The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-19
The ALABAMA CLAIMS.
What Our New Minister May Ex-
pect- England to Make No
More Concessions.

from the feeling that has been manifested III
America, the substitution of Mr.. Motley for the
present Minister is likely TO soothe large pOr-
ton of the public which has been irritated by
Mr.. Reverdy Johnsons exuberant oratory.
Strange to say, the speeches OF Mr.. Reverdy
johnson and the good understanding he has
established with our various hospitable muni-
cipalities have been resented by some Ameri-
cans, as if they involved some fault on our
part Nothing can be more unreasonable.
Mr.. Reverdy johnson was appointed
at time when an important question was pend
ing between the two nations, and he gave us to
understand that he was specially chosen to settle
it. Lord Russell and Mr.. Adams had been too
much engaged in the mutual complaints and
recriminations of the war to approach the subject
favorably. Lord Russell went out of office; Mr..
Adams returned home; new Foreign Secretary
and a new American Minister had opportunities
their predecessors had not enjoyed. This being
the state of things, Mr.. Reverdy johnson took
occasion even before leaving America to express
the goodwill towards England which animated
dited his own countrymen. On ar
irving i'm England he used the same language,
and spoke in the name of the American people
with warmth which was naturally reciprocated
by his audience. OF course, are sorry to find
that In so doing he mistook the feeling of his
countrymen towards us; but that we should lis
ten to what he said and be gratifed by 1t is
surely no fault of ours. The impressionable
Minister naturally had in this country of public
dinners numerous opportunities of repeating his
public sentiments and the ubiquitous reporter
recorded them all, even the most improvised and
spontaneous. Where we were amused the
Americans were angry, and the result has been
certainly unfortunate Mr.. Reverdy johnson,
however, notwithstanding his compliment
ary speeches, appears to have been active
enough in his diplomatic work, and to have full
filed all the instructions of his Government He
concluded convention. in which everything the
United States could reasonably demand was
conceded by us-a convention, indeed, that inn
posed on us possible liabilities which many
thought we ought not to have accepted Prin-
eipally because of the unpopularity of the agent
this convention has been ill received in the
United States and is now said to have been vir-
tually rejected. 1t is plain that a United States
Minister in this country may be too fair spoken,
and that for practical purposes 1t is better to
deal with more faithful though less acceptable
rp resent tative of public opinion.
1t is great thing, however, to feel ourselves
demonstrably in the right. The country has
gone to the extreme of concession in the matter
of the Alabama claims 1t has agreed to refer
everything except its own honor to arbitration,
and to the Judgment of a mixed commission. 1t
has agreed to give Americans who profess to
have been wronged every opportunity to assert
their claims by providing that the commission
shall hold its sttings at Washington Except
absolute submission to every demand the
Americans may choose to make, there
is nothing further that could have been been
conceded. The convention in which
all this is stipulated has been the work of their
own minister and their own Secretary OF State,
and has received the assent of their own Presl-
dent Ii tAey now set III aSlue, our uuIy Will
simply be to abstain altogether from further
overtures and let any proposal for a renewal of
negotiations proceed from the American Govern
ment. AS for that downright demand Tor
payment which our Philadelphia correspondent
describes as being advocated in the United
States, this country would, of course, know
how to treat it; but we have not the
smallest belief that President Grants gov
ernment contemplates course OF action
so unfriendly and offensive. 1t Is more
likely that, assuming the present convention to
be set aside, Mr. Motley will be instructed to
open negotiations for another, differing some
what in machinery, but embodying similar prin-
ciples. Should this be the case, our Govern
ment will be ready to give the proposals a fair
consideration. Should it, on the other hand, be
the desire of the Americans to keep the ques-
ton still unsettled, the British nation, having
fully manifested its good disposition, will not
feel bound, however, to initiate fresh negotia-
tions.
Lord stspex EsD%"s linn Tsy ,hs
The following is complete report of Lord
Stanleys remarks at the Glasgow banquet on
''the American difficulty" as the question at
issue between this country and Great Britain is
now called by the English papers,
/ own that Notwithstanding the failure of the
late neg0tiations-that it is failure there is no
denying, but it is a failure, / think, which was
not caused either by anything done or by any
thing left undone upon our side of the water
\ Applause.) Notwithstanding that, say, don't
think can bring myself to take Il gloomy view
! of those relations. Q1ear, hear) Certainly, if
we were to Judge by the utterances of some Ame-
rican journals, and by those which have been at
tributed, justly or unjustly, to some transatlan-
lie politicians, it might seem that our friends on
the other side of the ocean were not very easy to
please. (Applause.) But, in the first place, do
not know that any one has spoken OF late on
their behalf who was authorized to speak au-
thoritatvely on the part of the nation; and in
the next place, think we should recolect and
allow for the very peculiar position in which
they stand. They have had great military sue
cess-a success unexampled IN its way-and
they are finding out now practieally-what we
had an opportunity of finding out just half q CEN
tury ago-that militaryglory, even when acquired
III the best OF all possible causes, is very eXpen-
slVe luxury. daughter andapplause.) They used
to pride themselves-and they could do it quite
Justly-upon their freedom from debt, upon their
comparative immunity from taxation, and upon
the peaceable manner in which all internal dis
putes among themselves were settled Now il
has so turned out that they have a debt which
measured by the interest paid upon it, is heavier
than that of the United Kingdom; that they have
taxation which, although it is nothing in com.
parison TO the resources which, in the long run
they can command, still for the present Isl pro
badly more burdensome than ours and that they
have had to deal with great military nsurrection
and to put it down in precisely the same manne
i don't blame them for it; / think thev wer
quite right-but it to put down in precisel,
the same manner MS IL would have beei
put down by any government of the Old World
iAnplause0 Now, / have no doubt that no,
withstanding the military glory they hav
acquired there is great deal in those circum
stances which may be annoying, and when peC
pie are annoyed, no matter from what cause
they are apt to be more than usually sensitive
n..t t., nj / fof H.,