The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-01-19
THE PROSPECT OF WAR OR PEACE

The Eastern Question appears now settled. An
eternal peace smile again upon mankind, and
the attitude of France England and Russia the three
great representatives Of the Romantic Saxon and Seal
woman races, which, but month ago, seemed to
threaten general war; appears again calm and tran
qui as the mirror Of lake after the storm has sub
sided. But this peace, which by one party is
bought all hazards, and by the other borne with
impotence, not to say with Indignation, it last
much longer And can the angry passions which
hy the late OF the respective administrations
CT the those countries have not been allayed, but
merely smohered, peace, in fine be lastingy
tAbshed where there is an abundance OF wrongs, and
apparent abundance OF means TO redress them We
believe not The present position of the political and
moral world is of the most interesting in history;
but we heed il not because cannot look age
from perspective distance, ourselves hurried
BY events, the full import and meaning of which
will only be understood by Il e historian of future
ages, that will feel them in their remotest conse-
quences.
Let for moment look back to the eventful year
of 1882 when thirty millions Of men rose if by
magic, not 10 ASK m chartered inmu nitics redress
oil grievances, but IN order to carry out doctrine
abstraction, living, boundess idea Of the equality
OF man and the right of the masses TO parake OF the
royal banquet Of life, at which they had hitherto been
stationed but as dumb attendants The cannons Of
Bunker Hill had proclaimed the determination of
new born people TO mount the stage on which the
endless drama Of universal history is performed to
and kings had acted distinguished part Democracy
was born with teeth in its mouth and wonderful has
been its progress for the last halfcentury The feuda
forms Of Europe, the great bulwark Of civilization Of
former ages, were overthrown-millioDs rushed into
battle TO pledge their faith in the democratic creed
with their blood Europe became an universal scene
of carnage and the country between the Vistua and
the Rhine The great charne house OF conflicting ma
tioDs Peace restored the old institutions were
partially revived, democracy deprived Of It's teeth and
~
rity and oblivion
Fifteen years lasted this peace, when 10 the Mar
seloise wakes the sleepers again from their dreams
Liberty and Equality thunder more in the streets
of Paris, and all Europe seized with frenzy, joins
chorus in the magic song. The child Of Demo- racy
Is born again, but IT is longer the wild clawy
monster, whose caresses followed by streams of hui
man gore wears sober aspect and has learned pa
tience, and now the princes treat with it, II is allowed
seat at the royal table, nay 1t called after
king thoughts place is in the neighborhood of cour
tzans and ugglers and its very existence an ambigui
ty Since that time lords and soveIegns have tried to
amuse IT. and TO keep out of harms way by giving
all sorts of toys to play with but the nature Of the
child will not long deny ITSELF and this the point
dreaded by all.
In England and Ireland the passage of the reform
bill the uniform penny postage the reduction ofstamps
on newspapers the corporations of Ireland the esab-
lishment of tree bottomry, and the bold attitude
assumed with regard 10 Russia, did a great deal to
RIGA, the brow beating Of Mexico and Buenos Ayres
and the puppet show at Ancona and the frontiers Of
Switzerland, furnished SO many toys to while away the
time in France Germany alone felt that the time OF
preparation was at hand and that nothing but timely
move could save the country Accordingly the bonds
of union between the different of the conedera-
cy were strengthened by the Prussion tariff league,
aunorm currency introduced throughout the country
the system of excise in the interior entirely abolished
and every thing done conciate the sectional feel
ings OF the different provinces. Thus Germany stands
at this moment clad in armor from the Baltic Ia Tho
Alps, from the Rhine to the Vistua Her princes
and mobiles volunteers the cause ofdcmocracy and
the people by the simple force oeducaton emancipacd
from thraldom withou, having gone throu reyoIu
ton hat the time for trial has arrived and that the
peace q Europe cannot be reH PRESCRIBED another year
despite OF the present tranquility of public affairs
amater which no European drlomatist would venture
to deny. The Cdbtnets have given out the word of
pcace-the nations are armng themselves rarrsons
thrown into all the large forresses money is Dor
rowed by every nation TO carry on the government
and 1t all these things united, il the accumulation of
the materials and cause of war; does not itself BRING
about the fatal catastrophe then there is no faith in
human foresight and reading of the future by the
past
That in the event of war the United States NAV
be made bohgerant party cannot he doubted from the
unsettled question of the right of search claimed by.
England, and from the extreme embarrassment of the
boundary question, the ultimate settlement of which
appears TO be still distant ever But notwith-
standing all this, in Europe cannot but benefit
the United States. II must give us, Tor a time n,
least the carrying trade of the world and by render
ing tue securities OF Europe precarious raise the
prices of securities here so that in the worst SO The
next administration of the country NAV look for cons
derable support to the circumstances Of the times
which we cannot but construe in favor Of America
Phil Standard