The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-11-12
A HISTORICAL SKETCH.
How the British took the Capita

? Correspondence Cincinnati Commereial.l
"To Butler, who defends as one o.
j his hobbies the admirableness of Chi
nese civilization, it was objected one
7 day that the weakness of China wal
exhibited in the fact that the British
: went up the rivers of that country
burning its towns and sacking its Cap.
. ital. With characteristic expertnes:
he replied "And the British came
up American rivers and burned our
Capital, and the objection fell. II
the strength of the American people
and Government were tested by the
vigor'which they opposed in 1914 10
the British capture and burning OF
Washington, the MongoIs themselves
might dance head downwards, over
our boosted Anglo-saxon force.
The oldest inhabitants of Washing
ton relate how the Capital was so
paralyzed in day by the insignif-
cant marauding troop of three or four
thousand British, that when the enc
my had left the city, single British
sentinel, left By accident, stood guard
unmolested all night near the Nation
al Intelligepcer Office. | look now
out of my window on the tasteful park
in front of the Capitol where the En-
glish troops set their tents for the two
days and enjoyed the hospitality Of
the city.
Just around the corner stands yet
the old brick grocery, where the SOL
diery got carousingly drunk and sang
songs to the praise of British valor
and of defeat to Yankees.
a few ancient citizens here, exhibit
their vanity in having their lives dat
ed far enough back to have seen the
humiliation of the nation in this hos
tile occupation of its Capital, in being
perpetnally garralous with incidents
cf it. Cicero inquired of the Romans
if it were not more becoming to re-
ljoice over the day when their city was
saved than over that upon which it
was established. To the minds of au-
cieut residents, the fact of the taking
of Washington City by the English
seems to be regarded as more import
ant than its foundation. In truth,
Roman virtue had about left this
country at the period of the war of
| 1912.
IF you are here twenty-four hours
you will be reminded of the city's cap
ture, BY some incident or story of it
ftom the lips Of these old men. If,
in your budding adolescence, your
neighbor had thrashed you into man.
hood, or if France dated her glory
from Agincourt or Waterloo, it would
be like the complacence with which
these ancient denizens narrate to you
how they slept two nights under
| British bayonets. The whole thing
seems like dream or a farce put up-
on the stage for nights amusement,
passing away and leaving a few sal
lent but trifing impressions.
There is no historical incident per-
haps, that exhibits such ridiculous
pusillanimity on the part of a govern
ment as the case with which Maoi-
sons Cabinet allowed foreign enc
my to invade the Capital and burn
the public records. Cervantees him
/ self would have to be Invoked from
his grave to give the story its perfect
coloring. The wind-mills showed
Don Quixote more resistance than
this city opposed to the English. A
nation of Hottentots would have de-
Tended their ant hill villages more
resolutely. Altogether, the summer
of 1914, and the whole period of the
war of 1912, was very queer, mex
: plicable era in the country's history.
! One can not read the records of the
time without the fancy that tho coun-
try had gone to sleep after the Revo-
luton, only to be re-wakened by the
smell of smoke from the capito
dome on an August day in 1914.
In fact the military virtues anC
spirit of the revolutionary days haG
died out, and the American people o.
1912 seem to have been capable O.
only spasmodic and temporary enthu
siasm. The soldiers of the frs
great struggle were mostly gone, ant
the lethargy of the people communi
Gated itself TO the government.
: Save Jackson's victory of NeV
Orleans, and the two or three bril-
liant naval achievements by individu
al officers, the war of 1872 fell owe
}, our political horizon pale, unmean
ing light. arousing no impulse. l
people who had shown themselves
i. race of giants in gaining a country
seemed to have turned, thirty year
N later, pigmies for Its defense.
Madisou's Cabinet itself was ron
: descript aud puzzle. Besides tn
feeble Monroe for Secretary of State
couple of inconsequent men
Messrs. Jones and Armstrong-ha
been called to administer the Wa
Ut and Navy Departments. Welles an
to I'D Interim Thomas are their faire:
ifs nm