Year: 1868

coming from a Tory Secretary of Foreign Ahalls
The truth is all parties that it is for their interest
TO get the Alabama troubles out of the way. All par
ties in England have, moreover an immense respeCt
for success and they give 10 the triumphant Noith
the same tribute of good will which they now, give
to Prussia whom also they hated before she had con-
quered their respect The best evidence of the char
acter of Lord Stanley speech lies in the fact that IL
was most heartily cheered on the Liberal benches:


Mr.. w. L. Forster followed Lord Stanley, agreeing
with him that America has no real cause 1or com
plant of the bellgerent recognition but urging with
great force that whether she has or not no harm
could come from submitting the question to arotra-
ton. 1t is curious to find Mr. Foster explaining that
time by him and other Liberals us an act winch
would enure to the benefit Of the North The state
ment will seem SO extraordinary 10 most Americans
that quote Mr. F0rsterS own words


AT the time that the neutrality proclamation was
issued by Government he personally was very much
interested behalf of the North. He felt that war
was beginning upon which would depend whether Sav-
should be extended all the American continent
not ashamed to acknowledge that in that war he
partisan of the North. Having that feeling he heard
country and the question how British sugeGhe
could be prevented from having anything to do was was
told first that vessels sailing under these letters @ Cl @
would be pirates and he believed aTe has BEEN 50 treated
by England He then referred % wheaton, the great
O%ed a IN nHhoE5 Ss boSk gRSh s stated distinct
terms He said, 'Uatu reyoiumon Is oTtinues G1hsun
mated uentpS sPa Government that wishes not to
help either OF the parties must treat t4e goyelS
Upon reading this he felt that he had down to the
and said that these vessels should be treated as
pirates he should be at met with the authority OF
Wheaton for saying that they were entitled to Deerent


ghs sun there Was w question now S vessels under os
shores and he himself asked the Government what steps
would be taken TO prevent the infringement OF the aWD
British subjects. II in 10 this question that
SIR G. Lewis for the first time stated that proclamation
Of neutrality would be at issued and that that
would forth the law which in general terms was,
that no British subject should take part III such war
This proclamation was not INTENDED, IN he ndS & Sa
United states but rather that was the only way IN when
British subjects could be prevented from entering into
the war Hear, hear.l"


Nobody in America needs 10 be told that Mr.. Fors-
ter was one of the most steadfast friends OF the
North from the beginning TO the end OF the war lie
is at the same tme one OF the ablest ana hs view
different as il is from deserves to be borne IN
mind in the discussions that yet to take place.
He ended by saying that no obstruction IN the nego-
tiatOns could be final. If arbitration would not an
sweT, some other method must be found. And, IN
deed Lord Stanley had intimated that he should like
to hear further propositions from Mr.. Seward for ap-
pointing mixed commission TO take cOgnzance OF
all the outstanding subjects OF controversy between
the two countries.


Mr. Mill took up the same point remarking that
he did not quite what opportunity remained for
arbitration, since il was admitted even by LORD
Stanley that something was TO be paid; that some
reparatiOn was due for the Alabama losses. The
House. OF at any rate the Liberal side of it, received
this suggestion with cheers, and up 10 tins point
there was apparently but one mind among members
that side


| grieve to add that this unanimity was broken in
upon by Mr. Gladstone BY one of those unlucky
chances which come to mar the PERFECTION OF human
affairs. the Liberal leader spoke after Mr.. MIL lhcy
had risen together, and Mr.. Gladstone gave way, 80
that he was led to reply to Mr. MIL and TO
contradict his view on TINS esSenilal point. MI MI.
Gladstone and Mr. Forster had been sitting
side by side, and the former rose at htst
with the purpose OF giving his sanction sub
stantially to what Mr.. Forster had said. But hav-
ing heard Mr. Mill Mr. Gladstone had to remember
that he was n member of that Government which had
let loose the Alabama, and there fell upon ms mlnd
the weight of his personal responsibility for that neg
ligence. There were also his colleagues TO be
defended, and above all, Lord Russell, so tDat
suppose ii was too much 70 ask OF human nature 10
admit negligence which implied POhtlGa pun,
der. And no doubt Mr.. Gladstone forgot that Lord
Russell had in fact made this admission for himself
at the Garrison breakfast last Summer However II
was the Liberal leader broke across the line of de-
bate with speech which was felt to be not IN uni
son with the tone that had hitherto prevailed.
gence nor that repaIatiOn was due-both
were questions for arbitration, by The re>
suit of which he would gladly abide. III there
be any truth IN the, charge sometimes brought
against Mr. Gladstone that he lacks tact this was an


instance Of t. The feeling OF Of hls own P3Ity P Sd was
stone even doubted whether Lord Stanley had sald
what Mr. Mill quoted him rs saying, but nobody else
doubted It and the printed report Is perfectly eA
hare nerer concealed my opinion mat me Amgt-
can claimants, or Of them at least, nndel,
their case and 10 get their money" What more could
diplOmatist sayY Mr. Gladstone IS therefore IN the
position of refusing TO concede TO America what the
Tory Ministry is ready to cOnCede. sincerely regret
it, for Mr. Gladstone Is man whom Americans
would be heartily glad to like If he would only let
them -, p d,
himself supported in this view by his friends Many
members expressed to me their delight at the general
tenor of the debate and all lamented this last speech


1t would have been answered on the spot but Tor the
feeling that at such a Crisis as exists Just now III
politics, no Liberal wanted TO ind him,
self openly disagreeing with his leader, Several
of our best friends were silent Mr. Hughes IN
tended to speak, but could not follow Gladstone
without dissenting, and so sald nothing MI. Bnght
was not in the House during the debate. One man
was present on whom almost every sentence must
have fallen like Judgment 1t is but hye years
since Mr.. Laird announced IN the House tlat he
would rather be the builder of a hundred Alabama5
than be, like Mr. Bright the eulogst OF country 50
debased as America The House cheered him to the
echo He had TO sat silent last night while he was
denounced as a maefactor, and the same House
cheered that to the echo go


pearance in the House on Thursday IN his new role
of First Lord of the Treasury lie was received tO
erably well, nothing more, and the Pat Mdu does
not hesitate to say that the enthusiastic cheers re-
ported in the Times were the offspring OF the report
er's imagination. The new alliance between the
Times. and Disrael is ;, no secret Let us De
grateful to Earl Russell for openly denOuncing
in the House of Lords the shameless hypocrisy
of Ministry ." which openly ayows that II does not
means another Their policy he described as
course of deception which has been called by
another name" and Mr. DisTaeli was stung by this
sending a letter to The Times to say what
he said and meant. IL will not help
him. but nothing could show SO plainly the
pitiabe weakness of the Ministry IN the Lolds Dlr
Dsrae dare not trust hls defense to any of the
Dukes, aud unless Lord Cairns habitualy forsakes
the woosack TO lead the debate on the tioor, the
Tory Ministry will be at the mercy of Earl Russell


The new bribery measure will be accepted with
satisfaction by those who opposed to certain anu
rapid Investigations Mr. Disraeli proposes TO put
the whole business of election petitions into the
hands of two Judges who shall investigate each
of bribery in the place where 1t Is alleged 10
have occurred 1t is obvious that such tribunal
must proceed slowly and that in MANY cases months