The Portland daily press., 1889-06-15

Mr.. Gladstone takes exception TO certain
statements made by Henry Clewes in his his
tory of Wall street, in regard to the attitude
of Lord PalmerstoE 5 government during our
Clvll war Mr.. Gladstone s>trts in letter
written to Mr.. Ciewes, that the Lord Palmer
ston Cabinet, Of which he was member.
never entertained for a moment the idea os
recognizing the Southern States as an indie
pendent power. Mr.. Gladstone was promi-
nent member of that Cabinet, and certainly
ought to know. Since his letter has been
published, however, Mr.. Clewes has received
numerous letters from Americans who have
what is In their opinion evidence that Mr..
Gladstone is wrong Mr.. A. II. Morgan. of
Philadelphia, recalls a report of a speech
made at the outbreak of the war bv Mr..
Gladstone, in which the speaker eulogized
Jefferson Davis as the creator of a nation.
MI. Morgan says the truth is that the atti-
tude assumed by the British government
toward the North was as hostile as could be.
short OF an open declaration of war, and Mr..
Gladstone, as member of the British Cabl-
net at that time, must bear his share of the
responsibility, and no amount of expla-
nation can do away with the historical
facts" A piece of testimony of much
more value than that OF Mr. Morgan. how
ever. is furnished us by General Charles
Hamlln, OF Bangor, who has the copy of a
letter written by the great English friend of
America, John Stuart Mill, to Chief Justice
Appleton. This letter, which was dated
Sept. 34th. 1868, was not published until this
summer, when General Hamlin read it in
the course OF his Memorial Day address at
Bath. After deploring the ignorance of the
English people as to the real nature of our
great struggle, and that the sympathies of
all classes but the laboring and the better
parts of the literary class were ''disgraceful
enough to England" Mr.. Mill goes on TO
say: THE government, as a government.
has at'odys been better than the public IN ali
that relates to this contest: and | am ner-
suaded that this country will not give You
any serious cause of complaint against
Its conduct, but only against it's
incllnations. Some members ot
the government, too, have been all
along warm friends of the cause. The Duke
of Argyll and Miner Gibson have not dis.
gulsed 1t In their speeches; and my opinion
is that even Lord Russell is more with the
North than against it. The sentiments of
the others win, doubt not, be very greatly
modified by your success, of which there can
now be little doubt" The opinion of Mr..
Mill expressed at that time is certainly wor-
thy OF great weight; but he merely saws that
the government as government has always
been better than the public" The s'public"
were SO bad, that the government might
nave been very unfriendly and still gain bv
comparison. Nor does there seem 10 he
much credit for that government in the fact
that IL did not propose to recognize the indie
pendence of the Confederacy; for Mr.. Glad
stone is probably right technically as to this
point. For when the motion was made in
Parliament to recognize the independence of
the Confederacy, Mr.. Gladstone himself OPP
posed it in behalf Of the Palmerston govern
ment; but for the reason that the Confeder-
acy was sure to succeed without foreign In
PREVENTION. Having recognized the Southern
states as belligerents,t the Palmerston govern
ment refrained from recognizing them as in
dependent only because it thought such ac-
ton not necessary. Not to government or
aristocracy did the friends of America look
for sympathy in England in those DAYS; but
10 the true-hearted English laborers and TO
the friendly Queen who sat on the throne.
They and she unerstood the struggle. and
their sympathies were in the right direction:
and because they were so Americans and
Englishmen feel themselves akin today.