ALABAMA CLAIMS. 43 



tliemselves into a "fine frenzy." Ministers and the 

 Parliament, instead of manfully taking a stand at the 

 outset in opposition to the popular current of delu- 

 sion and passion, got alarmed and lost their heads, 

 and said and did some thino-s not creditable to the 

 British Government. In the United States, on the 

 other hand, sundry persons were officiously over-zeal- 

 ous on the wrong side ; the newspaper press was a 

 little flustered; and some things were written and 

 published which it would have been better not to 

 \v'rite and publish ; but the public mind maintained 

 its equilibrium, content, on the whole, to await the 

 progress of the arbitration : while the President, the 

 Secretary of State, with his colleagues of the Cabinet, 

 and the Congress, remained " perfectly calm," stand- 

 ing always on the stipulations of the Treaty, and 

 never believing it would be broken or disregarded 

 by Great Britain. 



In my opinion, the contrast at this time between 

 the attitude of the British Government and that of 

 the American Government deserves a few words of 

 commentary. 



It is not uncommon in England to suppose and to 

 say that demagog]]^ that is, factious appeal to popular 

 prejudice and passion, is a conspicuous feature of 

 political action in the United States. It seems to 

 be supposed also that demagogy here pleases itself 

 especially with accusations of Great Britain. Mean- 

 while, it is complacently assumed that self-possession 

 and stability, with unexceptional amiability toward 

 the United States, characterize political action in 



