New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-21

than the American Revolution" Inc enoihi'y VA
this double mistake is 30 plain that u heeu no'
detain u.s. 1t is a mistake which runs through inc
book. For the Revolutionary party, as he calls IT,
Mr. Lecky has boundless contempt. Military
adventurous. ambitious lawyers, rhetorical dema-
porues. scurrious journalists, dragged better men
into revolt "There was a widespread dislike 10
the levelling principles of New-Engand, to the
arrogant. restless and ambitious policy OF us
demagogues to their manifest desire TO invent OF
discover grievances, foment quarrels. anu keep ,he
wound open and fostering"
In truth the American people, though in general
unbounded believers i'll progress, are accuslohlcu'
through kind Of curious modesty TO 90 .non
selves a great injustice by the extravagant mannet
in which they ideaze their past. 1t has alnosV
become a commonplace that the great H iaoIJn
which in our own day has shown sucn an 10 in
combination of courage, devotion ana hum It t,ne
its gigantic civil war; and which 81 &c lnaV '' ~
has so signally talsded the preuiclionss Enrone
enemes and put TO shame all the hatl3ns "a atonal
by its unparalleled efforts in paying OIL lts lh rs
debt Is OF far lower moral type yuan io This
at the time of the War of Independehcen, ohilitv
beef appears TO me essentially false ne con
and beauty of the character OF Washih ~ othnr
indeed hardly he surpassed; seveial W t,ii+y and
leaders of fine Revolution were men oil aoli'y ,,
n"IIic sn;rit and few armies have ever sDown
nobler sef-devotion than that men ~ alley
Washington through the dreary "iu,o no az eringa
Force Rrt the army that bore these suheIlngs
vas - very small one and the general aspect OF 'ne
American people during the CONTEST was iai ,oi
or ub
ness of the English race must neceSS'lrIy tes1
mainly with the mighty nation which has arisen
beyond the Atlantic and that nation H ihe hrief
neriod of its enmity to England has peen very
nndnly extoed. AT the same time tie historian
Of that period would do the Americans a great IN
instice if he Judged them only by the Revolutionary
party and failed TO recognize now large pr41po1lo
ton Of their best men had no sympathy Win tne
movement.
Nuch depends. of course, upon whom we regard
as the "best men," Mr.. Lecky might say they
were the rich landowners and merchants OF New
York who remained loyal to the GoverhmehI
which held their province and had their property
at its mercy; and might give the preference 10
men or the type of Warren and the Adamses whom
our historian perhaps classes with the Iestle IS
agItators." Mr. Lecky cites Count Fersen as one OF
his witnesses to the lack of patriotism among the
Americans; but in the very passage quoted TO sus-
tain this view the French officer estIiies that the
best men" did make great sacrifices for Their
country and il was the Others who Thought ONLY Oh
their selfish interests: Lesprt dc patilotlsne lie
reside que chez les chefs ct les prnclpauN du pays
oui font de tres-grands sacrifices 1t IS undoubt-
edIv trne that Washington was cruelty embarrassed
by the INSTRUMENTATION and democratic Wlilhhess
of his soldiers, by the lukewarmness OF many OF te
people. especially in the Middle States while tho
English arms were in the ascendant there, by the
Y,
MANAGEMENT of Congress. Mr. Lecky quotes Ib-
orally from the complaints which abound III Wash
ingtons correspondence. They were just. But II
what they toll had been the Whole story, II the
picture of the Revolutionary party as Mr.. Lecky
draws it had been tue one, it Is inconcelVable
that the colonies should have conquered their IN
dependence. They must have put All end to Their
own revolt long before France could have come TO
their assistance or General Howe have thrown
away his last opportunity If the records OF the
late rebellion as imperfect as the records OF
the Revolution, 1t is possible that some historian OF
the next century might gather from authentic doc
um ents just such unfavorabe estimate OF the
demeanor of the American people during the Civil
War as Mr. Lecky has formed of the conduct OF our
ancestors Posterity might be taught tnat while
the armies were suffering in the field spectators
were making fortunes by cheating them in con
tracts merchants were furnishing supplies to the
enemy, assertions went on by thousands bounty
humping was an established business, n great potl-
| cal party comprising nearly half the population
| committed itself to the systematic embarrassment
| of the Government and to efforts for enforcing a
dishonoTable surrender reasonable secret societies
operated in the large cities the enrolment OF the
necessary leyies was resisted by riot and murder.
| public meetings were held to protest against the
| preservation of the Union. All these things could
| be proved from fficia sources; and In the dpo-
matte corfespondence of Great Britain the historian
| would find an extraordinary dispatch from the
| envoy of that Power who was visited Immediately
| upon his arrival in America by some of the best
| men OF the opposition, secretly desiring the III
| reference of his Government What terrible
picture of the meanness, rapacity, cOwardice and
| treachery of the American people could be drawn
| by the historian who found only such incidents as
these in his authorities Every statement could be
/ 4ho afp af Of hp wi
established, and yet inc eHect Vi 'no "holo "ouiu
| tie a libel
In the strictly narrative portions MI Lecky
| often shows n conspicuous and almost chlvarous
| fairness to the American side which it would be
| ungracious not to acknowledge. There are one or
| two instances however, in which prejudice seems
| TO have oyerpowered him. He severely censures
the violent partisanship" of MIR Bancrofts story
of the Boston Massacre; yet anybody who VIII I'M
| partially compare the accounts OF that occurrence
| by tho American and the English historian Will
| probably admit that Mr.. Leckys version. though
less rhetorical than that of his predecessor is quite
| as strongly cOored by national feeling lie accepts
| without question the report that the great fire III
| New-York shortly after the occupation by the
| British was the result of an ncendiary attempt OF
the patriots to destroy the city. He states this in
deed as fact hardly admitting of debate; yet
there is no authority for it except the rumors ana
suspicious naturally current at the time among the
| Tories and embalmcd in the Tory diaries. etc, to
which Mr. Lecky is fond of recurring. But the most
signal of Mr Lecky's acts of injustice is his treat
ment of Franklin in the matter of hutchinson S
correspondence. Hutchinson was the royalist Gov
ernor- General of Massachusetts, he had been in
correspondence with Whately. member OF Parlia-
ment, on the affairs of the colony, particularly re-
specting plans for Strengthening the royal author
ity. There must be-" said he in one OF the letters
tat hat b.
critics.; and there was much more in the same
strain. These letters were given to Franklin in
England by some person unknown, after Whately' S
| heath He was allowed to send them TO Massachu-