The Morgantown monitor. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1863-1864, 1863-10-10

honor you. To yourselves, all ihaye
to say, after two days drillRi am
satisfied. Take that as soldier 8
goodbye.
CAN WE SUSTAIN A WAR WITH
FRANCE!
The rumors Of French interyA tion /,
now SO rife, though cslcnlaed to
awaken solicitude, will be regarded
in this country with no feeliasasnn-
becoming a proud siutreRid and ps-
triotic people. If war comes, there
will be no lowering Of the national
spirit. We are prabably better pre-
pared for war with France than We
should have been three years ago,
before the rebellion broke out. Not
only have we, within that time, be-
come one OF the greatest military
powers of the world, with more mil
itary experience than the existing
generation of all other powers put
together, but our numerous and we'll
appointed ship-yards have turned out
an enormous new navy Of wooden ves-
sells and iron cads, with ell the most
recent improvements Of modern SCI
euce. We can repair waste and con-
struct new vessels with more rapidlty
than any other nation. Our present
enemy is without navy; SO that on
the ocean, where war with France
would be mainly fought, we could
confront her with our whole force,
and cope with her on equal terms
The war on land will be merely with
our present foe, with perhaps some
small French reinforcements: the
war on the water will be against
France alone, and our navy has be-
come so strong that we have no rea-
son to shrink from the contest.
Against France alone, We repeat !;
for in a war with US she will have no
allies. II England is jealous of us,
she is more jealous of France. 1t is
the growing armaments of France
that have compelled the British gov
ernment to make great and constant
additions to the expenditures neces-
sary for her security. Mr.. Kin
glate's book has lately deepened her
humilating consciousness that she
played a part subordidate to France
in the Crimean war, and she will re-
fuse to be again led behind the tri-
umphal car of her enterprising rival.
But she has q more solid reason than
this founded on her pride for stand
ing aloof. In war between France
and the United States, French and
American commerce will be swept
from the ocean, and Great Britain
as a neutral, will monopolize the
carrying trade of the world, which
will be to her source Of immense
wealth. By the Paris declaration it
has become the accepted law Of ma
tions that the flag of neutral pro-
tects an enemy's goods. This has
always been the American doctrine,
having become established as such in
the Napoleonic wars in the early part
of the century, when our commerce
was nourished into strength by the
advantages Of our neutral position in
world of belligerents. These ad-
vantages, on a more colossal scale,
would drop into the lap of England
by war between France and the
United States. In proportion, there
fore, as France dips into the Ameri-
can imbroglio we may confidently ex-
pect to see England recede. France,
in daring hostilities with US, must
also take the risk of whatever Euro
pean complications may arlae while
she has 80 formidable a business in
her hands.
1t being reasonably certain, then,
that if France goes to war with ns
Great Britain will remain neutral {,
there is nothing in the power and
resources of France alone which
should prevent our taking up with
alertness the glove which she may
choose to throw down. The main
injury she can do US will be to annihi-
late, not our commerce, but the pro-
fits Of our shipping interest. Our
exports and imports would still be
conveyed in British bottoms, nn'ess
France succeeded in blockading our
ports, which we hold to be impossi-
BILE. We should at once let loose 8
swarm of privateers against her com
merce; and We presume she would
not he restrained by the Paris declara-
ton from retaliating in kind, con-
STRUNG the abolition Of privateerlog
as binding only 10 wars between the
powers no are parties to the declare,