The Portland daily press., 1869-07-27
e.American 4. uson. t.r r..c., ;,


The dense stupidity shown by certain class
of Englishmen when writirg upon American
affairs. has frequently excited the surprise of
our people, and been often commented upon
By the American press. But ''reguar built
Johnny Bull Englishman is so thoroughly sat.
isfied that be "knows it ALL" and is withal SO
insuherably hide-bound and conceited, that
a1y attempt to convince him of error or igno-
rance, is task proven by experience to be
hopeless as well as thankless
Our attention has recently been called to
this great national trait by the perusal of an
article in Backwood entitled "American Rea-
sons for Peace" in which the alabama
claims" and other matters are discussed with
the usual compiacency and fairness of our
British cousins.
Starting out with the statement that the
Radical faction in the United States has be-
come somewhat too rampant" it assumes that
1t aching for an opportunity to snub and hui
initiate Great Britain and designs to annex to
the United States the whole of British Amcri-
ca, and take possession of Mexico, Cuba and
the West Indies iaH 4sis
To these horrid designs, ihe writer more
than intimates, Mr.. Charles Sumner lends all
the authority of his great pame and position,
while other Senators fall into line and sloose
their tongues TO stir up strife between England
and America Senator Chandler is cbarac
terized as "a man without education, manners
or sobrety, and of no more political account
that Daniel O'Sullivan, the Cork butter mer
chant" This estimate OF the Michigan Sena-
tor we do not feel called upon to impugn, but
remit it to the good people of this State whose
representative he is to deal with as best they
may. The writer in speaking of Mr. Sumner
acknowledges that he is eloquent and learned
and one OF the leading men Of the country, ),
aud iavors his readers with the following vera
eions bit of his personal history. which we
quote entire:
Eleven or twelve Years ago he wantouly
charged the Southern ladies with being 'sun-
Virtuous, and created thereby social commn-
ton in Washington which has seldom been
equalled in that city. Called upon to relract
and apologies, he reiterated and intensified
the slaDder at the first available opportunity.
a Southern member OF Congress named
Brooks, called him personally to accounts and
Mr.. sumner refusing 10 give him the satistac-
lion of the daello, or any other, the champion
of the South took occasion to administer per-
sonal ehasiisement, by beating fhe Senator
over the head with a stick. For this act the
Southern ladies pre- enied Mr.. Brooks with a
gold-headed and jewelled cane. The conse-
quences to Mr. Sumner were serio1s
II seems almost incredible that person
knowing anything Of that affair, should not
know that the cause of Brookss cowardly as.
saut was very different from that stated in
the foregoing extract. 1t almost seems as
though the writer has manufactured the stale
mentor the express purpose ofcreating pre-
iudice against Mr.. Sumner personally, the
better to prepare the minds cf his readers L,
be nised in regard 10 his sentiments relative,
to the controversy with Great Britain. u.s.
He then proceeds to enlogize the recent
speech Of that gentleman and to give the no ain
points therein presented. Senator Sumner
according to this veracious Journalist, insists
that the British people ought in equity as well
as in common law, to pay at. least o,ae-half ute
charges ofdte scar and tlfen humbly ack uovl-
edge themselves to have been in the wrong
and make a satisfactory apologyt The en,1n
ciatien of these sentiments, he further saws
has made Mr.. S. the hero OF the dav1 ana
marked him out promineptlv as, the most
available candidate for the Pfesideney. In suc-
cession to Cen. Grant. g e.5 g
The untruthfuIness and absurdily Of these
statements we can appreciate and understand
but we mus remember that lbe neanle of Enc.
land derive their information unon Amar;.an
affairs from maeaz;ues and name rs. mapv 81
which treat Of them With a. much of;gnorsnce
as is displayed in the article Of which we
speak se
Having drawn Thus LARGELY uuon his imao.
agination for his facts. and otherwise made Il
to appear that The American peonle are all
aglow with hostile intentions against Great
Britain, he proceeds to allay all apprebensions
of war and to give tie reasons why such an
event is impossible. And in The first plaee he
!. says the business men of the couptrv Who
govern the statesmen in the long rnn know
perfectly well that this country is not in a n,-
sition to provoke war even with Spaiu. for the
possession of Cuba, much less with q mower
so formidable and bumptious as that in which
he lives, moves and has being-our large
debt binds us over to keep the peace-and our
present Union is not exactly the Union of
twenty years ago. The existence of so many
and so formidable reasons would seem to settle
The whole question and render ANYTHING fnr-
ther superfuous and unnecessary; but with
true English-spirit he continues the attack and
shows us what big growl the British lion has
and with great minuteness aud detail the ex-
act manner the aforesaid lion would attack
and devour the proud bird known az the
American eagle whichever he eets chanca -
In furtherance of this project he makes the
extraordinary statement that the american
colonies of Great Britain SO far from being a
source OF weakness, are source of strength ),
and that in the great Canadian Dom;n;on
destined, to all appeara,ace. to beeome At NO
distant day one of the most substantial nowers
n the world, there exists no Dissatisfaction
against the mother countryl' fR "a
Good Tor Johnny Bull! Nothing but an
earthquake can disturb such insensibilitv as
that The strength OF the lion having been
thus demonstrated, the next thing to be done
is 10 prove the inherent weakness of sour
bird" This is done by asserting that the hest
sailors now in the American Navy, are Brit
ons, allured, not by love for our country bnt
by high wages; nine-tenths ofwborn IN CASE ~
war between England ana America wonld de-
sert us and join the British Navy. The Rr;t-
ishers would at once proceed to make Seyas- |
tapol of Quebec then making diversion ON
the other side OF the continent. they wonld
capture California, OF ever SO long before we
could send troops for her protection and relief.
Inc PacInc railroad with its immense capaci-
.ies IS disposed OF IN the twinkling Of an eye.
~ wouia pe Oh smaii account The savages
unuer .ne ieauershlp OF tfeir great CHIEF,
Henueil Ihiiilps, would become the allies of