American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-02-10
The Cloud of War.

n IT is almost incredible. The con
struction which the representatives
of the EAmq kican cnse under the
Washington reaty are prepared to
urge upontl Geneva Commission,
is emiiientJV distastefnl to English
opinion. This is clear. But does
il follow that no settlement Of the
differences between the two conn
tries arising from the vexed Ala.
bama question, is possible9 Does
it follow that the war necessarily
iimpends, if the difficulty is not re-
solved and terminated, honorably
aud satisfactorily, before the tribu.
NIL to which the Joint High Com
missioners at Washington agreed
to refer it?
3 The English press speak MS a
unit In denouncing the American
theory about exacting damages for
the moral, indirect, sundefined, and
'indefinable effect oil England's neu-
trail and commercial policy in pro.
longing the civil war, with incl
dental hurt to the 'finanses and
commerce of the Union. The Eng
lish mind, it seems certain, is set
like flint against the very idea of
consenting TO discuss the theory in
connection with american claims I'M
der the Washington treaty, and no
Ministry could expect to act in dis
regard of such o sentiment and re-
main in Office.
) But is it to be supposed that the
American Government will persist
in standing at all hazards in Q the
Dry which offers no practicable
stand point, in which there is no
calcnlable basis or limit, and In
which only this is clear, that de-
mands upon England may be piletl
up to infinity and stretched out to
doom's-day7 Unless warts meant,
or fapeace is desired, unless Presi-
dent Grant and bis Cabinet advis-
ers are inspired by supernatural
stupidity, IL cannot be intended to
press such d theory uncompromis-
ingly upon British acceptance.
To be sure, some of the New
York papers talk, with characteris-
tic fippancy, about war between
England and the United States, as
the inevitable consequence of a fail
ure to arrive at a definitlye adjust
ment upon the American constrnc-
ton Of the Washington treaty. But
it is to be hoped that those who
throw out such predictions aud
mean nothing more than
idle bravado, and much more to be-
hoped that the mass of the Ameri-
can people would shrink with loath-
ing and horror from the prospect, if
i were seriously proposed to prose.
cute the American case against
failing her assent to the
construction, at the point
If the bayonet.
No imagination can adequately |
iepict the gloom, the shock, the
disaster, the misery of the conflict.
L would be the browning wee Of
he century. The deadly collision
Il all the destructive forccsof these
wo nations would wrap the civil |
zed world in a, mist of blood and
ears. Commerce and industry |
would be struck dead in their only |
uses. Their only re-
naming life and vigor would be
dedicated to the service of death.
And whichever belligerent should
Tin the nominal victory, both would
o equally victims of impoverish-
lcnt aud desolation both would
experience aggravations of the evils
vhich they had before known, along
18th a measureless complication OF
ew troubles, difficnlties, anxieties,
nd dangers.
And all this would be for whats /
o push to an. honorable conclu-
on on one side pretensions to
hich the other side, on the plea Of
onor, refuse even to listen. And |,
ii not possible for two nations in
re foremost files of civilization,
atoms most profoundly interested
conserving and cultivating all Z
y ulillt'es ANU alienitiss q peace i,
come 70 an agreement AZ 20 tne Il
gntlul c'aims .hey may nave the
le against Ine otner without j
lsning ln.o mhtual siahgnler, ana +
~ tnelr struggle, an nn- Ii
"a Tram OF caiaMity upon an ma IA
o pa II
nnities should be for the rights Of !.