New-York tribune., 1874-05-21
THE TREATY of WASHINGTON
EARL RUssELBs RECENT SPEECH.

LONDON, May 7.-Iiaving done what he could to
make things unpleasant in Europe, Lord Russell
concluded his performance on Monday night by
ianhching shaft westward OF all subjects IN the
worid he must dsinter the Treaty of Washington
ana the Geneva Arbitration. Here is what he said,
or was reported to have said
Earl Russell said he had given notice TO move FOR any
lur'uer instructions given to Her Maesty's Envoy to
tne united States OF America explanatory Of the Treaty
OF 1870 relating TO the Oregon boundary. and also
oi all compensaons received for the Injuries
person and property inflicted by Fenians from the
united states upon Her Majesty's subjects Canada
In the Fenian raids farms burnt and the vos Of
tue FARMERS and teiY families put dan ger but
wheh compensation asked the answer re-
turned was that the United States Government
nau gwen It's representatives instructions to
answer that demand. Lord Lyons thought that tho
question between England and America ought to have
been allowed to rest, and that his opinion also but
an arpraon had been entered into, and the character
OF England had been dscredted by the Treaty OF Wash
ngton At the last general election tho people OF Eng
lana showed that TO be their opinion Of Treaty and
tha pehg the case, he felt 1t unnecessary to move for
| the papers He hoped that what was done the
making OF that Treaty would never be repeated Eng
land ought to risk everything in future negotiations
rather than that she should not stand equal terms
win any other country in the world, aud the Govern
nent OF England ought at all risks to upholdiher honor
Lest this might not be mischievous enough, the
noble Lord next day wrote the following letter to
| The Times:
sIR: As appear to have been heard but very lndis
tnety by your reporter in the House of Lord wish to
inform you that what said OF the negotiations the
Treaty OF Washington that In those proceedings
our Government had tarnished tho national honor,
lowered the national character and sacrificed the
| tonal interest"
send you Baron Hubner's report Of the impressions
Of the " great public" in the United States
Your obediept servant, RUSSELL
Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, May 8.
According to the OF the great public. the Con-
yenton OF Washington is on the part of the English
Government, act OF Difference the wledgment
OF the superiority OF the forces Of the United States
England mas submitted, she has oaptuiated Neither
itself in the Union and takes root in the convictions of
the masses, the conciatory dispositions which AMI
stood and the Treaty, while removing existing difficult
ties, Will have prepared mems minds for future compi-
cations"
This in turn produced piece of counter testi-
mony, which, also, may well give in full, so that
we may what all this little tempest comes to.
SIR: As Lord Russell has. in his speech on Monday
and his letter to yesterday given great prominence
to the opinions the state Of public feeling in America
OF Baron Hubner-a charming writer, but one whose
| extreme Conservative iviews have excluded him for
many years from the Austrian seryice-I take the
liberty to send you extract from letter which
ceived last July from English man OF letters, who
formerly memberlof Parliament. am, Sir, your
obedent servant, Mp.
May7.
al have been some time In America, and very
glad to be able to report most fvoaoy on the state OF
public opinion in the country regards England, com
pared with what II was when / left. This attribute
and am confirmed In doing SO 6y the best Opinions OF
snSyn Ss
that they have not acted in manner which compares
tavoraby with IT, In fact, they are Illuminated and II
another arbitration their effort would be TO
outdo not III sharpness, but in dignity and mag
nanimty.
OF feeling may consider my report as from an ai-
verse rather than partial witness. ] was the more
struck by 1t because the on whose Judgment rely
great deal in American politics, where popular feeling
is concerned who Is an American himself with strong
English syInpathies, and had warmly insisted all
through that our policy IN reopenng the question and
offering to submit TO aroratiOn was mistake aqa m
that he thought she had decidedly gained rather
than lost prestige"
Now if Lord Russell's speech and letter stood
alone, the wisest thing we could do would be to let
them stand and say nothing about them-a course
commended By prudence and by the fact that it is
precisely the one enemy would least like us to
take but he has succeeded in provoking some dis
cussion, though not much and it is worth our while
to see what it means, and how much meaning of
any kind it has. We knew before that Earl Russell
did not like the Treaty of Washington, and that
less. The Treaty was the condemnation of
his own policy-an admission by England that
she owed us an apology and might
reparaton for the wrong done by the acts and by
the connivance of the English Government when
Lord Russell was Foreign Minister. The verdict of
Geneva in fact sentenced England to pay Sl5,OOO,OOO
for what Lord Russell did permitted to be done.
He is man of hard temper, not prone TO think he
NAV have been wrong nor likely to confess his sins
in public. In and out of season he has pro-
tested against the Treaty. Having nearly embroled
the two countries in a war, he has since done MS
best to prevent them from living IN peace. hearty
friendship, based on mutual good will and mutual
respect between England and the United States is
not to Earl Russels mind. He preferred alienation,
dstrust, bitterness yindictive memories OF hostile
policy and all that long series OF irritating reec-
tions which would have led so directly though per-
haps slowly to eventual war; Circumstances gave him
great power to influence English conduct and
opinion. He used his power without scruple. His
cynlcsm aud political selishness were almost with
out parallel among modern English ministers OF the
first rank Now his power has mostly passed away,
and his keenest regret its disappearance seems
to be in the loss Of his capacity to do ILL., II this
seems harsh language TO apply to man who in his
time did great service to his country the fault
is not nine Lord Russell chose to unvail the
springs of his conduct and, after he had quilted
Office, to tell the world what motive guided him
while in possession Of it, aud while he controlled in
great measure the relations between his own couatry
and ours He published two volumes of speeches
and dispatches and in his preface to tue latter tins
is what he said:
During the discussion Of the questions relating to the
Alabama aud the Shenandoah It was the great OBJECT
of the British Government preserve for the subject
the security trial by jury. and for the nation the
Of shnhIIlldinRi