The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-05-06
The London Papers ON the Alabama oues=
fIota,

The London Papers on the Alabama 0ues=
ton. 0
LONDON, April 20. :.
The London papers open their edi-
torial pages with comments on The
speech lately delivered by Senator
Sumner Oh the subjectof the A1abama
claims and relations generally exist
ing between Great Britain and Amer.
lea. The writers suppress the text OF
the speech however.
The Star, John Bright's organ
says: The claims of Sumner are 50
new and startling and so vaguely put
that they must be regarded simply as
enormous and withal unexpected and
if they convey merely the shadow ot
Minister Motley's instructions, he viii
come 10 the English metropolis in a
very different official guise from that
under which Minister johnson, the
genial diner-out, now about to bid
adieu to the Court and people, arrived.
The Star deplores the rejection by
England of the early oveItures made
by ex-Minister Adams for settlement
of the question. President Grant is
not, it is said, whole-sotled lover of
peace, as was President Lincoln, he
has intense determination of charac-
| ter, but is a western man without that
natural genius which saved Lincoln,
who instead of reading had actual ex-
perience of the world. President
Grant had no training, eitheras law
yer or a politician; he is intensely
American, and the entire world is ac-
quainted with his reseiutences of pur-
pose. s q 7f.a geJe IS p II.
After defending England from the
charge of a general sympathy with
the Confederates, the writer confesses
that the escape OF the Alabama from
England wasboth deplorable aud dis
graceful, forming bad precedent for
Great Britain to establish for the fu-
ture, in such like contingencies. eai}
a : T. o.
The Star expresses, however, its
amazelnent at the character of Sum.
ner's demands for reparation. If fMot-.
ley's instructions are couched in SINH
lar spirit his mission will be fruitIess
as the extravaganza of the PROPOSALS
will strike the public at once. Every
body knows how anxious the British
people areto deal fairly on this subject,
but justly consider that if her conces-
sions are to be merely used as stand
point for further demands, England
must carefully consider, the position
lest by yielding unadvisably. she
should establish a worse precedent
than even that of burning ships on
the high seas by admitting a discus
sion of demands. utterly untenable
and which oughtsto be resisted. ! ;
The Times designates the estimate,
of American damages .put forth by
Sumner as portentious, as il has al
ready reached e4s22, 100000 and may
in the future embrace the possible
earnings of all the soldiers drawn
from the fields of productive labor by
war. The speech, it adds. is worthy
of Summers ability and deserves an
impartial consideration. He wants,
however. something more than nation
al. PREPARATION from England, asking,
for contrition and public humiliation.
The Times asserts that in this England
is cruelty wronged and America has
had no useful object served. Treaties
of peace dictated by coaquerors at the
head of armies are found to be unen-
numbered by expressions of penitence.
An acknowledgment of moral liabili-
ty for these claims made beforehand,
would prejudge the controversy and
stultify the. proposed settlement. & In
the event of the arbitration court de-
ciaring England not liable to pay dam
ages would her apologies be taken
back by both? view taken by
Summers argument on these points is
puerile, unreasonable land ,unstates-
manlike. . son ri snoila iG .
The Times argues that the concesL
sion of belligereiit rights to the South
was a simple act, and fact not depenl
dent on the Union blockade, for, had
there not been a blockade it could not
have altered the case to any apprecial
bic degree. The prevailing tone. of
Summer is characterized as passionate
and remonstratiye, and his menace be-
trays one-sided partisanship, 1aInenE
table as coming from a Representative
Of a great country. Mr.. Sumner
makes, it is said, no complaint against
France, although Napoleon was desir-
Gus of recognizing the Independence
Of the Southern Confederation. 1t is
alleged that though England il held
forth as only a foreign power, 'ilnpla-
cably hostile to America, it is not toe
much to say that at one moment dur
ing the war;. the fate of the, American
Union depended on the voice of Eng.
land, whose sword, thrown into the
scale, would have altered the result
| She declined to contest, and it; eyince
; adegree of unfaitness, bordering OF
:. infatuation, to leave this consideration
out of account. s5..oss al, -fr'.-F.
+, 1t is acommen practice with Amer
= lean Journalists and politicians to vii
lify England, and the, protective tarii
plan is popular with them merely a
likely to infiict an injury, on Grea
: Britain I-otzatonefaentTT7be IHadeTFffo ffo
use of insulting language by individ
uals, and it will be seen whether Eng
:. !. land and America, by a. retrospeetiv
verdict of public opinion, will contin
ue the cpltiiyation of mutual irespec
:" which is as necessary as in private re
II lations of life. Nations-as such