The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-07-09
The True Result at Geneva,

One of his cartoons, in the last Har-
pers, shows what hack artist Thomas
Mast is. Did he not work simply TO CIR
der, without any personal feeling of
principle or consistency, he would nev
er have drawn the picture which graceS
the outside of the Weekly. The point
intended TO ne conveyed is that Grant
and his wonderful man Fish have made
England knuckle under the Alabama
business. We see the British lion
crouching in an attitude of fear, with
Grant standing on his tail, compelling
tie royal brute to "wriggle OUT of the
arbitration. Secretary Fish stands at
Grants elbow, giving him sage counsel,
while at the end of the wall arc Glad
stone and Disraeli, the antipodes of En-.
glish politics--the former scowling in
undiseuise6 chagrin, whilst the latter,
pleased at anything which tends to
bring the ministry into disfavor, looks
on with a satisfied smile.
N,w there is a great deal of impu-
dence in that picture. The artist him
self, hack though he be, must have
blushed whilst putting it upon the block
The truth about this Alabama arbitra.
ton is just opposite of what Mast de-
picts SO clevcrly. If he had sketched
Gladstone in the act of grasping the
American eagle in his left hand, whilst,
with his right, lie plucked out the tail
feathers of the proud bird, with Grant
and Fish on the scene, covering their
faces with shame at the poltroonery
shown by them through the whole ne
gotations, his cartoon would have been
truthful. 1t is the American side which
has shown cowardice in the Geneva bu,
siness, not the English. Englsnd is the
one TO chuckle with satisfaction at the
turn affairs have taken, not America -
Every point raised in the negotiations,
has been eventually carried by Great
Britain. When the claim for indirect
damages was discovered in the Wash
ington treaty, and it became apparent
that our government really expected
something from it, John Bull in his
grutfest manner said he would not con-
slider il, and that, if the leaf containing
the claim was not torn out Of the Amer
ican case" he would grind the treaty
into the dust. At first our government
made little show of irmness, but the
English buster soon frightened it into
the declaration that the Objectionable
claims meant nothing-that they were
just put in the treaty for fun, and no
money was expected from them. This
did not satisfy John Bull, and he actual,
! ly drew up paper embodying what he
would do and what he would not DO,
and sent it over TO our government to
sign or 90 to the d.! That was not
the worst Of it. The Administration,
whipped into the corner by superior di-
plomacy, were 50 lost to manhood and
national pride as to obey this demand,
though made at the crack Of the whip
But that was not enough. Even then
John Bull had to continue his insolent
talk, and crack his whip still more; the
Grant government had not gone fal
enough yet, and accordingly he made il
get down and kiss Johns toe, once
more before the thing was done.
And now the end of it all is, that En-
gland has fixed the treaty just to suit
her, having twisted our government
around her finger in the accomplish
ment Of that end. Any paper, which
in cartoon or editorial, endeavors tc
represent this country as coming out o
the Geneva controversy otherwise thar
with dishonor, must presume upon the
ignorance of its readers. Every intelli
gent man knows that the cup of humil
ity is ours, land that we have drained it dry