The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-05-26
The Alabama Claims The British
Press on Summers Speech. ~
[From the London Times NJ.

From the London Times, Maya
Mr. SumDer does not scrupls -
proach England with having cons.;. re-
~ aided 1.-THE wicked cause when Wv
ilization was fighting last battle w w;s.
slavery" Now, we do not dispute IN.
in Summers own mind and that Of ~ -.
New England abolitionists. the .; slS
war assumed from the very first ~
aspect of a crusade against sIavssNe
They were determined to conva,s I.
from a contest for national unity int
contest for emancipation and tiev ~.
ceeded. But could any assertion sue :.
more reckless than the assertion ~ -
such was the object Of the war n .aA
mind of Mr.. Lincoln or the nation cs s,,e
orally; and can anything be more s nu
reasonable than to denounce Grest
Britain for not having fastened unon !.
that character which the United Sfa,as
Government SO earnestly disayowa5s
This is not question of opinion: Il !.
q question of demOnstrable facts. ana
Mr.. Sumner cannot be ignorant Of ,hs
records which demouse his imputat;a,,s
Not till full year after the commensa a'
ment Of the war did the Senate asa
House of Representatives pass resolr'
tiOns dealing tentively with the ones.
ton of slavery; not till July, 1862. Ala
President Lincoln give his sanction -
a bill whereby rebels contipuino -
arms two months longer were to he
punished by the coniscation of their
slaves. A month later he addressed 10
Mr.. Horace Greeley one of the most
prominent leaders of the Anti Slayerv
party, letter, in which occurs the fol.
lowing remarkable passage: "My mar.
amount object in the struggle is to save
the Union, and not either to save or
destroy slavery. IT, could soUe the
Union sOith0ut freeing any Slaves. 7
acoMld do 1t; and if could do it by free.
ing all the slaves, would do it; and
if | could save it by freeing some and
leaving others alone. ] would do that.
What l do about slavery and the col
Ored race / do because it helps to save
the Union; and what I forbear because
l believe it would help to save the
UniOr." Can words be palmer, or can
any contemporary exposition of nation
al acts be more authoritative
From the London Herald May 81
The position taken up by it's spokesman
is so preposterOus, the demands preferred
in that speech are 30 outrageous, that
there can be little or no doubt of the in
tentiOn of the orator. He and his friends
are determined to keep up their grievance.
and they will not come to terms Of apy
sort with England Nov that the eoutSS.
ern States are being rapidly RECONSTRUCTED
and there will soon be no outlet at home
for the acerbity which has grown into 4
habit, and has found hitherto a congepial
victim in the STAKEHOLDER and "rebel.n II
is to be directed against the kindred rsce
toward which this party in America has
long cherished an unnatural hostility.
and which has added to it's fault of being
the progenitor of America the crime Of
having recognized the belligerent right Of
the SOnth, and proclaimed during the war
it's neutrality between the sections Of the
Union.
from the London Daily News, Msy AZ
Englishnen of course can have nothing
to say to any decision which the govern.
ment and people of the American Union
may think called for by their honor and
interests. But we are sure we may ex-
press the confidence and expectation Of
eminent will maintain a firm position
against all exorbitant demands of whste-
yer nature they may be. Our government
has been supported in policy of consider
alton and concession for reasons of which,
happen what may, we shall never be
ashamed: but there is a line beyond
which concession is weakness and renun.
citation of duty. MIR. Motley, or whoever
else may be sent here to represent the Uni.
ted States, will find the same honorable de-
sire for peace, and the same goodwill
towards his country which dictated
our part in the treaty rejected at
Washington but the Queens Govern
ment would disappoint the expectation
of the country, and prove itself unwor-
thy of its trust if it did not entirely and
firmly repel every attempt to trespass
upon the honor and rights of the ma
ton. We have done what lay in us to
compose disputes and settle difficulties
which grew up far more out of the UNI
happy circumstances of the time than
out of any want of good feeling towards
the American republic. Now, it is for
the Government of the United States
to consider what it owes to the cause
of peace, justice, and international Law.