Year: 1875

When commenting few days since upon
the natural effect of the license of the De-
tective press upon our national reputation
in other countries, we scarcely thought the
VerifcatiOn of our observations would
come so soon. 1t will be recollected that
we said that our reputation was only saved
by the efforts of foreigners resident among
US writing home to their Governments and
people that the Detective press of America
was SO given to cXaggeration that its state
ments must BE taken with heavy dis
count. And we took occasion to add that
if any foreigner or foreign press dared to
intimate the same things of us as people
that this Detective press of ours was con-
stantIy alleging and advertising to all the
world, the Detective press would be the
first to give such foreign insinuation fat
denial. Ii will be seen by the following
quotation from the London Standard, a
Tory journal, of few days ago, and which
was thought of sufficient interest and i'm
portance TO be forwarded by cable, that one
British journal at least has been taking the
fulminations of our Detective press at its
word


Ii comes back at US in this wise:


"Thinking Americans are compelled to ac-
knowledge that waste, corruption and ineffi-
cheney prevail in every branch Of Administra-
ton, and ignorance and personal worthless
ness predomiDate in legislation. They begin
TO admit sadly that the grand experiment be-
gun a century ago is q failure. Remedies must
be devised quickly if revolution and disaster


l. Ill, al L.
that universal suffrage, which, however, it is
now impossible to abolish, is the root of the
evil"


The conscience of the New York Tribune
is evidently pricked, for it hastily responds
to the Standard in the most indignant
''mind-your- own business style. But that
we may not be accused of misinterpreting
its language, we append its reply entire:


'EThe sentences quoted are libel on our
Dcople, and a very stupid one at that. Among
1orty-fOUr millions of people, lunatics included,
there are, of course, Americans who will 'ad-
NIT and 'concede' almost anything, especially
if COrnered by an Englishman, but we have
never had the fortune to meet person of Ordi-
nary good sense who considered the grand ex-
pertinent failure. We have had much to
say in these columns of waste, corruption and
ineffiCiency IA the administration Of public af-
fairs and little of the liberty, the happiness
and the general comfort which are as univer-
sally felt and enjoyed at the present time
throughout this land as they were at the be
ginning of the experiment. a century ago. 1t
is not he who is well that thinks and talks
most of good health but he who is sick. HUI
man nature is a machine made up of many parts,
and government, partaking necessarily in some
degree of the vices and Wickedness of man,
can never be perfect.


s'Tbe faults in our system of government of
which most complaint is made have existed,
even within the present century, to as danger
GUS an extent ana have produced as pernicious
consequences in the Government of Great
Britain We need not stop to point them out,
uor to dwell on other faults in the British
system of quite as much Importance, from
which happily the United States are free. We
have the example of Great Britain to instruct
us that great reforms are possible, and we
have the history of both countries ts convince
us that the people, high and low, rich and
poor, are equal to the demands of any emer-
gency. When we consider what the people of
England, within the last half century, have
extorted from the Tory party we shall have
less reason to wonder at the Standards hostil-
ity to universal suffrage. What, indeed, but
the dread of revolution and disaster COM
PEELED the 'bOrough-mongers' to consent TO the
partial abolition Of that stronghold of bribery
ard corruption, the rotten borough systems
What but dread OF revolution and disaster at
the hands Of a starving population compelled
the repeal Of the corn laws!


"But, really, We have not for a long while
seen more conclusive proof of the innate
blockishness of the landed gentry of Eng
land than this very extract which comes to us
all the way from London under water. The
blood of Squire Western still! courses as thick
as ever through the veins Of many q fox-hunt-
ing NJ. P, who will never cease to wonder at
the ignorance and personal worthlessness' of
American Congressman. How old Thomas
Carlyle would enjoy reading that paragraph,
should it chance TO fall under his eye. Cob
belts favOrite sarcasm on the English-.he
Emost thinking people in the world'-Which he
extracted from Tory speech in Parliament,
is, we suppose; forgotten. II what we have
given is q specimen of English thought Cob
bett's phrase must be revived"


Human nature is "a machine, " and "goY-