New-York tribune., 1903-07-20
"0UR DEBT TO RUSSIA"
An Englishman Takes Exception to the
Views Of William Barnes, Sr.
|, IT, r.-s,..-.

10 the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir; As daily subscriber to The Tribune read
the letter of William Barnes ST.. Of Albany. which
appeared in your paper Of the 18th inst. and have
also read the letters Of your other correspondents
which have appeared subsequently,
Mr. Barnes says: Louis Napoleon aud the
masses of the English nobility bitterly hos
tile to the great republic and intended to accom-
pish its destructionl' How does Mr.. Barnes
Know this? Did they tell him so. or Is It the re-
suit OF his own imagination7 Such statements are
simple tabricatons. and to an Englishman like
myself highly offensive. because of their being
absolutely untrue. Sixty years OF my life have
been spent in England-Lancashire and London;
and at the time of your Civil War I was in the
newspaper publishing business. and thoroughly
conversant with the sentiments Of the ruling
classes in England and I again repeat that no
such feeling existed except on the part of some
few isolated eranks such exist in every country
small or great
why should the government OF Queen Victoria
or the English ar4stocracy have wanted to crush
the American republic, forsooth? On the other
hand, can say. and say truly, that II hard words
broke any bones. I have heard quite enough Of
them on this continent to have knocked the ''boat
ed aristocracy" of England out of business long
ago.
Then your correspondent says: Emperor Alex
ander II sent over powerful feet Chow powerful
he does not say to New York Harbor In 1862 !;
and that 1t was "reputed" secret instructions had
been given that. in the event Of French and
A4iISllSn meet was 10 nave Doen
put under the command of President Lincoln. to
obey his orders"
heard of this before Emperors do not
embroiI themselves and their country IN the hor-
rors of war on any such fimsy pretext Further,
to give currency to such a statement after the
lapse of forty years or to base any argument
upon it. resting on no other foundation than that
1t was 'reputed" is not logical Newspaper read
ers ali know and know too we'll, how many things
are ''reputed' as true which, when probed. turn
out the very opposite
If the French and English had any intention Of
accomplishing the destruction" Of the American
republic. does Mr. Barnes for one moment sup
pose that the intervention OF Russia would have
eeen sufficient to prevent them? Or would Russia
herseh have thus needlessiy provoked the hos
tility Of those two great powers after the severe
ehastisement they had jointly given her IN the
CrimeaY
One more point and I have done The sooner
the American peoplescan get quit of the idea that
England was hostile te them at the time Of the
Civil War wished the downfall of the republic
the better for their peace Of mind One OF the
hrst results arising out Of the Southern rebellion
was the bockading OF the ports from which en-
anated the cotton to carry the manufacturing
INDUSTRY Of England AS this was question OF
hfe or death to the cotton operatives of Ian
cashire and Yorkshire in particular. the most in
tense interest was aroused as to the merits or
demertts Of your Civil War Some mills devoid
of stock had to shut down altogether While others
starvation to many large families; and had it not
been for the money literally subscribed by the
mittees for distribution of funds end provisions,
on one of which sat throughout the cotton panic
t1g ne, results would have been most disastrous.
The feeling at that time to the merits Of the
war, its cause and effect as resLectS this country
among both employers and employed in England,
was largely OF Indifference. Both sides had
Pesred ey bring TRs I Cotton taf one most fha5 cS
the war was this feeling more Intense than when
the fortunes Of the war seemed to be going in
The principles underlying the policy of the North
and the motives which stimulated her veteran
not taken into account by the suffering operatives
Of the north Of England. With them it a
question of bread and cheese. But the great
were with the North, and this Notwithstanding
ward by the emissaries of the Southern cause in
their lecturing and speeehfying tinerancy through
our chief centres.
II any one thing more than another tended to
bring about true understanding Of the principle
for which your being waged, and to pro
tory of Henry Ward Beecher Never shall for
get the scene in the Free Trade Hall, at Man
chester, when he was confronted by from I'VE
determined that Mr. BeecheF should not be heard.
and whose Kisses and ironical cheers seemed
stood his ground bravely and nanfully and 50
completely changed the feeling Of that vast crowd
as to receive their vocifeTous paudits at the close
again and again repeated
Americans born since the war have no conception
Of the deep debt of gratitude they owe to Mr..
Beecher. I wish the man who presides over our
Board Of Control whom the ban Of Ishmael'
that Manchester meeting, and others in Scotland
and London at which Mr.. Beecher delivered such
barred the progress Of the Beecher Park memorial
to so great and worthy a man. Of whom President
LBoolp spoke FMS as Z the I sav0F of ths gaoP HALL