The portion of the Message referring to the Alabama claims
has been carefully analyzed in another place, and the text given almost in full ; but we may state here that the President, in our opinion, abandons the old ground, the premature recognition of belli- gerency, as untenable, but holds us guilty of unfriendly conduct which caused enormous injury to the Union, though, as he specially adds, that injury, as a pecuniary wrong, is less important than the wrong England committed in being so unfriendly. He suggests, though in a somewhat vague way, that the road out of the "only grave question" between the Union and any foreign power is to be found in a treaty settling matters for the future ; in fact, laying down principles of alliance with an acknowledgment that England has not observed them. His tone is moderate, and it seems not wholly impossible that a new basis of compromise may ultimately be found.
