The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-15
Is England Re-cuacttug the Schies-
wig-Holsrein FGrces


In 1864 the English government Lord
Palmerston being then First Minister and
Earl Russell Minister for Foreign Affairs,
acted toward Denmark discreditable and
pusillanimous part, which resembled in its
early stages what Lords Beaconsfield and
Derby have been doing for the last year in
relation to Turkey The government OF
that day gave every sort of indirect encour-
agement to Denmark in her quarrel with
Germany respecting the Duchies, inclting
her and leading her on until she engaged in
war in reliance on English support, and
abandoning her to fight single-handed in an
unequal contest with one Of the great Pow
ers of Europe This is one OF the most dis
graceful chapters in the diplomatic annals
Of England Earl Russell is so ashamed OF
it that, in his latest book, "Recollections
and Suggestions" he passes the whole trans
action in blank silence, although he was one
of the chief actors in it. England, by the
part she then played, made herselfthe scorn
and derision OF Europe. Every print shop
OH the Continent was filled with hooking
caricatures of her pusillanimity. One of
the French caricatures represented Bri-
tannia wearing a cotton nightcap
one of the German caricatures depicted the
British lion as running off at full speed with
a hare in chase. One of her most distin-
guished statesmen, Mr.. Golden, likened
England to bully taking little follow and
backing him for prize fight. The bully
draws the scratch" across where the toe OF
the little fellow is to come, tells him to come
up to the mark, advises him how to train
himself, takes him under his charge, and
then, just at the moment when he comes to
the place, moves off and leaves him. The
conduct Of England in the Schleswig-Hol-
stein affair is piece Of history on which
Turkey would have done well to reflect
while she was being led on step by step
to reject the demands which Russia and the
Bulgarian atrocities.
Since the Schleswig- Holstein affair Eng
land has lost caste among the great Powers
of Europe. They despise her diplomacy,
which once seemed so vigorous and for
midable. When the Ministry was stimuli
lament for that disgraceful fiasco, the reso-
luton offered in the Commons by Mr.. Dis
raeli declared that the course pursued by
Her Majcsty's government had covered the
Just influence Of this country iii the councils
of Europe, and thereby diminished the
securities for.peace" At the close Of four
days strenuous debate Lord Palmcrston
rose to speak in his own defence. Even his
partial biographer is obliged to admit that
he had no case :-''He had in truth diff
cult task There had been q conspicuous
failure of that much there could be no
doubt. Allies, colleagues and circumstances
had proved adverse yet the excuses for
failure could not be laid on any of them.
SO he did not detain the House on the
points Immediately at issue, but, dropping
the Danish matter altogether, went straight
into the history Of the financial tri-
umphs of his government" BY this
jaunty evasion he saved himself, for the
majority of the House cared little for Schles-
wig Holstein, but cared a great deal about
English finance. This result was inter-
preted by all Europe as withdrawal of
England from Continental politics. In
point of fact she has been destitute Of for
eign influence from that day to this. The
last occasion on which any foreign govern
ment las yielded to her was as far back as
1861, when she demanded the release of
Mason and Slidell of government crippled
by n great civil war, and with the certainty
on the part of England to have the Con-
federate States as allies if the quarrel were
pushed to extremities. But since the
Schleswig- Holstein affair England has not
ventured to assume naughty tone in any
foreign question.
Within the last year it has become known
TO the world that the real reason why Den
mark was so disgracefuily deserted by the
government which had encouraged her to
resist and led her into the war was fear of
Germany and consciousness of the military
weakness of England In the Life Of
Lord Palmerston," published last year by
the Hon. Evelyn Ashley, there arc several
private letters OF Palmerston which prove
conclusively that he 'let dare not wait
upon would, like the poor cat i the adage."
He abandoned Denmark because he could
not get allies to fight Germany, and knew
that England would be whipped if she at
tempted to fight Germany alone. In a pri-
vate letter to Earl Russell Palmcrston
said 1.-The truth is that to enter into
military conflict with all Germany on Con-
tinental ground would be u serious UNDER
taking. II Sweden and Denmark were
actively cooperating with us our twenty
thousand men might do great DEAL but
Austria and Prussia could bring two hun
dred or three hundred thousand into
the field, and would be joined by the