The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-10
SPTRIT or THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPIos-ooNrP1LED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
THE PUBLIC FEELING ABOUT THE
ALABAMA CLAIMS.
From the N. y. Times.

ALABAMA ClAlhO.
From the NJ y. Times.
There were somewhere between $50 and 200
people present in the great hall of the Cooper
Institute on Monday night to hear the lecture
ON SsEngland and the Alabama" @. e., the
Alabama claims) by Mr.. Justin Mccarthy
editor of the London star.
II seems rather remarkable that there
sbould only have been sent mere shadow of
an audience to listen to the views of an able
Enplishman on this great question.
Certainly the lecturer was a man well
worth listening to on any subject; and one
might have thought that on this subject
especially the public would be eager to hear
him. AS a prominent London editor, who
boldly, and firmly, and strongly upheld the
Union cause during the great Rebellion--as a
free and forcible public speaker-as a man
whose views on this particular question were
known to sbe as decidedly favorable to the
American side as they are opposed to what
NAV be called the PdL- Mall side-it might
have been supposed that public interest and
feeling would have secured him a large
audience on the occasion of his Alabama lee
ture.
Yet, mere handful of people took the
trouble to go and listen to it.
EVERYTHING was done to secure the success
of his lecture and the gathering of large
assembage. Advertisements were inserted in
all the papers; notices of the occasion were
given in all their columns; and eulogies of
the ability of the orator, with hints of the
novelty of his views, as well as their agreea-
bleness, appeared in almost every journal of
the city. Large posters were stuck up in the
streets, announcing the man, the subject, and
the place, as well as the charitable object.
Small handbills of like import, were passed
around and little cards were circulated giving
all the particulars. In fact, every means were
adopted to secure publicity and attract inter-
est-except, perhaps, the ringing of ''Hoff-
mans bell, the firing of skyrockets, the
playing of a brass band, and the hiring of a
corps of those cadaverous caricatures of hu-
manity who promenade Broadway with adver-
tisements painted on their coats and hats
Even the expedient of giving the proceeds
that might accrue from the small admittance
fee to noble charity was adopted.
And yet, to such a small degree was public
interest aroused, that there was only collected
little knot of people in the great hall which,
one might have supposed, would be densely
crowded
The night, too, was auspicious The
heavens were clear, the air was mild and
gentle, the streets were dry. The place was
in the centre of the city, and everybody knew
the location of Cooper Institute and how
easy it was to get there There were no
other popular attractions Nobody else lee
tured that night, and in none of the theatres
was to be seen the moral drama or any other
drama that had any relation to that part of
humanity which exists above the legs
Now, was it because people did not care
enough about the Alabama question that they
could not be attracted by all these attractions
and all these favorable circumstances, to heal
about it?
One would hardly be led to think so by
reading the newspapers. They work it NJ
every day, in long metre and short. Many OF
them are constantly in the most terrible state
of excitement about it. They threaten wal
and vengeance over it. They would raise mil
lions of men and expend billions of money
for it. The "eyes of Delaware are said to be
fixed on it. The michigan volunteers,
sixty thousand strong, are reported to be sc
mad that they can hardly help invading
Canada when they think about it-or rather
when Senator Chandler, with his two negro
hunkeys in their lavender coats with white
buttons, on which appears stag supporting
the letter in red enamel with gold edge
thinks about it. The Southerners are alleged
to be ready to Join hands, or rather hearts
with the Northeners, ia one fraternal burst OF
rage over it, and the negro will lead the white
man to bloody fields to show that the cause is
one which links us all in a common ven
geance. One might think that even the
Esleepless nights" which Judge Cardozo spen
in thinking Of Mrs. Pearsall and Miss O'Con
nor were periods of blissful repose compared
to the infamed and maddened hours spent by
the loyal subjects of Hail Columbia in con
templating the Alabama question.
We fear it must be confessed, after all, tina
the greater part of the excitement and wratl
over England and the Alabama is in the ex
citable newspapers. The froth which the,
work up is on the surface, and does not agi
tate the deep sea of American feeling. N
doubt everybody would like to have the mat
ter settled, and properly settled. But tn
country is in no such uproar or frenzy abou
it as an outsider would suppose who had n
means of judging of public sentiment excep
the red-hot editorials of our contemporaries