Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1839-03-21
THE MAINE CONTROVERSY.

daily reached us were but eyanescent ebuli,io,. r.
feeling, which would subsde after few DAYS so.,
enec ton, al least until the Goternment, of C,.,,
Britain aud the United States had decided IN. ,...
question Of Peace War. But in this va b,,.
been disapponted and it is now pretty certain. ,b,,
II our amicable relations with Great Britain h. M,
seriously disturbed and endangered j, in mn, h. n.
ia ult of the Governors Of Maine and New l,,.,.
wick.
The truth is, the question. which, Fl ON ,s unset.
tied state, has led 10 this disastrous and ,brea.;
state of things, ought long ago to have been .eu...
and II is the least of the just causes of com,,,,
against the present and preceding Ina,
1t has rem aimed until tn time unadjusted Tb.i,
boosted diplomatic ingenuity aud skill and their %.
tentaiiously paraded maxim. that "they never AK
for any thing wrong, and will not submit TO apy thin,
that's not right" shown by the present a,,;,ua.
OF our relations with Great Britain to be scorcb;ny
sarcasm instead OF a deserved compliment, and with
al an unmeanng bravado. For fiji was right 10 in
sst upon our clam to the disputed territory" our
pretensons ought long since to have been re nquish
ed, as, on the other hand, flour claim be legitimate.
as II seems to us TO be ndispulaby So according to-
the provisions Of the treaty of 1885, it ought TO hays
been pressed to a successful issue years ago. VIA,
has MIR. Stevenson been doing, during his long real.
dence in London that our rights have been permit
ted TO remain in allegiance, until the clash of arm.
upon the ioper has reused the administration from,
its lehargy ard from the gross neglect of ,,s solemn
obligations 1.-The "disputed territory" belongs IN.
Maine as by the only fair and just construction Of
which the treaty Of 1888 is susceptible, it uuoue.
tonably does, why has Mr.. Stevenson neglected IL
assert our rights, in that unequivocal and emphatic
manner which could alone be expected to ensure
heir recognition and acknowledgment! Didhe find
it more agreeable to frt with the Duchess Of De-
vonshire and TO feast with the Duke Of Leeds, Ikea
good Democrat as he is. than to ascertain the true
boundaries of his country, and 10 exact from Lord
| Palmerston the formal admission of those bounaa-
! ries, as solemny recognized by treaty These arc
questions which it behooyes the people to ask,-,he
people, who fwar eusue are TO pay the piper, and
all the expenses Of the bloody game,-and they
should demand satisfactory reply. But that reply
canno. be given, without exposing the gross neglect
of duty, TO call il by no harsher name,) which tho
existing emergency so plainly implies.
Admitting, we do the justice of the claim which
Maine sets upto The territory in dispute, mus,
nevertheless be permitted question the propr,ety
of the winch the authorities and people ,haa
on the occasion. This is peculiarly question, the
adjustment, ofwhch, under the constitution, belongs
to the general government. No Stale has right.
under any pretex short of absolute self defence 10
assume the high responsibility Of involving the coun
I in war with another power. II is stepping be-
yond the limit of preserved rights and powers" and
deserves rebuke, even while we determine to sustain
her in the struggle which she may ihus unnecessa-
ry and pemaurey free upon er sister States. II.
indeed, act OF hostility had been committed
by the British Governor Of New Brunswick, or if
he had threatened to commit such overt act of hos
tny.-then there might be some justification in air
this vast parade Of troops and instruments OF war, Of
which we hear by every days report from the
North. But when nothing of this sort has been done
or threatened, aud when the Governor of Name is
officially apprized of the measures adopted BY the
President TO bring this controversy to a head, at
once, either by peaceably securing possession ofthe
SOIL else tLing 1t by the strong arm, it strikes Us
as useless and somewhat ntemptbIe display Of
belligerency in that high unciionary to put on his
cooked hat and, " with an eye like Mars muster
his valiant legions by the thousand upon the borders
of the conirovened land.
And yet we fear that there is more Of calculation
than Of rdtor in all this parade Of ball and bayonet.
Should the dispute be amicably settled by negota.
ton, from the pacific spirit of the age, well as
from the Unreasonable folly of testing the justice of
the qnarrelby appeal to arms shall tho
nature of this calculation next winter when Uncle
Sam will be called upon TO pay the long bill of ex-
penses incurred by Maine in this gallant display OF
her legions. The larger the number of her men,
thus called i"to service, the larger will be her de-
mands upon the treasury; and hence the eagerness
Of her Major Generals and their subordlnates TO
reach the tented field, where good pay and ra,ions
are ulnshed'-and no danger Of fight Mark the
/ prediction, This ''wal" will blow over before De-
cember next and then comes the drain upon the
treasury to authorize which all these warIlke pre-
par allonsare made. For one hope that claims
upon the national treasury, growing out OF this affair.
will be for moment tolerated. Ii Maine IS SO ca
ger for the fray push her troops into the field.
nor only without the application, but against the
wishes of the general government, she should 90
made pay them out of her exchequer. twill
be lesson to her and Others in future, not TO provoke
war by unauthorized preparations forit as the con-
trary principle Of action will serve to stimulate others
TO like display of valor where peril is 10 be en-
countered, and where the aurels be reaped dol
lars and cents
Spirit Of the 11mcs.-The last number Of this
well conducted paper, printed in New York, devoted