Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-08-14

ulScretl0n was, OF course, every tllns
depended on judgment. Without that all the in
structons in the world would not have been worth ;
button Happily for the country, and not les.
happily for South Carolina, the right man had beer
chosen for this difficult service and chosen because
the Government knew him to be Just the man. not
because it loved him He conducted the whole bust
ness to its end, with such steadiness and skill with
such happy mixture of Cancellation and frmness Of
secrecy and of timely words that he controlled the
violence of both parties, induced the leaders and
setters-on of the matter themselves to hearken tc
his patriotic counsels and finally disarmed those
flaming animosities and that insane wish to see blood
shed, which had, when he arrived in Charleston
filed all mems minds, and armed their handsagainst
each other. Nothing could be more dangerous than
the men, the temper, and the situation OF things
with which he had to deal; nothing more delicate
and yet firm than the management required A
single false step would probably have been fatal and
lighted up civil war, which would have spread
through the whole South and sundered the Union.
We owe (under Cod our escape from these terrible
evils only to the exertions and the wisdom Of Gen.
Scott; who abundantly proved to all those who were
actors IN the matter among whom the writer hereof
one) that his abilities are quite as equal to dan
gerous and difficult civil coniunctures as to the hand
ling of armies in the field
| FLORIDA WAR: PUBLIC DISAPPOINTMENT AND
INJUSTICE.
| OF the Florida war, and Gen. SCOTS brief part
in it, need say little 1t is not agreeable to dwell
upon operations which the habits of the foe and the
nature of the country where he was to be hunted
up made and still continue to make nvariable fail
ures The public with evity and an injustice of
which it has now been long aware, condemned Gen.
Scott because sent off to Florida suddenly and with
out preparation, he did not finish in month war
which afterwards cost years of exerton and ten
millions of money, and is hardly ended yet He
lost no battle, suffered no check but no matter
he did not at once subdue an enemy whom he could
not ind and all his merits, all his services were
forgotten. Nobody knew the impracticable country
IN which he was to act, nor that it warfare of
guess and experiment in which he was obliged to
begin by cropping in the dark for the best mode of
operating. He was laughed at by the public, and
recalled by the Administration But he demanded
an inquiry, and the able court before which the
matter tried came to the clearest opinion that
he had committed no fault and that his plans were
all well laid, and executed with all zeal and ability
These transactions were in 1886.
/ HE QUELLs THE TROUBLES OF THE CANADIAN
| FRONTIER.
/ This country of ours is always easy to persuade
that it has lost is the point of losing its own
liberty but though thus confessedly hard put to it
to take care of its own freedom it has great pas
sion for making itself the guardian of every body
cses. This prudent disposition has more than once
threatened to get into great trouble, sometimes
with other nations, sometimes among ourselves. In
1887 1t was near plunging us into with Great
Britain At that time an instruction was attempted
in Canada. Its object was the independence of that
country But far the greater part Of the population
preferred remaining under the British Government
and the revolt was at once crushed, rather by the
Canadian militia than the Government troops
This should have been enough to satisfy any we'll
wisher TO the socalled Canadian cause for surely,
if Canada had no mind to set up for freedom, she
had a right to please herself, and it was nobody's
business but hers So, however, seem not to have
thought many of our people.
All along our border from Vermont to Michigan,
a sort Of army, wide and very numerous organi-
zation of selfstyled "Sympathizers, had spread
itself A few of them, when the outbreak occurred,
had crossed, joined in it, fallen into the hands of
the British authorities, and been punished This
only made the rest more violent; and the scene of
Canadian Revolution, broken up there, was trans
ferred to our side. Forgetting all treaties and all
sense, onefourth of population along there seem
to have made up their mind that what Canada would
not have-independence- her neighbors, would
make her have, any how. 10 add to the fame the
English violated our territory, by seizing upon q
steamer, the Caroline, that was employed in carry
ing over "sympathizers" to Navy Island, where
they collecting forces for fresh invasion She
was taken, destroyed, and an American on board of
her killed. This outrage produced a great excite
ment all over the United States for our people,
though not at all scrupulous of violating the terri
tory of others, extremely jealous of their own
So strong the public feeling that there seemed
nothing more likely than that large bodies of our
folks, insgated and led by the many refugees from
Canada who were among them, would fling them
selves, at many points, upon the British territory
and that war between the two Governments would
necessarily ensue. To prevent this, President Van
Buren, again put in requisition the abilities of Gen
Scott as peace-maker. On the 4th January, 1888.
ne was sent off to the frontier, with ample powers,
both political and military, on the one side to sup
press the illegal movements Of our "sympathizers"
and on the other to check any British violation of
our soil. 1t necessary to meet those armed as
sembages Of misguided men, as fast as they collect
ed, all along frontier Of eight hundred miles, and,
by the joint force of reason and Of firm authority to
get the better of their passions and of the influence
OF their leaders. He had sooner done this at one
point than he was obliged often to hurry off to ano.
ther, perhaps far away, for the same purpose. This
was much Of it done by the most rapid journeys,
through all the rigors Of Northern winter, and by
night: Tor in the day he acted, and travelled by
night Such was his speed to move and his vigil
ance to watch, that if body Of these people assem-.
bled any where, no matter how far off, before they
could move forward to act he was sure to be in the
midst OF them, arguing, warning, conjuring them,
or, II all else failed assuring them that they should
r,nara 4 4 x.vt