Litchfield enquirer., 1869-05-27
From the NY. Independent. THE ALABAMA" AND THE UNITED STATES.

MY DEAR MR. Tr1roN:-You were one of those who expressed some surprise when, a few weeks ago, I told you that thought the English public would accept Charles Summers speech as declaration of war
 The result has shown that my anticipation was correct. The London correspondent of the Iribnne-whose letters every one reads with interest and confidence, and whom you and I personally know to be a man of clear, sound judgment, incapable of any intentional exaggeration-zdeclar that there IS not to his knowledge one sin gle friend of the United States to be found as regards this controversy in English so- ciety. The English newspapers speak for themselves. They all, without exception,
 bid England be of good cheer" Ito adopt the words Macaulay applies to Cnatham), "and hurl defiance at her foe" They all seem to declare that on no condition-lit- eraliy on none-can MT. Summers basis of negotiation be accepted Anything rather than that. If it is to be that or war, then war by all means. Undoubtedly this is the spirit breathed by the London press. The correspondent of the Tribune, unable to find any other logical explanation of SO sudden and singular change in the tone of most Of the journals, endeavors to account for it by setting up the theory that the English public are, for various political and social reasons which he enumerates, deliberately desirous of war with the United States. Now, If this were true, war would sooner or later be inevitable. wish to explain to you why think it an entire mistake.
 To begin with, I am convinced that no single Englishman outside of the precincts of Bethlehem Hospital or Colony Hatch desires war with the United States. I am we'll aware, of course, that large pro- portion of the population of Ireland do earnestly and passionately desire such 8 war; but their influence will not decide the present issue. and we are speaking now on ly of England. England does not want to go to war with you-there is nothing she IS less willing to do; and, of course, need hardly tell you that this is not because she Is afraid. You and your readers, at least, are not likely to patronize the absurd theo- ry that the English people are race of towards, who only require little loud talk ing to reduce them to submission. But there really are no public men of any inau-' ence in England to whom the idea of WAT with the United States would not be sim ply abhorrent. l take in the Tories as we'll as the Liberals-Lord Stanley and MT. Disraeli. as we'll as MT. Gladstone and Mr. Bright. The majority of English working men would almost as soon fight with their own brothers as with men of the United States. How, then, comes It that the voice of all the London journals, from the Sutur- day Reotew to the Weekly Dispatch, from the scholarly and pacific Spectator to the tumultuous and popular Duly Tslegraph, IS still for war-at least, declares that war I0 hottaT thon kho o1k
 which alternative seems to you neither un- reasonable nor humiliating?
 For the plain reason that English public opinion sees in the rejection of the ssAla- bama" treaty and in Mr. Summers speech the evidence of fixed, .implacable deter imitation on the part of the United States to make war on England. Of course, you do not thus regard the matter; neither do l. You know that your people do not in- tend or desire war, and that the mere re- jection of proposal for settlement, and the explicit announcement of the terms which alone will be acceptable, mean no more than such facts would mean in any ordinary negotiation involving 8 claim for damages. But the English public do not, at present, see the matter in that light To them it appears clear that the United States are determined to make war; and England, sUrprised and exti5ed, stands up and says: Ut is no use talking any longer; the Americans are resolved on fighting us, and we might as we'll make up our mind and take our ground at once." A good deal of a conscience stricken feeling enters into this conviction. England feels that in your great time of trial she did you wrong. It would be idle to deny that the Alabama" could have been stopped, if there had been any strong and genuine anxiety te stop her. Everybody in Eug- land (except few ignorant and fanatical persons, like John Bright. and Stuart Mill, and Goldwin Smith, and Harrlett Marti- neau, and such ike) kneD that the South was going to win; that yoar Republic was not likely to be very powerful, whether us friend or enemy, for a long time; and that 1t therefore did not much matter how we acted. Observe, too, that in England we have always been inclined to play fast and loose with international obligations of this peculiar kind. Earl Russell, then in the House of Commons, justified, in easy, off hand way, the encouraging indifference with which the government contemplated to open, avowed, and ostentatious enlist ments for Garibaldi which were going on in England. He reminded the House that 4uuUS W0Go OP0uly SuUSCI1U0N Our1uS Luc Greek war of independence by members of the government to raise recruits for the Greek. During the very time while your war was going on, an expedition to aid the Poles was openly organized in London. Prince Gortschakoff complained that the headquarters of the Polish rebellion were in London and Paris; and we all knew that he was quite right. own that I am not myself sufficiently an advocate of sscold, unfriendly neutrality" under all clrcum- stances to be very enthusiastic about too rigid maintenance of laws which would for ever prevent an Engiishman in England from lending 8 helping hand to great for eign cause. l only mention these facts now to show that there was not in Englands S conduct regarding the Alabama anything necessarily implying a special hostility to the United States. English governments have always acted rather loosely in such matters, and did so in your case-and the "Alabama" escaped. 54
 Then came, at last, on our part, the knowledge that in a very serious business we had acted with utter levity and rash ness People found that they had misun- derstood you altogether-underrated the strength of the Union sentiment, the pat riotic passion and patience of your nation, the greatness of your cause, the value of its