The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1854-04-25
From the London Times, March 30.
THE WAR DECLARATION.

War is decl red. peace which has lasted
the unexamplcd period of 80 years, which ma
ny fondly hoped was to last as many more, Is
at an end and the threo most powerful States
of Europe are once mora engaged in a strug-
gle, the duration, the end, and the results of
which no one can tell; but it is too likely to
produce disasters and sufferings, of which We
are mercifuly spared the foreknowledge: It's
not for us to attempt to lift up the veil of a
futurity which must be sad in many respects;
nor is thero any need.
No alternative is left us; the decision has
been taken out of our hands; and, unless wc
would submit, with our allies, to crouch under
tho indoent dictaton Of barbaric power, and
see the liberties of Europe disappear under
the tramp of the Cossack, We had no other
course than to do what has now boen done III
sad and solemn form. The eight of the docu-
ment which we publish to day will call many
to their senses, who to the last have specula-
ted on the chances of war as u still remote corr
tingency, or have looked at 1t in its holiday as
poets.
Ifthe mere sight of manifesto to which we
are happily so little used, might sober the most
thoughtless, the perusa of it will remove eve
ry scruple from those who do not think all war
uniustifiable. The document dos Justice to
tho long and anxious efforts of France and
England to heal tho rupture which the Car
had all along determined never should be heal
ed, except by tho subjugaiion ola neighbor
against whom he had no longer quarrel
With simple collation. of dates it convicts the
daring attempts of the Emperor to falsify tho
chronology of tho negotiation, and throw on
us the odium of provoking the war.
II meets with Just rebuke the impudent by.
pocrisy with which Russia has claimed to be
tho friend of religion and truth, when it was
spurning the pure precepts of the ono and
outraging tho laws of the other. There is not
an Englishman whose thoughts are still free,
and whose hand is not tied by some fanatical
theory, who will not respond heart and soul to
this solemn appeal. The greater part of us
will only bo called on to endure sacrifices, and
thankful we should bo that our part in the no
bio struggle is not moro severe.
"But those sacrifices will be made cheerful
ly and ungrudingly, from tho conviction that
Heaven has put them upon US, and that tho
only way to save ourselves, and fulfil our part
of tho terrible DRAMA is to strike with ell our
might, and lot the great culprit sec at once the
tremendous power he has presumed to set at
nought. We have been slow to take tho de-
cisve step. The Russian has evidently con-
cluded that we preferred negotiation to action;
the very population Of st. Pctersburgh has
been taught that we are too commercial to be
real warriors. and too fond of profit to bo keen
ly sensitive to wrong.
Now that wc have thrown away the scabbard,
and stand face TO face with our insoent antag-
onist. it only remains to disabuse him thor
oughly of this imaginary estimate of our tenn
per and our power That, wo havo no doubt,
will be done, but it will be done all the moro
readily by our gallant fleet and army, if it DO
known that all England follows her sons to
BATTLE and will prosecute their cause and a.
venge their death, till soon or late the rights
of nations and the liberties Of Europe receive
fresh sanction in tho signal punishment of tho
gigantic offender.