Year: 1863

John Elliott Cairnes is one of our firm
est and fastest friends in Great Britain
The service he has done this country is
not second to that of John Bright, of
John Stuart Mill, OF Forster, or Richard
Golden, or of Goldwin Smith He is
Professor of Jurisprudence and Political
Economy in Queen College, Galway,
and his work, The Slaoe Poacey, which
has recently passed into second and en-
larged edition in England, is the most
thorough and exhaustive treatise upon
the subject, displaying, indeed, a very
remarkable knowledge of our history in
the chapters devoted to the political as
pect of the question. The work has been
republished by Carleton in this city. Not
only in his book, but constantly in the
columns Of the Daily Nesos, Professor
Cairnes has fought the good fight for us,
confounding several antagon >is who un-
dertook to defend the rebellion; and
bringing the Saturday Rdsie.g. in par
ticular, to signal grief


But Professor Cairne's point of view
is universal civilization, and not espe-
cially the permanence of the Union.
The rebellion he considers to be the great
anti-civiizing movement of history. 1t
is barbarism in insurrection; barbarism
turning suddenly and making "a stand
against the progress of the race. y
mist therefore, in the interest of hu-
flanity, be subdued. At any cost it must
be overthrown. # the power of the
United States Government is Inadequate
to quell it, the rebellion must be sup
H. IL
Christian and civilized powers. When
that is achieved an entirely new question
in his view arises; and that is, by what
means shall the consequences that must
follow the war be most promptly and per-
manently secured? He inclines to the
opinion that we shall find it best to put
a few rebel States out to cool before re-
ceiving them again into the Union In
other words, he thinks it will be wiser
for us to undergo little temporary dis
union. But he holds this view only be-
cause he thinks that the cause of human
liberty and national peace would be the
gamers. The absurdity of secession,
and the folly of yielding an inch until the
tangs OF the serpent are removed, are as
clear to him as to any body His differ
ence is upon the question OF establishing
the Government anew.


But this is speculative difference
which does not affect the value or the
quality of his sympathy. Show him that
1t Is better for the great interests of Eber-
ty and of this free country to maintain
the Union after our victory, and be would
be very willingly persuaded. That he
does not see it and know it as we do
come from the fact that he is not an
American. He does not understand the
inevitable necessity of the Union, in the
first place; nor, in the second, does he
seem 10 perceive Utrar ro SET on any num-
Der Of States, even If it were but sim
gle State, as a separate power, would be
TO surrender ourselves Immediately to
the mercy of every foreign nation with
which the new power would create alli-
ances. Few of our foreign friends seem
fully to apprehend that the question for
US is Union and liberty, or separation
and anarchy, with consequent moral, So
cial, and political ruin.


But for the treatment of its great
theme no work is to be named before
"The Slave Power" of Professor Cairnes


H0rperS Weekly.