Spirit of Foreign Journals on the American War.
English papers to the 9th instant were brought over on the
City of Washington.
The London
Times is particularly bitter on the tariff and the late Federal reverses before
Richmond.
It says:
‘
Federal America, having taken seriously to the vice of tyranny, is stripping herself to the task of gratifying her new passion.
She is deliberately rejecting the silks, the wines, the trinkets, and the works of art of
France; the fine woolens and cottons, the finished hardware, and the
agricultural implements of
England; and she is to restrict herself for the future to her own course, clumsy, and costly substitutes.
It is with a shout of triumph that these foolish and angry people celebrate their new discovery of a means of punishing
England and
France.
They are exulting in the notion that, by means of the tariff, they will either shut out altogether the productions of the two great industrial
European nations, or that they will compel them, by the payment of high duties, to contribute to the expenses of their civil wars.
Could any folly be more pitiable?
If Federal America were the only market in the world for British and French manufacturers, there might be some hope that the foreign importers would have to pay some of its burdens in heightened duties; but, while there are a hundred competent customers for such produce, there must be a market price, independent of any single demand.--At that market price the produce will be delivered at the
American ports, and whatever addition is made to it by the
Government must be paid, not by the foreign importer, but by the
American consumer.
Are American statesmen and the
American people such children that they require to be taught a simple truth like this?
On the other hand, when these duties become absolutely prohibitory, they tend to no other purpose than to make if every man's interest throughout
Europe and throughout
America that the
Federal flag shall fly over as narrow a portion of earth as it can possibly be restricted to.
’
The Government Organ on Mumford's case.
The
London Morning Post, commenting on
Butler's rule in New Orleans, says ‘"women are outraged under official sanction and men are murdered or sent to prison after being forced to submit to the mockery of a trial."’ It adds:
‘
The execution of an unfortunate gentleman accused of having, in a affect turmoil, hauled down the
Federal flag, calls for some investigation on the part of the
Government at
Washington.
We can scarcely hope, however, that an executive which could connive at the most wanton outrage ever offered to the females of a conquered city will trouble itself much about an act which will be attributed to intemperate zeal.
With the custom of his old profession,
General Butler seized with avidity an opportunity of practically illustrating the subtle ties of the law of treason, and by hanging
Mr. Mumford for pulling down a flag in a street row, established a precedent which may be subsequently referred to in determining what shall be considered as overt acts.
It is true
Mumford protested his innocence of the alleged crime, and most probably told the truth; but a striking example being deemed necessary,
General Butler was not deterred by any fears about hanging the wrong man from furnishing another proof to the citizens of New Orleans of the vigor with which he intends acting in support of ‘"law and order."’ Since then he has summarily committed to
Fort Jackson an Alderman, and the
Chairman of the
Ladies' Relief Committee, and left them, in the intervals of hard labor, with the ‘"ball and chain,"’ opportunities for reflecting on the inestimable advantages of living once more under the mild and paternal Government of the
United States.
To us it seems perfectly inconceivable how the
Government at
Washington can leave in military command at New Orleans such a man as
Butler.--Not merely for the sake of consistency with their oft-repeated declarations, but for their own interests, we should have supposed that they would have made the position of citizens of captured towns as little disagreeable as possible.
Had a forbearing and temporizing policy been pursued at New Orleans, the rancor existing between the North and South would have been much diminished, and a foundation might possibly have been laid for an amicable compromise.
But now every day widens the breach.
The most wavering, the most timorous of Southerners, are being rapidly converted into implacable enemies.
Formerly they repelled the advance of the
Northern forces, because it threatened their political independence; but now they see themselves compelled to fight in defence of their women's honor and their own lives.
’
A Hopeful view.
[From the
London Star.]
It is to
McClellan's operations against
Richmond we must look for the best prospect of relief — and of these the latest tidings are but meagre, though gratifying.
The Confederates have been driven in, the
Federals have advanced nearer to the city, and as
Heintzelman is said by his commander to be just where it was wished, we take it that he has successfully executed the movement to the left, about which secrecy has been kept.
As our intelligence from New York is to the 26th of June, it is hardly probable that
Richmond was under the
Federal flag by the 4th of July.
But it is none the less certain that on that great anniversary the people of the free States would gird up their loins anew for the reconquest of the
South to liberty and order.
A Manchester view of the financial condition of the North.
The
Manchester (Eng.) Guardian, speaking of the financial condition of the
North, says:
‘
We have smiled at paragraphs describing the shifts to which the
Southern population have been reduced to carry on their ordinary dealings, and samples have come over here of the little notes issued by the municipalities and similar bodies.
But the
North will soon overtake them in the race to bankruptcy, and with the disadvantage of being more dependent on foreign intercourse.
Already we see that the exchange on
England has risen to 120 at New York — a far better sign of the real state of the case than the local promised on gold.
The financial troubles of the
Federal Government will not suffice to check a policy which is inspired rather by passion than reason, and which can be maintained until such time as the bulk of the people revolt from the burdens it inflicts.
That time, we fear, is still far distant.
The reported difficulty in obtaining recruits is the best sign to be found in the present intelligence, and, complied with the change of temper and to be creeping over the may possibly
’
