Year: 1867

Earl husseii's opinions.


The effort by Earl Russell at an expla.
nation of the position assumed by the
English Government upon the question
of Emancipation in America, made at a
complimentary banquet given by the
English Anti-slavery men, ia honor of
william Lloyd Garrison, appears tame
and weak on this side OF the Atlantic,
when considered in all its surroundings,
There is class, however, who give him
great praise for his acknowledgment Of
error as to the course pursued by our
government with respect to slavery. To
the people of this country, however this
confession is not of as much consequence
as 1t seemed perhaps to the English peo-
pie who had witnessed the weakness Of
the Earl at period when they had to
struggle persisteptly to keepup the faith
and hopes of their countrymen. 1t is Of
little moment to us at what precise point
OF the war he thought slavery should
have been abolished, or whether he was
mistaken in his views OF the struggle as
TO it's having been war for the Union or
for emancipation. These were questions
for the American people to settle, and
they were responsible for their action
thereon, and not for the English nation,
for they were only spectators bound to
accept our Interpretation OF affairs that
we're personal to our people.


Could our nation read confess
sion that the noble Earl made mis-
take in recognizing the beligerency
of the rebels, it would be hailed with
pleasure, for his course in this regard
gave great confidence to our opponents,
which consolidated their movements at
most critical period, and gave assured
courage to the South for 8 protracted
war.


The course of the English Govern
ment and the opinions OF Mr.. Russell
which led their officials to the extraor-
dinary course pursued with respect to
rebel cruisers, encouraging proceedings
which have been admitted by members
OF the English Cabinet as "a scandal
and reprosch," and which led to direct
connivance with rebel depredations in
all parts of the world and brought upon
our commerce the most serious injuries,
shonld have engaged his attention,
Earl Russell had to act on these mat
ters on his own part and his views were
OF the utmost consequence to this coun.
try. He made no acknowledgement OF
this error which would have been far
more pleasing to our people than his
confessions as to the mistake be COM
NIT ted in reference to the subject OF
emancipation.


1t would be equally pleasing to see a
retraction from Earl Russell of his er-
ror in refusing to refer for arbitration
and adjustment, the protests OF our gov
ernment against the policy pursued by
the English Government and our just
claims presented. The consequences ol
which his successors in the English
Cabinet are endeavoripg to negotiate
and repair. When confession of his folly
or the admission of his error of judgment
upon these important poutsis made the
people of the United States will, ,undOubt
edly, care little as to what change o
opinions may have come over the noble
Earl in reference to what our government
might have done, in the matter of dispos
Ing OF the slavery question, which wa'
one OF our own, and is trivial compared
with practical matters of great momen
to which no allusion was made, anC
could not have been forgotten by so ex
perienced a statesman as Earl Russell.