INTRODUCTION xxxiii 



which peace seemed to be threatened from the 

 American side, popular feeling in the United 

 States was, or seemed to be, so far bellicose 

 that the statesmen who directed American 

 policy thought they could make political capi 

 tal out of a menacing attitude. Such was the 

 case with Mr. Polk and Mr. Seward, and again 

 with Mr. Elaine; and such seemed to be the 

 case with Mr. Cleveland in December, 1895, 

 though the motives with which he launched his 

 message of that year have never been fully 

 understood. If nothing similar happened in 

 Britain, it must be remembered that the ques 

 tions which arose between the two countries 

 were all (except the Trent affair) remote from 

 the knowledge and interest of the great bulk of 

 Englishmen, so that it was never worth the 

 while of any politician, however free from scru 

 ples, to win any popular favor by an anti-Amer 

 ican policy. Had the controversies which arose 

 over Canadian issues directly affected Britain, 

 or, in other words, had the English been Cana 

 dians, defending their view of their rights to dis 

 puted territory or to absolute control of sea- 

 fisheries, the temper of the British people might 

 have been more sensitive and their latent pug 

 nacity more easily aroused. 



