The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-07
THE ALABAMA CLAIMS.
From the y. Y. Herald.


Senator Summers trenchant American speech
on the Alabama claims has subsided, and that
Mr.. Motleys pacific assurances at Liverpool
have been followed by great reaction. He
was expected as the messenger of war: he is
recognized as the herald Of peace The tran
sition, like that from night to morning under
the Equator, has been so sudden and so COM
plete that the oracles of the British press can
hardly realize the change: but they are still
constrained to confess it. We presume that
the last lingering doubt among them will be
removed with the positive assurance that
peace is the policy of General Grant ON the
question at ISSUE and that in its settlement he
has no intention or apprehension of the tre-
mendous alternative of war.
We can say that ourb Washington despatch
of Friday on this subject is from good autho-
rity--that General Grant has no idea of max
ing Mr.. Summers estimated damages the ele-
ments of his ultimatuu. On the contrary,
General Grant, it appears, concurs in the uni
versal English opinion that Mr. Summers
speech logically means only war; thatitis good
rhetoric, but bad logic; that if we declare we
do not wish to appeal to the last resort of
kings we must adopt diplomacy; and that in
adopting diplomacy we must conduct it with
dignity and decorum, and not with threats
and clustering. 1t further appears that Gene
raj Grant is of the opinion that Mr.. Sumner
does not believe in his own plan for the settle
ment of this Alabama difficulty, but that,
being opposed to any further territorial eX-
pansions, the object of his speech was to
create a check in England againstthe move
ment on this side looking to the annexation
of the New Dominion; and that it is feared by
the administration that the proposed negotia-
tions to this end have been nipped in the bud
by this flank movement of the Senator from
Massachusetts,
Such, however, being the position of Gene
raj Grant upon this delicate and difficult ques-
tion of the Alabama claims, we think the pro-
mise may be safely volunteered to the British
Government that our policy will be pacific
and conciliatory, at least until the reassem-
bling of Congress in December next. What
may then come to pass, time and the drift of
events can only determine. That there are
powerful popular elements in this country
who believe that war with England would
be the best thing that could happen for the
United States is true. Wherefore Because
it is believed that such a war would give us
the river and the Gulf of ST. Lawrence as Il
free outlet for our Western agricultural pro-
ducts, and all British North America for new
field of enterprise, and would give, moreover,
such an impulse to American manufactures
as to make this country wholly independent
of English goods, and able to outsel her in
other markets. There are, also, many men
of this warlike school who believe that it is
now with the United States and England as it
was with Rome and Carthage, and that this
new conflict for the supremacy must some
day come to the same conclusion as the
old one.
All these elements of hostility to England,
including three or four hundred thousand
able-bodied Irish born and warlike American
citizens, are for pushing the ultimatum sug-
gested but not proposed by Senator Sumner.
But on the other hand, through all the ramifi-
| cations of American society there are the
| holders of the Government bonds and bond
| holders and banks and merchants and shippers
and property-holders generally have para
mount interest in the preservation of peace
with England. They generally believe that a
war with the United States would eventually
be the destruction of the British empire be-
! ginning with revolution in Ireland; but they
| also believe that such war meantime would
involve this country in reputation and finan-
cial and political chaos This peace party con-
tends, likewise, that while peace with Eng
land is indispensable to the payment of oul
national debt, financial order, and the deve
lopment of our vast internal resources and
our rapidly expanding foreign trade, it will
also serve best our manifest destiny" ideay
of the progressive annexation of neighborine
territories, North as well as South.
The administration of General Grant is will
this peace party, and hence we may conf
IDENTIFY repeat it that at least till the reassem
bling of Congress peace, and the fairest pros
poets of continued peace, between England
and the great republic, will prevail. Mean
while let Mr.. Motley and the administration
beware of any Johnsonian treaty; for any sucl
treaty will meet in the Senate the fate of Mr.
Stewards over-zealous efforts for a treaty o
peace. There is in the dominant Republican
party, including both houses of Congress,
strong desire to give the deathblow to the De
mocratlc party by winning over what is callet
~; Inc Irish vote'-say half million of voters
Ihey can be secured on the directissue of wa
wlth England Next, there is a large body o
men among the masses of the people witt
} whom reputation as consequence of a wa
t with England has ceased to be drawback il
T view OF the extinction of our burden of taxes
| In short, II the fixed wealth of the Union i
5 with Grant, the movable vote of the Union !
5 with Sumner by an overwhelming moioritv
Accordingly, while exchanging congratuiatio9
- of peace with England on the position q
1 General Grants administration, it viii h
S well for Mr. Motley to remember that Con
9 gress is the war-malSing power; that ON
D branch of it is in reality the treaty maxim
/ power; and that the managing Republicans i
S both branches are moving for 1.-THE Iris
D J vote,