Evening star., 1951-06-03
Voice of America Could Take Tips From Lincoln
British sympathy Turned to Favor North
By Adroit Publicity Program in War Years
BY Edword Boykin

lpation societies and clubs in Lon
don, Manchester and a few Other
lbig cities. Here was field thai
should be cultivated at once
Lincoln dispatched a crew Of or.
|ganizers from America to help
spread these emancipation groups
across Britain. indicative Of Their
|prodigicus activities the group
reported that in six months II
had sponsored $50 pro-Northcrn
mass meetings and circulated
L750, ,00c pages of pro-Northern
literature.
To write his pamphlets. many Of
his leading articles. Lincoln called
lin The Nations topf1ight authors
Among them was Harriet Beecher
Stowe, author of "Uncle Toms
Capin," who wrote pamphlet. "An
Address to the Ladies of Eng
land" which reminded them OF
their inconsistency in supporting
the South. Almost 100 different
pamphlets. dealing with every
phase CT the bitter struggle to save
the Union and abolish slavery,
were written and distributed
throughout Britain.
Lincoln next sent a battery OF
the best American legal talent. in
Guiding William M. Evarts. a fu-
ture Secretary of State, to point
out to the high legal minds in the
British government the interna-
tional illegality of permitting the
Confederacy to build a navy ir
British yards.
Lincoln routed a cavalcade OF
American lecturers and STUMP
speakers through Britain. mer
who could speak for the North al
mass meetings of the British peo.
pie. He summoned Henry Ware
IBeecher, Americas most popular
and powerful pulpiteer. to Wash
Iington, gave him instructions ane
hurried him to England.
Pamphlets by Balloon
Knowing the Britisher's con.
cern for his pocketbook. Lincoln
sent a smart American f1nancier
Robert j. Walker. former Secre.
Itary of the Treasury. to England
Ito undermine Confederate credit
Walker pointed out to British
bankers that Confederate loans
were unsound because the Con.
federacy was doomed and the
North invincible. A Snowman a.
well as financial expert. Walker
chartered a balloon and floatec
across England scattering pro-
Northern pamphlets by thousands
Lincoln's Voice of Americ:
spoke from all directions. He in
vited the European ministers a
Washington to take a grand tou
of the North personally conducte'
by Secretary of State William
Seward. BY private train thes
frock-coated gentlemen wer
whisked through the industria
and agricultural North. The
were shown endless factorie
humming and miles of-farms Gov
cred with bumper crops Deepl
impressed, the ministers nctifie'
their governments they had see
american war resources beyon
their dreams. The North coul
not be beaten. Thus, the for
eign ministers were added to tn
staff Of Americas Voice. :.
/ On top of it all Lincoln refuses
to halt the ships laden With foo
for Britain's suffering worker.
He felt that Britain's attitude wa
not the fault of the people but @
their leaders. .5....
Success in '63
AS the months went by tn
truth about America penetrate
British thinking. Lincoln's voic
had given the war a slogan i
i England. The North was the cru
sader for freedom and Lincoln tn
"benefactor of mankind" TIL
British leaders, sensing the peo
pies sentiment, became more hes
llitant. First sign of change c
heart was an order impoundin
all uncompleted Confederate war
ships in British yards.
On June 80. 1868, Parliamen
staged the last great test Q
British intervention. In the Hous
Iof Commons the Roebuck reso
luton, for which the pro-South
ern tomtoms had been beatin
for months, was smothered an
Ishelved. This resolution demand
led immediate recognition of tn
South as a sovereign state. ]
was the last serious attempt a
IConfederate recognition. Con
Ifederate bonds dropped 80 point
in a day. never to recover.
Lincoln's Voice Of America ha
reached its goal. All danger Q
British interference in the Ameri
can Civil War was at an end. TIL
British people. made aware of tn
nature of the struggle. had trans
United their feelings to thei
leaders and representatives, VIII
dared not ignore them. Cam
Lees repulse at Gettysburg an
the fall of Vicksburg. Already
the Confederacy had lost out j,
England. Now. her cause wa
hopeless on the home grounds.
d One month later Presiden
,ILincoln told his secretary. job
J, Hay, he was convinced all DANCE
of war with England had passed
] He little knew he had set prece
dent that this Nation would b
RA,sS.~AA~A Nynn,