The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-24

but which we regard as feasible at an early day,
and OF the very first Importance. Last not least
we would do it because the law of the land
clearly requires it.
"ENGLAND WILL NEVER FIGHT"
From the NJ y. Times
1t is often said that the contemptuous and
boastful tone which every nation adopts towards
its neighbors and rivals means nothing. And it
cannot be said too often that vast gap lies be-
tween such talk and action. Yet. after all this
there is no doubt that the popular boasts of a
country have considerable influence on its
public measures. When the English sailor of
the past century believed that he was quite equal
to any two johnny Crapauds," or the French
man of to-day thinks that no foreigner can pos
sibly stand against the bayonet charge of the
Iouaves, or when the SOutherner, before the
civil war, was thoroughly convinced that one
Southerner was about equivalent in fight to three
Yankees-all these boasts or delusions did un-
doubtedly affect public policies. The cry before
our civil war, that ''the South would never
fight had a profound and most disastrous
effect, especially in leaving us unprepared when
the struggle came; and a similar cry at the
South, that ''the North a people of towards
and traders" without doubt induced the leaders
to push matters to the extreme, the conserva-
tive classes not believing that real war would
come.
OF course it is natural and best that each ma
ton should consider itself invincible and as fully
able ''to whip the world, but these boasts over
other countries should be sparngly indulged in,
and must not be allowed to affect governmental
relations. A most mischievous cry re-echOed
in this country among the demagogues for
number of years, and now quite believed by
large numbers of persons, is that England will
never fight" Whatever we may do to her, or
however abuse her, She is too much absorbed in
trading, and has too many dangerous classes"
at home, ever to fight. Under the ancient regime
here of Southern Democrats, the policy always
was to drive England to the wall, and to come
near insult and menace as was possible.
tIn atNyl har al.s fr,,,,
any offensive movement was attributed more
to her greed for gain and kind of
mercantile timidity, than to her sense of Justice
Her foreign policy in Europe for some years has
been of the most peaceful, not to say timid
nature; her people have seemed to many here
and on the continent to have somewhat lost the
manly and warlile vigor they once had. A
large majority in this country devouty believe
now that nothing could force Great Britain to
blows. Look at her commerce. they say
open to privateers on every sea; her manu-
facturcs-destrOyed through n want of Gus
toners by a war; her griculture-insutficient
to feed herself; her dangerous classes boiling
with sOcialistic and revolutionary elements;
her Fenians ready to revolt and separate
Ireland from England; and Canada, open to in
vasion-an this will always bind her over to
keep the peace. ''She dares not fight :" Mr..
Wendell Phillips, in proposing to the American
Government to revOutionize Cuba, says that if
England dares to interfere, we will land an
army in Dublin and cover the sea with Ala
bamas!" Even Mr.. Sumner must have felt
something of this contempt for England when
he ventured to propose that she should make an
humble apology for the declaration OF belli9e-
rency, and pay bill of costs which may be
reckOned anywhere from $5OO, O,OOO,OOO TO ~, OOO,-
100000.
Now nothing could be greater mistake than
such sentiment about England. She is indeed
the trading nation of the world and the one that
has most to lose by war. She has the caution OF
an old veteran who knows what hard blows
D.. Ntfl oyynVs m
lishman personally, and a national quality.
Much as England loves money and commerce
and peace, she would see every trading packet
burned, her manufactures swept into the sea,
and her rich fields made as Georgia was behind
sherman, rather than submit 10 a national IN
| dignity or give up what she considers her Just
right. There is no doubt of this TO any one who
knows the English people.
She has the same old Ere which has blazed ont
on many battle fields, and which burned so
recently in the veins of her Ottspring-who
! sacrificed the lives and wealth OF whole gene
| ration rather than suffer wrong 10 triumph and
| the nation be overthrown Not a ghost OF q
| party would be ,und on the side OF peace IN
| Great Britain if the nation once believed itself
insulted, and about to be forced to bear indig-
! nifty.
| The Liberals and peace men would then be
| on the side of war. The dangerous classes
would vanish, rs did our New York rowdies
| during our struggle; the Feniaus would be of no
more account than are our disaffected Indians
now; debt and expense would be forgotten, ana
the stored wealth and capital of centuries would
be poured out for the work of destruction. Nor
would the old motherland be q contemplate an
tagonist. Thirty millions of compact people
! burning for war form an enormous power The
British navy is a tremendous implements and the
! experiment of landing troops on the coast OF
| Ireland with n fleet of Il thousand hostile YES
sells watching the ocean, we can imagine would
| be somewhat hazardous. Modern warfare is a
contest of purses, and in such a struggle the
little island would stand equal, at least, with any
| competitor.
The trl tn is that England is not essentially
! different from America in II readiness to take
| offense, and in sensitiyeness to insult and she