Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-07-07

Fifty years ago today Great Britain
declared her neutrality in the HOSTILE
ties that have unhappily commenced
between the government of the United
States Of America and certain states
styling themselves the Confederate
states of America"
The proclamation of queen Victoria
declaring the neutral character assumed
by her government also recognized the
confederate states as a belligerent pow
er, an act that caused alarm and cha
grin to the people of the northern
states.
1t happened that the queens procla-
nation of neutrality was issued on the
day that Charles Francis Adams, the
newly appointed minister of the United
States to Great Britain, arrived in Eng
land.
/ A diplomat could not well have been
met on landing by more unwelcome in
telligence. The step that his govern
ment most wished to prevent had been
taken before he could protest against 1T.
With the confederates recognized as
belligerents it seemed at the moment
that their recognition by Great Britain
as an independent nation might follow.
Mr.. Adams hastened to London,
where the news that had met him on
landing at Liverpool was confirmed
Although he arrived late in the even
ing he had hardly reached his hotel
when a visitor was announced. 1t was
Joshua Bates. head OF the great bank
ing firm Of Barring Brothers. A native
OF Massachusetts,, Mr.. Bates was keenly
interested in the fortunes OF the north
in the war.
ADAMS SELF-CoNTAINED
The conversation between these two
men may be imagined. Mr.. Bates, while
giving Mr.. Adams a summary of the
course of events in England in the two
weeks the diplomat had been on the
water, expressed great uneasiness over
the situation.
Mr.. Adams was not the man to be
unbalanced by adversely. The son Of
John Quincy Adams, sixth president,
and grandson of John Adams. second
president-both OF whom like himself
had occupied the post of minister to
lSt. James-he was experienced in the
finesse of politics and diplomacy. Like
his forbears he was of firm mold, self
contained always, clear thinker, going
straight to the point of a situation.
He was prepared to protest, firmly. and
calmly, against the proclamation, not
with the hope of changing its terms,
but for the purpose of preventing the
recognition of the independence of the
confederate states.
/ Mr.. Adams was conversant with the
laws of nations and saw that he had
no valid ground for objection to the proc
lamation itself, whatever the popular
view of it might be at home. He there
fore decided to- base his protest on the
haste with which the proclamation had
been issued.
In this connection there had been an
influence at work which might well
have caused the new minister irritation.
Two agents of the Confederate states,
w. l. Yancey, of Alabama, and p. A.
Rost. OF Louisiana, had arrived in Lon
don ahead of Mr.. Adams and had been
received, ''unofficially" on May Q, by
Lord John Russell, foreign secretary.
| On May the foreign secretary had
announced in the house Of commons that
belligerent rights would be conceded to
the Confederacy.
| This sequence of events might easily
have upset minister less excitable than
Mr. Adams. The general attitude of
Europe toward the contest in America
also was disquieting.'
RUROPES VIEWS.
| The view of the leading statesmen of
Europe at the time seemed to be that
the dissolution of the Amrican union
was inevitable
In France the success of the Confed-
eracy was, hoped for by the high officials
who favored Napoleon HIS designs on
Mexico.
There was an understanding, however
between the governments of Europe. the
existence of which Mr.. Adams soon
learned, to leave to England the initiative
/ in dealing with the American war situ-
alton.
Englands position was not held by the
people of the northern states to be
friendly for these reasons. 1t was be-
lieved the English governing class had
never forgotten America the revolution
airy war; that any disruption of the re-
public would be agreeable to the aris-
tocracy; that this class held the Ameri-
can spirit to be boastful and presump-
tious and in need of chastisement; that
the policy of a protective tariff was
distasteful to England, while the low
tariff policy of the Confederacy was IA
vored: that the blockade OF southern