The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-26

the LouuOu newspapers ana see among Tue
cable kilograms from this country little more
than despatch announcing the arrival OF
foreign steamers. the price Of gold and of Erie.
When an event as important as the overthrow OF
Erie or the Orange riots takes place there are
three or four vague lines. Beyond this
America Is dead country to England. The
newspapers tell nothing Of American life
nothing but the extravagances of our laws
and legislation. On the other hand, the
HERALD prints dispatches from England as
full as from Washington. The American
reader is every morning informed as to events
in England, the debates in the House of Com
mons, the movements of the Queen, the tone
of the London press on grave questions-every
circumstance that affects the well-being of
the English people. AS consequence, there
fore, America is fully informed of every phase
of English feeling, and when question like
the present becomes prominent in the diplo-
macy of the two countries our people are we'll
informed and can decide for themselves, and
cannot be cajoled into panic by any admins
tration.
To the absence of this knowledge of America,
added to the constitutional infrmity of the
British mind, so far as this country Is con-
cerned, we attribute this panic. The English
were disposed to believe the newspapers and
the Ministry when they were told that our case
was a surprise; that 1t contained pretensions
utterly untounded; that we had in some way
deceived the English diplomatists that Lord
Ripon and his colleagues had signed one
treaty, which upon examination proved to be
another; that we had dealt with the great
nation as Warren Hastings and Lord Give
were in the habit of dealing with the effemi-
nate princes of India. When the journals
talked of indemnify for Fenian invasions of
Canada It was believed that Canada had been
invaded and we were to blame In
some degree. So from worse to worse,
Misrepresentation following misrepresenta-
ton, until England was reused as one
man--angry, defiant and ready for war. The
Channel and Mediterranean fleets were set in
motion, business was paralyzed, and more
money really lost by that reason than would
pay the whole Alabama claim. The spectacle
of any nation arising in anger and speaking
as one man in defence of the country and the
flag is the most sublime that can be seen on
this earth, and there was something terrible
and thrilling in this people of England in
the attitude of angry emotion, their Prime
Minister in trembling and passionate rhetoric
speaking of this treaty and the Geneva case
as though it were a suddenly discovered
"Gunpowder Plot" and declaring that Eng
land, in the depths Of national misfortune,
would never submit to it. The Ministry was
saved. Mr.. Gladstone succeeded in INTRODUCE
ing disturbing element into the English mind;
America was insulted, outraged, cruelty
That was nothing. The Ministry
was saved and American honor would be
soothed by the honeyed phrases of Lord Gran
ville's rhetoric.
If the necessities a the Gladstone Ministry
had permitted the Premier to have dealt
frankly with England he might have been
driven out of power, but there would be
better feeling between the two countries,
America would not feel, as she must feel, that
her honor was wounded, that her good name
was called in question to satisfy the exigency
Of debate in the Commons. Mr.. Gladstone
should certainly be above the constitutional
infrmity of the English mind. He knew the
truth. Why was it not spoken2 What is
the truthp That the American case was in
the hands of the English government in De-
cember; that the claim for consequential
damages was expressly mentioned in the treaty
1ioo, co;o in fill cd
by Mr.. Fish to the Commission; that the fact
of its presentation was telegraphed
to Mr.. Gladstone; that ne protest
was made against its submission to
Geneva that the whole Commission expected
it would be so submitted and decided, accord
ing to law, and buried forever, and that, so
far from desiring great sum Of money from
England, America cared nothing at all about
money, and that the highest figure estimated
in any discussion or anticipation of the results
was about twenty millions Of dollars. Mr.
Gladstone might have said further that Mr..
Fish did right to press these claims, as they
were in existence and sh ould be decided. He
might have shown that not to press them now
would be to make an imperfect treaty-to leave
something undetermined-and permit the exist
ence of grievance which some INSCRIPTIONS
statesman in the future, under an administra-
ton hostile to ngland, might call into life as
a source of anger between the two countries.
With his wealth and subtlety of rheto-
rio he might have shown how Mr..
Fish deserved great honor for his COM
prehenson of the situation and his desire to
make lasting peace. If he was in any way
annoyed by the criticisms of Mr.. Dsraeli he
might illustrate his position by certain auxili
airy facts. Referring to the Fenian invasion
of Canada, about which the English desire us