he first turn in political affairs
which seemed to indicate that they were to be reduced from a position of
superiority to one of equality,--if our forefathers had acted after this
wild fashion, we should not only think that the Revolution they achieved
was altogether unjustifiable, but we should blush at the thought of
being descended from such despot-demagogues. This is a very feeble
statement of the case which would connect the Revolt of the American
Colonies with the Revolt of the American Liberticides; and Earl Russell
is too well-informed a statesman not to know that his parallel fails in
every essential particular. He threw it out, as he threw out his
sounding antithesis about "power" and "independence," to catch ears not
specially blessed with brains between them.

But European statesmen, in order to promote the causes of American
dissensions, are willing not only to hazard fallacies which do not
impose on their own understandings, but to give aid and comfort to
iniquities which in Europe have long been antiquated. They thus tolerate
chattel slavery, not because they sympathize with it, but because it is
an element of disturbance in the growth of American power. Though it has
for centuries been outgrown by the nations of Western Europe, and is
repugnant to all their ideas and sentiments, they are willing to give it
their moral support, provided it will break up the union of the people
of the States, or remain as a constantly operating cause of enmity
between the sections of a reconstructed Union. They would tolerate
Mormonism or Atheism or Diabolism, if they thought it would have a
similar effect; but at the same time they would not themselves legalize
polygamy, or deny the existence of God, or inaugurate the worship of the
Devil. Indeed, while giving slavery a politic sanction, they despise in
their hearts the people who are so barbarous as to maintain such an
institution; and the Southern rebel or Northern demagogue who thinks his
championship of slavery really earns him any European respect is under
that kind of delusion which it is always for the interest of the plotter
to cultivate in the tool. It was common, a few years ago, to represent
the Abolitionist as the dupe or agent of the aristocracies of Europe. It
certainly might be supposed that persons who made this foolish charge
were competent at least to see that the present enemy of the unity of
the American people is the pro-slavery fanatic, and that it i