ALABAMA CLAIMS. 4«J 



States encounter more criticism in Great Britain than 

 Great Britain does in tlic United States. 



]\Ioreover, it should be borne in mind that much of 

 tlie inculpation of Great Britain which is perceived in 

 the United States ])roceeds from British immigrants, — 

 largely Irish, but in part Scottish and English, — who, 

 like other Europeans, are but too prone to come hei'e 

 with all their native political prejudices clinging to 

 them; who not seldom hate the Government of their 

 native land; and who, of course, need time to cease to 

 be Europeans in spirit and to become simply Amer- 

 icans. And it would not be without interest in this 

 relation to see how many of such persons, in the news- 

 paper press or elsewhere, say or do things tending to 

 cause it to be supposed that opinion in the United 

 States is hostile to Great Britain. 



Tliere is one other class of facts which it is proper 

 to state in this relation, and particularly proper for 

 me to state. 



The successful revolution of the thirteen Colonies 

 was an event most unaccei)tablc, of course, to England. 

 We, the victors in that contest, should not munnur if 

 resentful memories thereof lin^jered for some time in 

 the breasts of the defeated party. I think, however, 

 such feelings have ceased to manifest themselves in 

 lOngland. It is to quite other causes, in my opinion, 

 that wo are to attribute the successive controversies 

 between the two countries, in which, as it seems to 

 me, the greater wrong has in each case, been on the 

 side of England. I think we did not aflbrd her suffi- 

 cient cause of complaint for continuing in hostile oc- 



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