The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-13
nur NEW TRLPARTTTE ALLIANOE.

London
have been taken for the formation of an often
siye and defensive alliance between England,
France. and Spain against the United States, has
created a profound sensation throughout the
country. The New York Tribune in whose
columns the despatch first appeared, made the
following editorial comments upon it,
srye print without entirely credting, cable des-
match from a very well-informed correspondent an
pouncng that England, France, and Spain nave
heSun negotiations for an offensive and defensive
alliance against the United states, WlVn CuOa anu
the Alabama claims for the pretext. The report
iooks So much like the rumor likely to be bred even
in official circles by passionate anger that Iiere may
be some reason for delaying a full belief IN IT,
This is the judgment which the whole country
has passed upon the rumor, which has gained no
credence whatever in official and diplomatic
circles in Washington. There are many reasons
which lead us to believe that it can be nothing
more that an idle and unfounded sensation,
started, perhaps, as is suggested in dispatches
from Washington, to test the state OF puollc
opinion in this country.
In the first place. such an alliance could intiict
,,pon the United States no material injury. The
civil war established the fact that this country
is the first military nation on the face of the
earth. and that it could maintain its territorial
Integrity against all who might assail it. 1t is
entirely within the bounds of reason to assert
that England, France, and Spain could not sue
ceed in landing on our shores, or in their
colonial dependencies contiguous to us, mill
tary force which could seriously imperil u.s. In
fact the most formidable drawback under which
we would labor would be the very fact that COM
paratively little of the fighting would be done
on our own soil Our seaboard cities would OF
course be open to the assaults of the enemy; but
between the difficulties the latter would encounter
in reaching our shores, and our present and
possible appliances for Defense the whole line
of our coast would be comparatively safe. An
effective commercial blockade of all our princi-
pal ports might possibly ensue, with the certainty
that our trading vessels would be driven from
the seas for time. But we have within the
present decade been subjected, through foreign
sympathy with the Rebellion, to just such an
Inconvenience, and despite it were still able to
conduct to successful issue civil war of the
most gigantic proportions. We can live within
ourselves, without the fear of famine and with
out sustaining such prostraton of our indus
tries as to give rise to any considerable amount
of suffering on the part of our laboring classes.
Not an ounce of breadstuffs would be needed
from any foreign country to feed ourpeople not
yard of fabrics from beyond the seas would be
required to clothe them. Let the whole world
unite to hem us in, and our resources will be
found sufficient to meet all our necessities for
much longer period than the united nations of
the earth could afford to maintain the blockade.
While we should thus escape in q great mea-
sure the evils and disasters which are usually
incident to a state of war, the contest would be
nothing more nor less than suicidal on the part of
the nations arrayed against u.s. The very fact of
the declaration of war against us by Great Britain
would be equivalent to the formal annexation of
Canada and the British West Indies as soon rs
Spain announced her intention of entering the
lists, Cuba and Porto Rico would become part
and parcel of our own territory. There would
probably be some fighting on land necessary to
maintain our hold upon these territories, but we
could certainly throw into countries and islands
at our very doors as much of the bone and sinew
of war as nations removed by thousands of miles
from the scene of the conflict. The real contest
would be waged upon the high seas, and within
month from the declaration of hostile inten-
tions these would be swarming with privateers
Our regular vessels of war would be required
principally for sentinel duty along our shores
as being better adapted to defensive operations
than vessels not constructed with special view
to warlike operations. But our whole vast mer
camille marine, constantly increased by captures
from the enemy, would be let loose upon thu
shipping of Great Britain and France and in thu
twinlling of an eye it would vanish. A few
small priyateers sufficed to drive our own com
merce from the ocean during the Rebellion
an indefinite multiplication of such Graf
would make the same havoc with tn
commerce of our enemies. France woult
not suffer to a very great extent in consequence
but ruin and CONSERVATION would stare Englani
in the face. The latter country is dependen
upon the outside world for a market for he
manufactures, and to a considerable extent fo
&C Igf,,f g,1gn
ton OF her foreign commerce, even for brie
period, would cause the stoppage of her number
less mills, would take the food out of the YER
mouths of the most dangerous and discontente
class of her population, and would bring to
gether in the streets of London, Manchester, ant
Preston an uncomfortable mob that would dictat
the terms of peace in our behalf.
Moreover the Irish Republic would no longe
be merely disagreeable and disturbing dream
II would assume the proportions of a .horribl
nightmare, and if it should not eyennall
become an open-day reality, the supremac
of England would be maintained only by such
display of force and such a draft upon her rC
sources as would materially and fatally weake
her in the contest abroad. war with til
United States would undoubtedly prove a goo
send to the Tory party. The conservative leade
would arouse all the latent Anglish pride an
stubborn adherence to time-hOnOred instit
tions by pointing out the disastrous cons
ouences of defeat in contest with the gre
proselyting republic of the West. Mr.. Gla
stone and his liberal government would tumb
into ruins if they should prove at all lukewar
in the prosecution of the war. Bnt the destru