Year: 1872

extent to which each cruiser wa,


responsible for the prolongation O


the war; and it is fair to conclude


therefore, that the negotiators die


not intend that any attempt t.


estimate English responsibility fol


that prolongation should be made
The American "Case" was evi


IDENTIFY drawn up under the impres


sion that the Treaty left the United
States still at liberty to get all they
could from the arbitrators, and tha'


the English concessions had il


no way narrowed the field O.


controversy, and that it was fail


to submit whatever was likely


to magnify the sum of Ameri


can wrongs. The British, on the
other hand, suppose themselves


to have reduced the controversy


within certain defined limits, and
to have disposed of all sentimental
griefs-that is, griefs incapable ol
estimation in dollars and cents-by
the apology, and to have left nothing
to be argued at Geneva but Eng
lands liability for damages ascer-
tainable by ordinary computation.
The appearance of the "Case" has,
therefore, plunged!the English pub
lie into a fever of excitement, and
there is imminent danger that the
Treaty will be thrown overheard.
This danger flows from two sources.
First, the Treaty never was popular
ia England. 1t was accepted as a
mode of escape from aposition OF
considerable difficulties and embar-
rassment but it was not o well
come and gratifyingm mode of escape.
1t was, throughout, string of hu-
Mutations. 1t conceded a great
many things which everybody had
believed, two years previously,
never would be conceded. 1t con-
tained-what was without parallel
an expression of regret to a
foreign power for acts and omis-
sions which the Government main
tanned were not blameworthy, and
it agreed that certain new rules of
international law should have a re-
Prospective effect. This was a hard
pill to swallow, and nothing but the
graceful and kindly way in which
these various CO. "essions were re-
ceived by the -merican people
made it possible to swallow it.
There was much grumbling, but
it was smothered by the gen.
eral desire to escape from an i'm
passe, and to wipe out the remem-
brance of the most unfortunate
blunder in English foreign policy.
Nothing but the smooth working Of
the machinery, and the absence Of
any hitch in what remained to be
done, could have prevented the
revival of the earlier bitterness.
This hitch has occurred, and it is
to be feared we shall see now an
outburst of the opposition which a
combination of good influences sup
pressed last year. Second, the
Ministry is not as strong now as it
was when the Treaty was made, and
it's weakness has been largely due
to growing dissatisfaction with its
prepations to give it effect. An out
cry which Mr.. Gladstone could have
disregarded twelve months ago he
can hardly SO effectually disregard
at present, and the assault on the
" American Case" will probably
serve as a powerful weapon to op-
position. 1t is bad enough, they
will say, to eat dirt in order to es-
cape a kicking; but to eat dirt, and
get the kicking, is something to
which no nation can be expected to
more than once.


Ifthe Treaty should now miscarry,
it will be striking illustration of
the difficulty of getting information
al questions before any tribunal that
can be devised; and it will show that
in our rejoicing over the gain to civ
iGzation which was made by the or
ganization of the Geneva Board, we
overestimated the reasonableness of
man. For it must be remembered
that the sole question which divides
the two Governments is the question