Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-05-25
Our Relations with England.
The New York Times says that:

"The report that Mr. Motley goes to Eng
land without any special instructions in re-
gard to the Alabama claims, gains strength
aud seems to be generally credited. We can
easily believe it, because, as the case now
stands, wiser Government than our own
would be sorely puzzled to know what instruc-
tions to give him; and when you don't know
rolnt to do, the best thing to do, according to
the old maxim is, to do notAing"
This is a very candid confession on the
part of the Times, which sincerely deprecates
pressing matters to the point of actual col
lision with the mother country. 1t intimates
that the Republican leaders who have been
bristlins up at our English cousins have made
fools of themselves, the object being to pro-
pitiatc the Irish and catch votes, when, as it
says:
"Our Irish fellow citizens are always pleas
ed by that sort of craftsmanship; and, Curl
ously enough, whenever any ambitious poli>
tician makes strike for popularity, his first
experiment always is upon the Irish Even
the Republican party, which never has had +,
and never will have, anything but sharp and
embittered hostility from the Irish, every
now aud then shows its stupidity by playing
the same sorry farce again, never gaining a
vote and never proiting in the least by its
failures"
The Tines intimatcs further, that war
with England would be "no joke" now, re-
marking that:
''The.e are people who are anxious to re-
pudiate the debt VIC have already incurred,
and they, of course, look upon war with
England as the shortest way of reaching that
result. They arc doubtless right but they
are not strong enough yet to accomplish
much"
The T:n'cs, with great doal moro wisdom
than some of its Radical cotem poraries evincc,
comedies that it would be useless to attempt
to bully England DOW, with the expectation
of securing an ''apology" such as Mr.. Sum
ner, the belicose Chairman OF the Committo,
on Foreign Relations, in the Senate, seems to
desire and expect. On this head its says f:
owe shall not, We imagine, be foolish
enough to demand payment of the cost of the
war, for the whole time during which Eng
lands action prolonged it nor for tho hos,
tile sentiment which England evinccd to-
ward us throughout the struggle. Nor would
an apology from England for the course she
pursued, cren II there 7rcTe the ghost OF q
chance that ice could obtain II, followed by the
payment of actual Losses from the depreda.
tors of English built Confederate priva' GERS,
make the matter any better, or restore kindly
feelings between the people of the two ma
tons"
And so tue prudent TImss gives it up, or
is disposed to defer to more convenient sea.
son the settlement of old scores with our pow
erru! transatlantic neiShbor. I, ,says in con
clusion:
I'VE zee nothing that can be more wisely
dous at present than TO Let the whole matter
drop take its place among the things Of the
past, which cannot be reversed or rsmGdied,
and which no amount Of discussion can make
better. When We actually gst ready for war
with England, this may serve to swell the
tide Of national hostility out cf which such a
war may grow. But for that result VIC can
afford to wait,-as we must wait,-a good
,rhiIe longer. Meantime the wiscst thing the
Government can do is probably to instruct
Mr.. Motley to do nothing, and to say just as
little as possible. We presume the wisdom
bf the Administration will dictate this dispo.
Bition of the case"