The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-06
Greltiua Telearaph
SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1871.
THE DEAD SECRET.

As the veracious reporters OF Washington
news have undertaken to describe all the pro-
visions of the treaty with Great Britain
framed by the Joint High Commission, while
editors who are usually we'll posted declare
in the most positive terms that the delibera-
tioDs of the commissioners have been con-
Quoted with such unusual secrecy that no
bona tide information of any kind has leaked
out, the public hardly know what to believe;
and in the absence of any direct revelation of
the etext ofthe treaty, itisprobable that newspa-
per readers have so far only been beguiled with
conjectures more or less accurate. 1t is
gratifying to know, however, that a compre-
hensive treaty has been framed, and the fact
that Great Britain consented to send so many
of her prominent men to our national capital
to have the treaty negotiated there indicates
of itself 80 strong disposition to consent to
a satisfactory adjustment, that the treaty is
probably very fair and equitable English
statesmen were never in better
mood for such a negotiation. Their
old European alliances have been destroyed
by a series of unexpected events; and while
the relations of the United States with the
two great European powers of the present
epoch, Russia and Germany, have always
been of the most friendly character, both
these nations have standing grievances against
the ''tight little island" which are even
more aggravating than our own. 1t is
barely possible, if all these grievances remain
unredressed, that these three great powers of
the world viz, the United States, Germany,
and Russia, may take a notion some fine day
to settle up old scores with England. Pre-
posterous and Quixotic as such notion may
appear, abundant warrants for it could be
found in the former policy of Great Britain
and if it ever should be decided upon
London might read her fate in the
modern history of Paris and
the British Empire find parallel for her
future in the history of France under Napo-
leon and Napoleon III. Independent of the
possibility of such complication, there is
the more probable conjecture that in the
event of Germany or Russia waging war with
England we would assist her armed enemies,
as she assisted our armed enemies
during the late war in this country,
by furnishing them with war vessels,
fitting out privateers, and destroying
British commerce. Consequently the astute
English statesmen of the present era have
very good reasons for allaying, or attempting
to allay, the smothered indignation of this
country. 1t is their interest to make a speedy
and satisfactory settlement with us, and to
ward off from their own heads the dangers
arising from their own precedents. AS we ask
for nothing, after all, that is not fair and just,
and as the points of dispute have been SO
carefully canvassed that the statesmen of
both countries ought to thoroughly under
stand them, it will be singular if
all the circumstances referred to do not lead
to treaty satisfactory and honorable to both
counties And our own late military expe-
rience, while it demonstrated our power and
endurance, still leaves behind such a vivid
recollection of the sufferings of war that the
public sentiment of the present day is more
disposed to support an adjustment that di.
minishes the danger of future conflicts than
the public sentiment of future period will
be, after the glories of armed strife are re-
membered and its horrors forgotten.