New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-04-29
A LOOK BACKWARD.

We lately amused ana perhaps INSTRUCTED
ourselves by looking over a considerable num-
Der of leading articles published by tho Lon
don newspapers during our war with Mexico.
1t is remarkable and little notifying to find
how small the value prophetically of these
productions has turned out to be. 1t Is true
that they have solid sound. They are the
most virtuous of essays, if there be any virtue
in dogmatism. They are written in tone OF
the most exact infallibility. They demonstrate
the law of the present and they lay down the
law of the future; yet events now historical
render them almost comic Thus The London
Times, of 18th June, 1S47, in speaking of Gen.
Scott's advance upon the City of Mexico,
said: "But grant that he arrives at Mexico.
"This is onlyl the beginning Of his troubles.
What is he to do Nth his conquestY' 80
The London Chronicle of the same date: The
news we receive from Mexico is more con-
" elusive than ever as TO the success OF the
United States troops, and rs TO the futility OF
q" that success" Here is n passage from the
same article good enough to give by itself:
Suppose the case tho capital city OF Mexico, tho
Californian coast, Vera Cruz and the more important
United states troops and ships and that the Me xicans
against a% w ies viii ii Betty BE he a%1
a.
his feow-crusaders In Algeria"
In 1885 The Nondon) Britannia newspaper was
moaning over the annexation of Texas after
n savage fashion. We give the extract as of
special interest at the present time, in view of
the Cuban complication: .
England might easily have prevented this
uon and half dozen frgates the coast would have
the Republic and an additional forre prorded for hat
nard ,sar Vheh HaiTa! tmidiy and shorts9hed eoun-
sets vii rapidly rendfr Oieuhdoie"
Thus the reader will see that if the war
did MT come, it was MT for the want of being
foretOld most pertnaciously and particularly.
How rapidly we were going to national ruin
in 1916 may be seen from the following opinion
of The Uondon) Spectator
"Faith in American institutions and the American
people not utterly lost in England, mas shok % its
ming looking the noble stand at present taken by
Webster Calhoun. and other American leaders, have
knsInen ought TO know itthat they who participate in
our trembling hope are few indeed"
This was twenty three years ago, yet in spite
of this poor trember we have got on pretty
well. 1t would be easy to multiply extracts like
these. There has been perpetual crOak ever
since we can remember, and it has been kept
up So long, and with such trfllng ful6llment,
that the whole world is beginning to regard it
as little ludicrous. When London news.
paper man had nothing else TO discuss, he in
variaby compounded an article o. The Moral
" Prospects of the United Statts,' and ex-
tremely dark prospects he always proved them
to be. California was to US 10 good we were
all wrong about Oregon; our "Encroachmcnts
were always "unprncipled J" and VIC were al
ways trying " to drag England into war" a
class said The Londc's Spectator in 1874,
4" will be formed III every State as de-
"moralized rs tho rabble OF Rome under the
"Emperors." We had pretty well silenced this
kind of pratte, by expressing the Rebellion
against the predictions Of half Great Britain
il will now be renewed with great vigor in
connection with Cuba affairs. Indeed, it has
,lready been renewed The London Post calls
attention to our designs upon the island. On
he other hand, we beg permission TO call the
attention of The Post to the fact that in 1s4s
Lord George Bentinck, iii order to prevent us
from acquiring Cuba, proposed in his place in
Parliament ito take possession of Cuba, and |
settle the question altogether;" and thus to !
make Spain pay her bonds due in England |
"A Bentinck Ministry" said The London Eran.-
iaer, "would hoist the black flag of the bucca- |
"neor," and all because, as his lordship avowed,
"he wanted TO cut tho trade of America in |
1.-TWO ~ |
We suppose that these London newspapers
do not mean to argue that hereafter no nation |
shall make any territorial acquisitions The
two points with which we would conclude con-
Germ the past and future, and are as follows:
l. We have not heretofore gone to ruin.
O. We arc abundantly able to take care of
ourselves. ...
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