Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-06-25

abroad. The South was furnished
navy, privateers, gun-boats and
ironclads; built. equipped and
manned in foreign ports in defiance
of the honor and maritime rights
of the United States. One ship
alone sailing the sea under COM
mand of captain in full Confeder-
ate uniform, was built in an English
shipyard, captured some seventy
ships of the United States most of
which it decoyed by use of the
English flag, most Of which it burned
at night that the flames lighting up
the sea and attracting other ships TO
the rescue might bring it more cap
tives. For two years this continued
till. never having touched the shore
of this continent, off the coast of
France, by the United States boat
Kearsarge. in one hour the so-called
Confederate privateer Alabama was
sent to the bottom. Again and
again Charles Francis Adams carried
the controversy over the furnishing
of these cruisers to the Confederacy
to the limit of peaceful discussion
and was compelled to drop the mat
ter. He was compelled to submit
his nation to humiliation because he
had the good sense to know that the
fearful battles you were fighting
were taking this country's resources
to the utmost and that to lose his
patience would mean defeat to you,
the success of the Confederacy, the
establishment of France in Mexico
and the doom of republican govern
ments on this continent. Thus for
years inspired only by trust in you
he kept his place in a society hostile
to his government, condemned by
boastful and officious radicals in the
United States, and never losing his
poise, submitted, to humiliation and
saved this country from foreign war
And now what does all this humilia-
ton under disregard Of our national
honor amount to? There came a
time when as a result of your victo-
rious battlefields Charles Francis
Adams could say to the representa-
tive of Great Britain as two ironclads
were about to leave its shores on
their hostile errand against the Uni
ted States--"It would be superfuous
in me to point out to your Lordship
that this means war" and to get
the reply--"Lord Russell presents
his compliments to Mr.. Adams and
has the honor to inform him that
instructions have been issued which
will prevent the departure of the
two ironclad vessels from Liverpool. F"
What does all our humiliation
amount to after Vicksburg and
Gettysburg and Richmond and APP.
pomattox? To so little that we have
almost forgotten, in the record OF
the Civil War, to mention the scholar
and statesman and incompatible di'
plomat Charles Francis Adams.
And yet, what did our humiliation
that the world has almost forgotten
and that we recall today only for the
lesson it may teach, amount to
Through the darkest days of thu
Union cause, it kept European ma
tons from effecting a confederation
against the United States till thu
tide Of war had turned and recogni
ton of the Southern Confederac.
faded from the worlds considera
ton. What did the calm modera
ton of our President, that some calle'
in competency on his part to main
tain the nations honor, amount to
1t overcame the most persistent an
ingenious. schemes Of the officers Q
Confederate cruisers to involve tn
ships Of the United States in troubl
that would force q declaration q
war against this country. 1t was tn
constraint strong enough to keep tn
turbulent element of the North an
the hostile element in foreign par
from counteracting all the efforts {
wise diplomacy to keep us at peac
abroad. That which some of OF
! citizens then called in our Presider
: submission, vascillation, even incon
+, potency. was essential. to that might
! influence on this side of the watt
) that kept the great mass of commo
Y people in foreign nations, the con
: mon people with whom from the
: till now history proves rests mo-