New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-02-23
EFFECT OF MR.. GLADSTONE's SPEECHES IN
ENGLAND.

MEN.
IRoM THE RBGCLAR CORRESPONDENT OF THB INBUNhI
LONDON, Feb 1O.-As Mr.. Gladstone has made no
speeches about the Treaty for two days "a
marvellous exercise of self-cOntToU, most Oh
sbe public interest and attention has been
directed TO the cable reports from America l
doubt whether al the special dispatches Published
In the English papers from the opening Of the cable
s,, 70 last week are equal in length to those re-
o.ved within the last ten days. On the whole think
Ne have been kept pretty well informed Of what you
have boen thinking and saying. Mr.. Reuters agent
bas sent toerably good summaries OF the leading
S4w-Yor,l editorials. and The Daily Telegraph has
! ii some useful dispatches but those Of The Daily
Mes md Eci0 have been by far the most valuable.
FOR two days those Of The Echo have been very tul
Thanks TO this sudden energy Of the London press
l. IS understood here that the American Government
LAS no intention Of modifying its claim to suit I'm
gish views Of what 1t ought TO have been and that
the American press, though with ono exception
moderate IN It's tone, IS exceedingly firm Perhaps
net mach expectation was cherished here that 1t
would DO otherwise, yet it Is not without reluctance
that sober men admit to themselves that hopes Of an
Immediate amicable settlement must be abandoned
! cave not net anybody who attempted to answer
tie terse remark of tbs TRIBUNE that England
cannot have the privilege OF framing both the cases.
The correspondent of The EcRo describes The Ncc
To-k Herald as "rabid for war; and bristling with
sensation headings and paragraphs and its proprlc-
tor Offering to bet that England and the United
States win be at war within two nontbs There
VS. time when tina; would have done mischief but Of
lae years The Herald has been almost well under
stood London as IN New York. Nevertheless, 1t affords
occasion for The Daily Telegraph the in
ieIreIa.c language OF the New York presS9 comment
-EA.n Ito mouth Of that paper wouid be amusing if
whole question not much too serious for laugh
lrg 1t is true that portion OF the English press has
& slusscd claim with perfect temper, though in
t,i!J of res0lu.e opposition to our demand. The con-
trast between their tone today and years ago Is
honorable to the En- ish papers and ought to be gra
iyiae 20 Us. The gravity OF the situation has soberoi
even The Saturday Rcrcr In its hIeccoamn article Of
It's morning rccOoct but sentence tlat seemed to
tie Intentionally insOcnt Not less creditable to the
LIBERAL journals Is their criticism Mr. GadstoDc's
IpeecLes Isp0ke OF this in my last letter. but although
the first and OF Mr. Gladsones speeches was de-
ivered last Tuesday the Of the papers all over
England has not ceased There Is probably no other
Yash statesman, certainly no one with tcnth part OF
Nj Gladstone abilities, who would have been capable
q so mistaLing and so diodsrously mlsuslng
such an occasion. Having to announce a policy
In support Of which lie had all England at his
back he contrved to announce it in terms so oXtrava
CANT AID Offensive ncur the ccnsure OF the whole
country. ain toll that his speech OF wednesday was
mean: as partial retracion, or at least qudhcaon' OF
what he said Tuesday about the Interpretation OF the
Treaty. 1t was the remonstraaca OF some Of his col
,e.-cs 10 which referred in my last letter which In
euced this effort at correction but can't say think he
much improved the matter II he mOiiAod his out
rascous declaration that his the only honest con
Iuction Treaty 10 went out OF BIS way 10 close
another door to settlement by pconouncing the pay
Ineut OF q lump compromise fatal 10
The honor OF England. No Engl.shlnan wonders
tlat such language as tho Prime Minister'S
,Lould be denounced in the United States Senate
rs al afron in TIE TRIBUNE passionate and ndl5-
erect YJu cannot say anything harsher OF 1t than his
ewn cOunrymcn say. quoted the opinion OF me IDleS
and will dismiss a most painful topic with the adnis-
sion Of Tie Pail Nal Gazette never friend Of ours, that
~Nr Gladstone himself by that speech Of Tuesday even
iag destroyed every hope Of reconciliation and commO
Mise" For tho failure Of the whole agreement adds tho
same journal, may thank the inepttuce OF our Gov
erument and the utter dcstutOn Of tact and temper
DISPLAYED by the Prime Minister" The provincial press
h scarcely less emphatic Everybody is so conscious Of
the bad effect such speech must have in America that
every body most anxious TO explain that they disop
prove 1t. TIC great importance OF making this clear
must DO my excuse recurring to matter about which
have already written at great length.
In estimating the possible results OF the present
trouble il will not DO TO forget the chance OF the present
Ministry being turned They may 60 any day. They
would have gone account Of the Arbitration difficulty
II had not become known that they ready to take
much stronger ground than that taken ia their first dds
patch But no matter what NAV be the result Of the
COLLATION. going public confidence IN Mr. Glad
atone aud his Government has been shakcn confidence
II their capacity foreign affairs, If not in their pur
pose to stand up for the honor Of England Mr. Glad
stones knowledge that people thought him weak on tins
point and too much inclined Ia peacetany price, helped
70 doubt embittcr his haranEue Of Tuesday. The de-
Iro 10 show liruse resolved made him show himself
violent He did not understand how to state the
English view without implying that the Amer
tan view must he iusincere. Beside this rock
there are plenty Of others on which he may
wreck his ship any day If lie does the Tories come in
and few o. the Tories moderate Mr.. Disrael
and Lord Derby. Al of them will feel that Mr.. Glad
stones bluders in the Alabama business have helped TO
eoieat him. aud the irresistible tendency Of Tory Min
Ltry viii he toward holder more defiant policy than
te present Hence it is that much as we have come TO
complain Of Mr.. Gladstone and uuht he is 20
conduct international controversy, have nothing
20 hope his overthrow The probability OF it is
simply an additional complication in business SUI
Serenity tangled already.
You viii not Of course expect to he told that the att
tude taken In the United modines the purpose
previously formed People would have reoiced 10
hear that the American Government thought possible
60 withdraw the indirect claims, and not but
some leading men sanne enough to hope for il.
But nobody who knows anything about the two nations
believed either that We should be driven into cOnces-
by the resOuteness OF the English that the En-
gish will he any less positive because We firm. Day
BY day the situation 10 grow critical and the
Geans OF escape from It less easily discoversble Not
Esfy Engishmen Of the eTcitabe kind, believe ia
immediate rupture but both Englishmen ana Ameri
who live in England dread the remote
" The abrogation OF the Treaty.
Among business men, while there has been, with
sIoeptGB, panic there has been and Is detection