The New York herald., 1869-04-15

speerh.
Fifly-four to on o! By such negative vote
in the Senate do we fling back the Alabama
claims treaty to the Power that insults us with
\ 1t. Gould the people vote upon this action OF
our Senate they would bar ish to England the
one man whose Affirmative vote misrepresents
the popular sentiment The firm and masterly
speech of Mr.. Summer well echoes the temper
| Of the United States, and he haa, In this clear
translation of the public feeling and the seizing
upon the proper moment to become the national
mouthpecs, shown himself to bs true states
| man. There may be others who oan say Il
have the power to strike as heavy blow"
This may be true, but only genius knows when
and where to strike it. Heretofore Mr.. Sum
ner has confined his talents so entirely in q
single direction that he could Le estimated
only by the amount of light he showed. In
this he has done himself injustice. The slave
problem settled, he has for the past three or
four years devoted himself to minor questions.
This has caused the people to lose sight Of
him. Now, however, he throws himself to
the 'front.' and, well backed by the Senate,
showers suoh trenchant blows upon our
hereditary rival as will create some commo-
tion upon the other side Of the water.
In the tearing up of this treaty Mr.. Sumner
proposes no substitute. Herein we find states
manship. We can afford to wait. We have
in numerous methods stated our grievances to
England, and there should be o point where
national begging, as practised by Mr.. Seward,
should give way to national dignity, as repre-
sented by Mr.. Sumner. The whole country
feels this very intensely. South as well as
North. The efforts Of England to destroy us
were not alone aimed at tho North. She,
under the plea Of assistance, also struck at the
South-struck at the United States as o
nation-and in the faoe of all previous profess
sions Of high national morality ostensibly
aided the stakeholder to destroy our republic.
Good sense comes with reaction, and now the
hatred against England in the late rebel States
Is as great as 1t Is In the North.
In his speech Mr.. Sumner makes a strong
argument in opposition to the British conces-
sion of belligerent rights to the rebels. He
draws bold and well sustained differences
between belligerency upon the land and
belligerency upon the ocean. He shows
that British neutrality" was simply
humbug that did not have the power
of existence until English Punic faith called
rebel ocean rights into existence. Rebel
cruisers were under all laws nothing but
pirates until England, virtually declaring war
against ms, made them legal men-of-war,
making British dockyards their ''base OF
operations" for the destruction of our oom-
merce. Only in the ports Of Spain and Great
Britain could these Knglish pirates find o
breathing place. 'The Alabama, whose build
ing was defiance Of law, international and
municipal, whose escape was "a scandal and
reproaoh, and whose enlistment of her crew
was ft sequel to the rest, after being sup
piled with an armament and with rebel COM
mander entered upon her career Of piracy.
Mark now new stage of csmplicity. Con-
stantly the pirate ship was within reach Of
British cruisers and from time TO time
within the shelter Of British ports. For
six days unmolested she enjoyed the
pleasant hospitality Of Kingston, in
Jamaica, obtaining freely the coal and other
supplies 30 necessary to her vocation. But no
British cruiser, no British magistrate ever ar
rested the offending ship, whose voyage was q
continuing scandal and reproaoh to the
| British government" No wonder this pet
pirate was watched with tender solicitude by
the English people, for she and her oonsorts,
built under the royal eye, carried the hopes Of
| England for the destruction of commercial
rival. No wonder that cheer after cheer went
ND in the House Of Commons as the game
swept on and the stakes were raked in by
those packing the cards. Well does Mr.. Sum-
ner say that the treaty does not speak Of ma
tional but of nothing but individual honor.
His argument against this insulting document
| Is potent In the fact which he mentions that
| the iniquitous rebel cotton bondholders' debt
went up from zero to ten cents on the dollar
when our great American turtle eater, Reverdy
johnson, signed the treaty. It is to the point
that 'sEngland was the base Of our rebellion, "
and 1t is time that the United States looked
this fact boldly In the face.
Machiavellis ''Il Principe" was published
Just five centuries ago, and the last advocate
Of It's principles in the United States retired
to Auburn on the 4th OF March, 1860. Il is
now necessary for the republic to take re-
publican stand. II cannot live under the prac-
tice of monarchical methods Of diplomacy
We do nothing tat we ore afraid to have
known; for II we attempt to hide our political
motives We shall hide our republicanism with
them. What we require is manly, outspoker
and dgnifed foreign policy, something which
has the ring to II that we fad In Mr.. Sumneri
speech. II the administration Is sufficiently
broad-brained TO understand the temper Of thu
people, from whom all ideas and all directing