Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-04-28
a View of the Probable future IGcIa
lions Of England and the United States
From Cincinnati Enquirer.

We are permitted to copy and publish
the following from private letter on
business, written by New Yorker to a
merchantin this city:
''NEw YORK, April Is, 1869.
#As for the future, there is
felt much uncertainty here. What eff
feet would a foreign war, in which the
United States Government was a party,
have on the business of the country? 1t
is well enough for you to mentally reflect
over the question. 1t is cOnned here; for
4 foreign war is among the probabilities
of the near future. That impression is
becoming painfully prevalent. Why? I
will endeaVOr to tell you.
''The speech Ex-senator SUMNER on the
Alabama treaty, while talking peace,
lays down demands that England WillnOt
accede to, and if persisted in, must lead
to war, or British humiliation. It it not
hard to tell which of the two viii be pre-
ferTed by the Britishers. The newspa-
pers of London, both Tory and Liberal,
as you may have seen, ,Unitein declaring
that England has gone as far as she will
in the Reyerdy Johnson treaty; and that
the English people will be unit against
additional terms. So we have got to
back down, or the English. The mani-
nous vote of the Senate sustaining Mr..
Summers view shows that the matter
has been thoroughly considered, and
that it means to insist upon something
additional to the terms of the johnson
treaty, such Us a public confession by
England that she was wrong in ackDOWl-
edging the COnfederacy as belligerent,
and the payment by her of National as
well as private damages for allowing the
Alabama leave her coasts, and for other
acts of hostility to the United States
Government during the late civil war;
but how will the present attitude of Great
Britain and the United States be chan
ged into war? Directly only by the
United States declaring war for the refU-
sal Of England to comply with our terms
which might not cUlminate for year or
two. But indirectly war might happen
in few months III this way.
awe are daily getting into trouble
with Spain through Cuban affairs. If
England becomes satisfied that she can
not get out of the Alabama matter with
out humiliating confessions, and that
she will finally have to fight, she will
encourage Spain to assume bold posi-
ton toward the United States, i'm order
to get up 4 war between the two. And
when we are in war with Spain, then
will England have q settlement with us.
1t would not be difficult, if we get in
war with Spain, to combine England and
France, with Spain against us. Our
gTasping pTOpensities-stTetc out
our hands for Canada, Cuba and Mexico |
alarms European powers, and they
would readily combine against us, and /
only want a decent opportunity to go |
ahead. One Of our daily journals here
remarks that Il "war with Spain will |
Quences.u 1t is considered here that |
such war will inevitably drag into it /
the other leading powers and against |
us.
"And it is also regarded as beyond |
conjecture that the Administration is /
not 10th to get into a foreign war. Such /
a condition is regarded at Washington,
as almost necessary to unite and COnsOl-
idate the people of the United States. ]
give YOU the substance Of the talk as I |
hear it, and which is producing much
as to the future. Whether
any Oft is worth thinking about, you
can tell better by watching the drift of
what eminates from this place and
Washington; and I advise you not to
disregard my suggestion"
Should war occur, as this c0rrespOn-
dent suggests, Tom BCntOn's visions
(which he expected to see realized be
fore he died) of American officers walk
ing the streets of London rs its captOrs,
may become q reality. Besides losing
the Canadas and other British possess
ions i'm North America, England would
have the war brought to her own doors
ut home in her sea-girt isle. Stranger
things have happened in this fast age
han the realization Of Mr.. Bcnton's
vision.