Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-01-09
VIEWS OF GILBERT A. PIERCE ON
THE SUBJECT.
IMPORTANT FACTS RECALLED
The Attitude of Great Britain During
Our Late Unpleasantness and the
Part That Other Nations Took
Russia Then, as Now, With
Us.
The following letter is Of genera

Secretary Olney says: THE people
of the United States have learned in
the school OF experience to what ex-
tent the relations of states depend,
not upon sentiment or principle, but
upon selfish interests" How true
this is will be best illustrated by re
calling few facts.
We had right to expect sympathy
from both England and France in the
struggle OF 1861. Both professed an
intense love of liberty, and the south
was aiming to establish an empire
with slavery for it's chief corner stone.
But both nations made haste to ex-
tend hope and comfort to the confed-
eracy, not for love of the southern peo-
pie, but because of the selfish princi-
pie Of which Mr.. Olney speaks.
On the very day that our minister
reached London, preceded by re-
quest that the English government
would defer action until he had been
accorded a hearing, a proclamation
appeared granting The south be lliger
ent rights. This was Gone at the re-
quest OF three commissioners, who
had been received by the British gov
eminent "unofficially," as Lord John
Russell termed it.
The action of Mr.. Lincoln and Sec
rotary Seward in relation to this pro-
ceeding was at once dignifed and ad
mlrable. Said the secretary TO Mr..
Adams: You will desist from all in
tercourse, both official and unofficial,
with the British government, SO long
as it shall continue intercourse Of
either kind with the domestic enemies
of this country
England soon gave up her ''unoffi-
ciaP' connection with the confederate
government, or pretended to do so,
but we soon discovered that she was
negotiating a treaty, Or rather tying
to secure the ratification Of a treaty,
by secret emissaries in the south,
Whereup0n the president promptly re-
vOked the eXeQuatur Of the consul
conducting it.
Then came the arrest of Slidell and
Mason on the British mail steamer
Trent, an affair which seemed to make
an open rupture almost unavoidable.
If the dispatches of the English GOV
eminent to Lord Lyons at Washington
had been made public, war would nave
been almost inevitable, Tor they were
so insulting and peremPlory that
compliance with their demands would
have been cut of the question.
A singular fact about that affair
was that the seizure of the confeder-
ate commissioners from the deck OF a
neutral vessel was a violation of the
| principle we had long contended for,
while it was exactly what Great
| Britain had always claimed the right
to do. We might have gracefully &C
coded, therefore, to any ordinary re-
quest for reparation, but, as Mr..
Blaine said, in view Of the past,
and the long series of gravar outrages
with which Great Britain had so wan
tonly insulted the American flag, she
might have refrained from invoking
the judgment of the civilized world
against us, and especially might have
refrained from making, in the hour of
our sore trial and deep distress, a de-
mand which no British minister
would address to this government in
the day of its strength and power. "
However, we surrendered the prison
ers and apoligized.
This incident was scarcely settled
before the president was confronted
with the claim of England that ships
designed for rebel privateers could be
built, in England, equipped at a con-
venient station, and that they would
be allowed to enter neutral ports to
coal and prepare for further piratical
. cruises. Protests were uttered and in
1868 Mr.. Seward bodily declared that
IF this condition Of things is to re-
main and receive the deliberate sane
ton of the British government, the
navy of the United States will receive
instructions to pursue these enemies
into ports which thus, in violation OF
the law OF nations and the obligations
of neutrality, become harbors for the
pirates.
Mr. Seward further wrote private
ly to Mr.. Adams: of Great Britain
shall choose to recognize these pTivat-
eeTs as lawful belIigerents and give
them shelter from our pursuit anC
punishment, the laws of nations afford
an adequate and proper remedy, anC
while you need not say this in ad
vance, be sure you say nothing incon.
sistent with it." The latter sentence
was added by Mr.. Lincoln himself
and shows how far-sishted he was, fol
ten years afterward England paid u:
S15,000000 as the penalty for this anc
other infractions of international law.
1t is practically certain that wal
, would have ultimately resulted as
consequence of our strained relations
but just then Vicksburg fell and Get
, tysburg was added to the list Of unior
, victories. Chattanooga followed, AM
, every time the union cannon thun
dered forth a victory another OBJ
, struction was placed in the way o
+ rebel shipbuilGing on the Mersey.
There was no excuse for the cours
I of England, but her action was mad
| irtolerably offensive by the tone 0
! Lord John Russelrs dispatches. Her
e is one addressed to the British minis
9 ter at Washington at the very outse
of our troubles. "Supposing that Nj
Lincoln, acting under bad advice
should endeavor to provide excite
ment for the public mind by raisin
n questions with Great Britain? He
maJesty's government feels no hesita
tin0 &c fo tho 0o1icv thew wOuId mr.