The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-02-07
England's Attitude.

An immediate interest is given to the
great war drama in the East by the att.
tude of the British government. By the
utterances of the Ministry in Parliament
as to the defence of the interests of Eng
land; by its intimation that it might re-
gard treaty made between Turkey and
Russia in accordance with the outline
already made public as a practical def
ance to put itself on its defence; by its
declaration that it would only recognize
this treaty if made with the sanction of
Europe, it seems to follow that England
may yet be numbered with the bellige-
rents ere the imminent solution of the
Eastern question becomes fnality. It
is true that there may hs in Ministerial
fulminations a great deal of sound and
fury without much gunpowder; for in
the presence of public that needs to be
excited to give its latent sympathies any
value, and in the. presence of an opposi-
ton disposed to require some definite
declarations of national danger as rea-
son for voting money, government may
commit itself generally to tone of OBJ
servation en- current. politics that it GER
tainly would not hold in its diplomatic
communications with the foreign Powers
at which il may rail in its domestic as
sembly. This is true Of governments at
large, and there is good reason in the
history of the present British government
why it should be peculiarly suspected of
not having in fact any such belligerent
intentions as it declares in Parliament
One Of the virtues especially claimed for
the tory party is that it has always been
the organ of the support of English glory
and greatness abroad. For many gener-
atoms that party certainly led the Eng
lish nation through the lnire terribly in
supporting the fiction that England was
omnipotent in the earth. Upon the last
accession of that party to power in Eng
land it was noted that it came upon the
stage when that function of toryism must
be revived, and the government came
gayly forward, therefore, when. it was
demanded that the instructions in Her
zegovina should be paci6ed by some gen.
eral action. But its dissent from Europe
on that occasion was all it did to assert
England's independence of spirit and
greatness, and its course since has plainly
shown that, while anxious TO have before
the country the credit of sustaining Eng
lands greatness abroad. it is equally
anxious that it may have this credit
cheaply and avoid any possibility of the
mishap of great war. In the ground
on which it puts its demand for supple
mentary supplies this spirit plainly ap-
pears. Money, for instance, is not de-
mandcd that England may really fight ;
money is not wanted to support practi-
cally in the East those interests which it
is feared Russia may invade; but money
is demanded in order chat England may
20 into a conference with bold front,
and with the appearance of having the
support Of the Parliament for whatever
schemes or projects it msy there put forth
in fact, in order that it may impress
Europe with its bellicose intentions, not
that it may put them in operation. But
if this role is played to certain point 1t
is evident that it must reach q stage from
which it would be impossible for the
Ministry to extricate itself without wal
abroad or scandalous collapse in its
swelling attitude at home, and in that
case it will fight. AS all the relations oi
the government to the difficulty are now
to become n topic of somewhat yirulent
party warfare in Parliament, and as the
complications in the East seem to grow
hourly deeper, the government may flnd
itself propelled by circumstances beyond
the point to which it intends to go.-Ne't
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