y, though Russell sought to use it as an argument for
British action. In his memorandum, circulated October 13, Russell strove
to show that the purpose and result would be servile war. He dwelt both
on the horrors of such a war, and on its destruction of industry:

"What will be the practical effect of declaring emancipation,
not as an act of justice and beneficence, dispensed by the
Supreme Power of the State, but as an act of punishment and
retaliation inflicted by a belligerent upon a hostile
community, it is not difficult to foresee. Wherever the arms
of the United States penetrate, a premium will be given to
acts of plunder, of incendiarism, and of revenge. The
military and naval authorities of the United States will be
bound by their orders to maintain and protect the
perpetrators of such acts. Wherever the invasion of the
Southern States is crowned by victory, society will be
disorganized, industry suspended, large and small proprietors
of land alike reduced to beggary[924]."

The London newspaper press was very nearly a unit in treating the
proclamation with derision and contempt and no other one situation in
the Civil War came in for such vigorous denunciation. Citations setting
forth such comment have frequently been gathered together illustrative
of the extent of press condemnation and of its unity in vicious
editorials[925]. There is no need to repeat many of them here, but a few
will indicate their tone. The _Times_ greeted the news with an assertion
that this was a final desperate play by Lincoln, as hope of victory
waned. It was his "last card[926]," a phrase that caught the fancy of
lesser papers and was repeated by them. October 21, appeared the
"strongest" of the _Times_ editorials:

[Illustration: ABE LINCOLN'S LAST CARD; OR, ROUGE-ET-NOIR. _Reproduced
by permission of the Proprietors of "Punch"_]

"... We have here the history of the beginning of the end,
but who can tell how the pages will be written which are yet
to be filled before the inevitable separation is
accomplished? Are scenes like those which we a short time
since described from Dahomey yet to interpose, and is the
reign of the last PRESIDENT to go out amid horrible massacres
of white women and children, to be followed by the
extermination of the black race in the South? Is LINCOLN yet
a name not known to us as it will be kno