New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-05
THE LETTER.

by Won ON the phases of opinion in England during
the War for the Union is of so much Importance
as affecting good understanding between English
men and Americans as to warrant hope that, per-
haps. you may permit few words on the same
subject 70 another Englishman, who at the time
took lively interest in the phases Of opinion
referred to. ] was not, indeed. one who'
like Mr.. Spencer, from feeling warm interest
IN the success of the North was gradually cooled by
the groundless suspicion and undeserved reproaches
with which you responded TO our good wishes" l
belonged to that large multitude of more obscure
people who continued to the last they had begun
at the first to Judge of the question on what they
conceived to be its merits, always wishing for So
luton agreeable to their judgment, without greatly
troubling themselves to how you on this side OF
the water did or did not respond to their feelings L.
too, had my change; not. however, from an ardent
to a ukewarm sympathzer, but from an outspoken
to silent one, for from the July day which brought
to England at one and the same time tidings from
VicksbuIg and Gettysburg to tho April day that
brought news from Appomattox, / never publicly
wrote or spoke word on the subject, believing
that sympathzers were no longer in place.
Mr. Spencer has done real service TO the cause OF
mutual goodwill by collecting rom English journals,
Radical Wing. and Tory, the passages given In his
letter Those extracts fairly represent the press OF
the election of Mr.. Lincoln to the attack on Fort
Sumter They conclusvcly prove. what can never
be disproved that so long any hope existed that
the pro-savcry party might be restrained from pro-
ceedinp TO the length of actual secession, the Eng
lIsh press unanimously and strongly wrote in
support of the Union. That single fact dispoSes
forever of conectuTeS as to bad motives existing
and determining unfriendy courses. change
did take place. and at later stage large portions
of the press advocated the separation of the country
into two nations, believing that such separation
had been practically effected. and that the new
nation had been irTevocably made. How that
change came about seems to Mr. Spencer capable OF
very easy explanation. He thinks that as with
himself so with all, nothing cooled English SYM
pathy but the unkind response of Americans. That
notion is not complimentary to the average char
acter of Englshmen,. the greater part of whom
psased through a more complex process, and one
more creditable to English common sense and good
feeling.
THE CHANGE OF FEELING.
The original attitude of orr press and people is well
stated and clearly illustrated by Mr. Spencer. In
that attitude neither press nor people began to
waver till after il had become evident that it was
impossible to maintain the Union otherwise than by
civil war. The first drawing back from the cause of
the Union of any portion of the English press was
In the recOil from civil war. Is that reason for
ill-will against the English Does it even Justify
the contempt which would be due 10 people whose
sympathics on question of vast interest TO man
kind would warm or cool with the breath of genial
or nngenerous appreciation Many said in terms:
"The South is wrong in desiring TO break up the
Union but as she is determined either to 90 or shed
blood. rather than wage a civil war let her go her
wicked way" Was that very unlike what some
Americans said This change of feeling once begun
was accelerated by the doubt which long prevailed
as 10 whether the Federal Government would Use
force" doubt which at one time arose to persla-
sion that it would not do so. Hence an increased
rc-oil from when it proved that 1t was to take
place Meantime the question had come into keen
debate whether States rs such had a right to
sccede from the Union. on which point NOT n few
candid men took the affirmative side, holding that
tho existence Of such right was historically vndi-
Gated however foolish in political sense II might
be- This increased the number who without any
thing but condemnation for the document in which
South Carolina set forth the grounds of her seces
SION said Let them 90 rather than have war"
After the outbreak of war, sympathy with the
Federal cause was greatly cooled by the declaration
of the Federal authorities that their part the OBJ
iect of hosiltes was not to abolish slavery but to
preserve the Union. Ten cooled by this cause
for one who cooled by the hard words of jour
nalists or politicians bad those often were.
Americans may possibly be surprised that all Eng
lishmen did not clearly that Mr.. Lincoln took
simply the course which the law prescribed TO him
but did all Americans clearly either the course
to be taken or its justification All the Americans
In England who sympathi Ied with the Shareholders
and that was nearly all who were known as hay-
ing held any official position. or as having bern III
any sense representative men-took occasion TO
III. hat 1,a AortI M
anti-slavery than the Sonth, and that the war was
about other interests than those of slavery.
On the other hand, could name a noted abo-
Zionist whO in a drawing-rOom meeting which
offered him fine opportunity for influencing legis
lators journalists and leaders of opinion drew
such pictures of the ant-apoIitonist procvties Of
Mr. Lincoln and the Republican party in general, of
American churches and preachers all but unyers-
allv and of the City of York in particular that
some Engishmcn found it necessary to contend
that after all there was something to choose be-
tween churches which treated slavery as a good or
a small evil and those which treated it n real evil
TO be put away between pTO-slavery politicians and
men who, employing only legal measures, would
vet by means of them first check and eventually
terminate slavery, and between q Government
which avOwed that slavery was its cornerstone,
and one the advance of whose forces, fighting for
the integrity of the nation. everywhere practically
put an end TO bondage. Can Americans wonder
that average Englishmen, listening TO such aboli-
| tionsts on one side and to Northern apoogists of
secession on the other side should say In point of
true antslavery feeling there cannot be much to
| choose between one party and the other.
WHERE ENGLAND WAS DECEIVED.
An additional impetus to this feeling against the
war was given by the blockade declared by the Fed
! eral Government The legality of that blockade
was questioned and its effectiveness was denied.
! II was asserted that no Government had the right
TO declare blockade of its OWE territory but only
ofthat of a foreign and hostile nation 1t was for a
long time alleged that the blockade was only on
| paper. To us the blockade meant cotton
.l.r.,., tolu1