New-York tribune., 1869-05-12
RECEPTION OF MR.. SUMMERS SPEECH IN
ENGLAND
TBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUsEI
THE LONDON PRESS IGNORES 1T.
tFRoM OuR OWN CORRESPONDENT

Monday II ia now Wednesday, and no London
journal has copied it, printed any extract Hon "
or given a summary of it, or made any commen' on
it. Barely two have much as recorded the lAct VI
its delivery, though the fact OF the reJecton oi Inc
treaty was duly announced by cable. Making every
allowance for the slowness of English journalism,
there is a significance in the unanimity OF their 81
lence. Mr.. Summers speech is tar too importantto
be permanently egleeted. The hesitation IN touch
ing it is probably the highest compliment England
could pay to the force and ability of the speech. ID
is too damaging to print without repy-but where ls
the repyi Evidently, plausible replies are what
the English journals lind difficulty in making and
this speech marks point from which a new line will
have TO be taken. What that line shall be is what
they are taking time to consider.
But. asks some American reader, is there no
English journal friendly enough to America to ap-
prove Mr. Summers speechf Is there none friendly
enough or wise enough to print it, as the most COM
plete and authoritative statement OF American
opinion at this moment on most momentous sub
jecti / don't like to say no to such question
don't like to say what than half believe, that
on the Alabama matter, and for the present, we nave
no friends in England, or almost nOne-at any rate,
none who make their voices heard. i know OF no
single journal in England which, since the report OF
the Senate Committee against the Alabama COnven-i
tion has had one word to say in favor OF the
American view | know not which has gwen
a fair or intelligent account or explanation Oh
the causes which led 10 its rejection Kno"
not one which seems TO have made an effort to COM
prehend or to desire to comprehend, American feel
| ing and opinion on this question. Everybody knows
the three London journals which during the war de-
Tended the American cause Where are they noWf
The Star fell into the the embraces, which,
ever they were-of Mr.. Reverdy johnson, and mas
| ever since been in kind of somnambullst state
The Daily Ners says plumply that beyond the John-
son treaty il will not CO. and that on the Alabama
question it holds views purely English" 1heSpecd-
tor for q month two past has printed series OIL
weekly paragraphs which, if they had appeared IN
The Saturday Reriec should have called spltefui.
don't suppose the conductors of The Spectator arc
conscious of malice toward us. Yet they on print
ing remarks which have all the air of malice and or
| very ingenious malice. They invent the worst OF
motives for us-in the Cuban recognition business,
for instance-and the worst of arguments which
they cOoy put into our months as the only excuses
we could offer for what we are doing.
| 1t is only natural that other journals,
| which never were friendly should improve the OPP
! portunity To spread caumnies which they may now
circulate without fear of the contradictions that
used to meet them. The English have word which
they use constantly but which in America refined
people seldom use. If l might DC permitted TO en-
ploy it for account of its peculiar htness
shond say that The Pail Mall Gazette for instance.
has lately printed an unusual number Of NASTY" ID"
| little paragraphs about America. There are other
papers which need not name, but which will read
| ily occur to any one as old and open enemies. From
them we long since ceased to expect anything like
fairness or moderation on an American topic 1t is
the change of tone in the Others which is so sign
cant as marking change of tone in those circles
| where such journals are habtually read.
| On that point or the change of feeling among Ren
whom we have long known as friends am still
more reluctant to state what believe to be true
| what in many instances know TO be true. In tho
case of the Journals there is the evidence in point
from day to day and from week to week. and one has
no right to be silent about IT. In the case of indivd-
uas they have a right to the benefit of privacy till
they choose to announce in public their abandon
meut of former friendships. shall not violate the
obligation of social intercourse by mentioning
Ii is enough To say that of our old friends ara
| no longer friends or advocates ON this
| particular question. They retain their general
| goodwill TO America. but they think us
| hopeessy wrong in rejecting Mr. JohnsOns treaty,
and even in being angry with him for the humilia-
| tions he made undergo They seem TO have closed
! their minds to American views have known not
few recent conversations the Alabama dispute to
be enliyened by expostulatiOn and almost by rebuke
such as an American cannot hear with patience from
any Englishman whatever. l even know Of cases
where close personal relations of long standing have
peen mpered By such interviews. Two Americans
resident in London have told me within a week
that they had ceased discussing the Alabama business
with their English acquaintance. One of them
added that his very intimate English friend
was during the war one of the most
thorough and even extreme friends to Amer.
lea. but that they had found they could
no longer debate American topics, without risking
serious quarrel. You will observe that am not
speaking of miscellaneous talk at dinner table or
in society. AS rule, politics are excluded on such
occasions or are dropped if men find themselves
differing The jars that describe occur in the orn-
AIRY talk of free intercourse between long familiar
with each others way of thought and expression.
Nor am speaking wholly of my own experience, for
the good reason that as well as others have almost
given up talking with Englishmen on American sub
jecs There exceptions of course but in generai
such conversation has become almost as danger
ous tradition says it was during 'no d
war. Nor yet again do mean to DC uhuefs'oou
that this question embitters personal OF social
relations nrovided Won steer clear OF the
Alabama rae1s and shoals Americans coming to
ENGLAND st,ll And a cordial reception and will find
EpgIishmcn still friendly and hOspitable. II may
take visitor some little time 10 understand that
tEi oro,. .heartetuess docs not imply open-mind-
edness in the same individuals. Tie Alabama ques-
top \. in tho same position the Free Trade ques-
on and on that 1t is not too much to say that most
Englishmen think themselves entitled to treat an
American PrOtectionist as a monomaniac. ! know
two exceptions, two Englishmen, each eminent in
his own way, who admit that were they Americans B
they would or might be ProtectiOnists. / wish