The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-02-23
PEACE BETTER THAN WAR.

PEACE BETTER THAN WAR.
We trust our country will have
no serious trouble with England
over the few millions of dollars at
issue between them, known as the
alabama Claims" War is threat
ened, and considerable bad feeling
has been engendered by the flight
ing" talk already INDUCED in on
both sides of the ocean by leading
statesman and newspapers. We in
indulge the strong hope that there
may be nothing more serious than
talk, and that all matters of differ
ference may be amicably settled.
There seems to us to be nothing SO
abhorrent, nothing SO barbarous,
nothing SO foolish, as war-we
might say butchery-about mat
ter of the nature of that which Eng
land and America are now really
talking of settling by an appeal TO
arms. War is the last thing which
two nations, boasting of their adj
advanced christianity and civiliza-
ton should talk of as means OF
settling q little business matte {.
And we have been both surprised
and panied to read the iil-advise d
expressions from both sides on the
subject. Devotees of the 'smanly
art of self-defence" and the visitors
at the gaming table may choose such
a method to enforce their contracts,
but what should we think if Mr..
Fish and Earl Granville should en-
gage in such business. We would
at once say they disgraced their ma
lions, and were not entitled to the
respect of their fellow men. The
same rules that govern individuals
should govern nations, because a
nation is nothing but an aggregation
of individuals. The difficulties of
nations can be settled in the same
way as those of individuals.
This cry of war comes from the
fact that it is supposed England
will attempt to back down
from the conditions of the Washing
ton Treaty, made and entered into
last summer, on the part some of
her distinguished statesmen. We
do not believe she can afford to do
this, but if she does it will be better
to have another Joint High Com
misson," and another treaty, than to
have war. 1t seems that English
men have just discovered that some
advantage was gained over them in
this treaty by American shreWd.
ness. Ii they want to violate a con-
tract they helped to make, or shirk
their own blunders, America will
gain more by letting her "plead the
body act" and she will lose more in
the sound contempt OF all nations, in
pursuing such a course than either
could possibly gain by war.
1t is an easy matter to have war,
and we are a little surprised at the
fiippant way in which the question
is treated by sensible papers. The
public sentiment is now being made
which may, in less than six months,
fill our country with the tramp OF
soldiers, or on the other hand, lead
to wiser counsels, and to the pre-
ventiOn of blood shed, and for this
reason We have demeed it necessary
to lift our pen in behalf of what
seems 10 US the wisest course on the
matter in dispute. 1t would take 9
quarter of a century to undo the
evil that may be done in a week OF
ill-advised talk about the meanness
aud arrogance OF England. 1t is pop
ular for newspapers to dare John
ny Bull to knock a chip from the
shoulder of Uucle Sam, and it caus-
es quickening of blood in Ameri-
can veins to say that in twenty days
we could throw 100000 armed men
into Canada. 1t really makes us
feel like knocking the first English.
men we meet over the head with 8
b.udgeon even to think about it.
We fairly throw up our hats when
the telegraph tells US that Charles
Sumner, whom we venerate, says
"America must not back down,
and that cockeyed Ben Butler is
going to introduce some resolutions
on the situation" But after q while
come other reflections. On the
one side there is few millions oil
dollars, and hundreds of columns OF
patriotic newspaper talk about our
GLORIOUS country" and all that,
And then when we get through we
will ask if all this was worth the
hundred thousand new made graves
of American citizens, and the humid
red billions of dollars added to our
national debt; the thousands OF
widows and orphans, and the
twenty-five years it would take to
recover from the Generalization Of
the struggle.
We have said it is an easy matter
to have war. We can cite two ca
ses in our country to prove this :
that with England in 1872, and with
Mexico in 1S47.. These two wars
were brought upon US on the eve Of
Presidential elections, which influ-
enced them unduly. And this fur
nishes MS with an additional reason
TO say that the foolish talk aboui
war with England now should be
Immediately checked. 1t is much
easier to fan the war fame on the
eve of the great poiiticsl struggle
which will take place next year,
than ut any other time. Undue ex-
element and inconsiderafe diplo.
matte correspondence brought on