The Portland daily press., 1871-05-30
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Geoise W. smallcy; who has ,tist reiefned
from England. makes the following interest.
ing statements in regard to the state of pub.
lie feeling in that country respecting the
treaty of Washington:
When lett London the treaty had not vet
been ratified on this side, and although The
sanction OF the Senate was pretty confidently
expected, there was a great deal OF anxiety
about 1t. Altogether there Was just enough
uncertainty about the matter to bring out
clearly both in private talk and ia public de-
bate the sOcitude OF the English for settle.
ment of some kind.
We seem to forget thas the treaty has 10 be
ratified there as well as here, and that public
opinion must be consulted in England not less
than in America. So far as the ministry
were concerned their approval was sure; the
English commissioners were in constant con-
sultation by cable with their government, and
whatever was agreed to by them had been &C.
cepted in advance by the English cabinet. On
the other hand, the conservative party in
England have been far from initiating the
Democratic party here. They have abstainej
from any attempt to make party capital out
OF a question vital to the peace of the two
nations, and will venture to predict that the
conservative minority found in the House of
Commons will not be found voting against a
ratification OF the treaty. From some Of its
provisions they may dissent, but nothing is
more unlikely than party division on a SUN
Ject which contains 10 party politics.
During the last few days spent in Lon
don, 1 saw and talked with tive members of
the cabinet especially interested in Anglo.
American questions and with many other
members or Parliament, including some of
those radical ,uI IN, f1,o
government has made itself strongly felt dur
ing the session, and with some leading jour-
nallsts whose opinions are, to say the least, of
equal weight with those which one gathers in
the Honse. Everybody with whom talked,
expressed without any qualification his desire
tor the ratification Of the treaty by the Sem
ale and his belief that its acceptance In Eng
land was certain. put some questions about
details-whether, for instance, the expression
of regret for the escape of the Alabama ex-
cited any repugnance. Certainly not" was
the answer, 1--WE are sorry; why should we
not say SO? 1t is nothing which one gentle
man would not say to another" / asked
again about the inierential recognition of IL
ability Tor the escape of the Alabama. cit is
very strong" answered one prominent menu
Der of the House. Il think it even strong
ers against us than if we had expressly ad-
mitted our liability, for We allow an arbitra-
tor to judge our conduct by rule that is sure
to convict us; it is tantamount to saying that
we have heretofore resisted on technical
grounds claim to which we had no moral
defence. suppose it is scarcely necessary to
say that the Alabama clause is regarded in
England as surrender to us of all that we
have ever claimed. Nobody attempts to hide
that fact; on the other hand they look upon
our tacit abandonment of the claim on ac.
count OF the recognition of Confederate bel
hgerents by England as an important conces-
sion. YES SO
Much OF the unreasonable irritation reused
by Mr.. Summers speech was due to the mr.
gency with which he pr essed that clause and
the fact that it might have peen pressed I'M
der the Clarendon convention was one great
reason why the English protessed 10 be con-
tent with the failure of that convention. I
asked again and again this question: "As-
sun.ing as We do, that the treaty will be rati-
fed on both sides, what will be the result in
England? Is it a settlement which you ac-
cept as means of being rid at a high price Of
troublesome and dangerous complication.
but which is to leave behind lasting regret
and resentment, or is it settlement which
you accept most cordially and which you be-
lieve and mean shall be followed on your part
by a hearty friendship such as ought 10 exist
between the two nations ?" The answer was
invariably the same, "We make the treaty in
good faith and accept it cordially. We hail
1t as an omen Of cordial good will hereafter
on both sides. II 1t is accepted in the same
spirit in America, we believe it marks an
epoch in the history of the English speaking
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