy One instance Of this unfairness is the os
SION 81 an ,Ss o1cSed eSmaie which he submits Of
the effects produced by the war on Hritlsh ana American
Hap rates OF insurance in the United States 10 be
reckoBed up against why ~ MT sumner enrey Silent
as to the RSss he s%p9ce that mo
was put Government not without goOu pfeteht,
& the sacrifice TO our national good faith repre-
sented by the Lancashire distressi Again, wheh nc
~ aiTd;s friends with the cheers Of o
{" British passenger.shp crossing the path OF the
onai coinpllcy with the South does he take account
OF the fact that no popular meeting ever held to
the South Of the eloquent appeals made
on behalf of his own causei He does indeed notice hese
appeals but only point his attacks upon the English
nation, which he chooses TO identify with particular
section Of English society, and Dot with s Government
its most representative men Win IKE wan 90 can
DOR no alludes TO Mr. Goodwin Smiths vigorous protests
against Southern prOcyites but forbears 10 refer 70
recent letter by the same writer defending tne brush
ated by them In short he studoukY aDor 10 put tne
worst construction every act OF Great Btltal some
times Interpreting II by the language OF irresponsible
critics and G the T R1 G8 eie %
rational morality aud then by the most teehea rules
| of the Common Law.
proving that the Senator for Massachusetts an indfer
emf adj ocae and possesses qualifications for the
ercise Of judicial functions, We have hardly advanced our
case Tie real for the English public to eonsder is
not whether Mr. Summers speech could he picked 10
position OF American popular feeling and IL So what Is
the true purpOrt his violent but confused harangue
past services the Republican leader has never held any
high Official or diplomatic post, has never even
for any yU Of the few great offices which form the re-
cOgniEed rewards OF american states mans me
not mistaken. in the simple fact that MI SUMNER
s a So a9I OF bis In plain
English whether for good or evil we decline TO accept
The final American Judgment We have heard good
deal OF turgd defamation in Congress before now and
shall doubtless hear good deal morei butt In the
future as in the past believe, the bark Will prove
than the bite In all popular assemblies speaker
able hearing But just there were men IN our Engieh
House Of Commons who cheered Mr.. ROebucRs out.
bursts OF anti-American spleen, and who yet voted
against every proposal for the recognition OF the Con-
iederacy so we cannot doubt Shat, OF the sena.
tom very few would be prepared to act upon the doc.
nes which ne sa Gow not Ie Tt s
but In the state OF popular feeling which us delivery pre-
simmer expressed the opinion OF numbers among his fell
low countrymen when he declared that England had
been the base OF the COnedcracy that the Re
beiion had been kept alive IL not called into being by
the expectation OF English Intervention; aud that the
CIVIL War would have ended two years earlier II IL mad
moi been for the support afforded from this country We
are not now discussing the justice Of these assump'
tons and refrain from dwelling on the 0ther slue
~ t6e account AS IL stands between England and
America. Just unjust, such convection as we
out considerable portion OF the United States and it
would be- idle TO hope that any argument on our slde
can nation then would doubtless agree with Mr. Sumner
IN asserting that England has been guilty OF grave
moral tort toward United States; but pending further
evidence We entirely decline 10 assume that America
agrees with Mr. Sumner in the conclusion winch he draws
from those premises For such injuries as many Amer'
cans hold themselves to have sustained there 49, unior
tunatey. no available redress. Even If the English
nation exactly the same view OF It's conduct as MT
sumner we do not what more We could possibly DO
than offer restitution for any specific injury which we can
offered, as the Senator for Massachusetts, him
self admits; aud, II the Americans decline our oner
there nothing tO be done our side III we con-
sented to adopt any form OF apology which Mr. sumner
might dictate and II offered 10 pay any sum which he
might consider fair equivalent for our mlsdongs, We
should not thereby remove the feeling 80 prevalent ~
America that turned against the Union IN the hour OF
its trial Time, and time alone, remove that ieeng
aud believe country VIII best serve the cause OF
peace aud anity by attaching little weight to compliments
IN the one hand such as those with which Mr. Reyerdy
Johnson has lately overloaded us, or 10 seedlings on the
other like that OF which Mr. Sumner has just gwen Us
specimen. .. o---,. .-....u
The Daily Neps OF May says; Mt Summers extraor,
binary speech on the Alabama claims mas eonnah hH
nnbLo attention in this country 10 extent which
neither the political position he has achieved nor MS
reputation for staesmanlke Judgment wholly explains
This fact however less surprising than seems AT
nrst sight Our Government having concluded Win inc
Minister OF the United States treaty IN which every
MONT claimed by the American Government WAS conceal
ed we are naturally curious to know Tor what reasons
that Arrangement mas been peremptorlly abu almost
contemptuousy set aside. Now tils desire MI
aUmner and he only, has undertaken to
ssfy EpgshmeD have read his speech, ana have been
stnnIshed az bodness of It's rhetoric and the sun