The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-16
THEALABAMA CLAI1ES.
The Thunderer Asks, "Who's Afraid, in
The Event Of War
From the London Times, February 27.l

From the London Times, February 21.I
Mr.. Johnson can scarcely be aware Of the
extent OF this repugnance to War, and this Sin :
gle wish to save only the national honor, whe n
he tells the good people Of Manchester that q
war must be vastly more disastrous to this
country than to his OVID. There is not the
slightest necessity for imparting euch calcula-
ton into the controversy. The material results
are really out ofthe question altogether. We are
quite aware that in the event of war We should
not be able to render effectual aid to our Cana
dian dominion, and that our fellow-subjects out
there would either have TO fight at terrible dis
advantage, or mor5lfy our pride by anticlpat-
ing detest and yielding 10 terms. In m teri
al poirS Of view, that would be no loss to this
ccuutry. The suggestion that numerous Ala.
bamas would scour every ocean IN search OF
the British flag, and lie in wait IN the crowded
track Of our Australian GALLONS, is O thoug mt
OF retaliation that must be only too natural.
But neither is the menace necessary, nor Is it
go certain that we should find the odds against
Us in this kind of warfare. Our ancestors were
robbers and pirates, AMI the Americans are a
step further from that origin than We
are, for we are an earlier link In the
chain. Two ships did all the mountain
of mischief that ls laid to our charge, and ii it
is strange that they could be allowed to get
out of our ports, it is very much stranger that
they should be allowed to scour an en-
merce. II our neglect, our red-tapeism, and
stupidity were so great as to arouse suspicion
and breed mistrust, what is to be SAID OF the
American admiralty How Can MIR. johnson
be sure that what has happened will not hap
pen again? HIS argument requires that both
circumstances and national character should
change on both sides Of the Atlantic. We are
to become lrresolute, backward and chary.
We are to become insensible to that honor
which. if anywhere, We console ourselves We
have malni aimed on the sea. We are to be inca
pable of doing on grand and open scale that
which was lately done here on the smallest
possible scale, irregularly and surrepti-
Liously, yet with astounding SUCCESS. The
crime charged against those priyateers
was that they were British in every re-
spect whatever, except q flag and captain g
commission. On tie other hand, the Ameri-
cans are to do on colossal scale what they
failed to do in miniature. By their own esh-
mate they lost more in the late war by the
ships that burst not show themselves at oil,
but kept in harbor for fear Of those two mon
sters than by the actual captures. Then, in
the present state OF American politics, who ca q
count on the permanence Of the status quo in
any rsspectp How would foreign War ope-
rate on the Federal question: Wonderful and
unexpected things have happened on that fab
ulous soil; witness the death or manning OF .
million men in the field. What has happened
may still happen. s. also may that which has
not happened nor even been imagined.