Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-01
WEDNESDAY. APRIL /. 1891.
WORSE THINGS THAN wAR-THK PROB.
ABILITIES,

ABILITIES.
There are worse things than war. The
ruth and devastation attending active
hostilities involve an infinite amount OF
suffering and great loss of property and
life. And yet it is better to suffer all
these than to become spiritless peo-
pie. England, under Chatham, was
drawn into a great war through an out
rage on a few English sailors. The
United States plunged into the war of
1912 on account of Great Britain's in
solent demand to search our merchant
vessels for deserting English tars. Both
countries were right. Should war arise
between the United States and Italy
this country, as far as developments
have progressed, would be clearly in the
right. The investigation into the mur-
der OF certain alleged Italian subjects in
New Orleans was under way. The only
action thus far taken by the govern
ment of the United States was in repro
baton of the action of the rioters, as
Secretary Blaine's telegram to Governor
Nichols clearly shows. Such matters can
not be adjusted in day or a week. The
recall of Baron Fava by no means neces-
sarily means war. Such events are gen.
orally led up to by the dismissal of the
ambassador of the offending power, and
nothing thus far appears to have been
said to the American minister at Rome.
There are two notable instances in
point, which we can recall without
special research. The first was upon
the occasion of the rupture of the
treaty OF Amiens, when the first Napo-
leon advanced upon Lord Whitworth,
the British ambassador, and addressing
him with great fury, almost with per-
sonal violence, told him to 60 home,
and sent his passports after him. The
whole scene was so sensational that
many people looked for downright col
lision between the irate conqueror and
the self possessed British minister.
When afterwards asked what he should
have done if Bonaparte had actually
struck him. his lordship replied, 81
should simply have run him through
the body"
A second occasion, equally sensation
al, was the way in which the Austro-
Franco war, which solidfied Italy, broke
out. The third Napoleon approached
the Austrian ambassador at the New
Years reception at the Tuileries, and
poured stream of denunciation on his
head, dismissing him and sending him
his passports, as in the previous case.
The mere sundering of diplomatic rela-
tions by no means implies war. During
the Crimean war the government of the
United States dismissed Mr.. Champion,
the British ambassador, because that
official was found encouraging enlist
ment in the United States for the Brit
ish forces in Russia. This act of itself
was gross breach of international law,
but the United States did not care to
look upon it as. casus belH. The more
recent dismissal of Sir Lionel Sackvile-
West, the immediate predecessor of Sir
Julian Pauncefote, is fresh in the mem
ory of all readers of newspapers, it hav-
ing occurred in the closing days of Mr..
Cleveland's administration. These were
both violent disruptions of diplomatic
intercourse, but they by no means inn
piled war, or any disposition to 60 to
war. The plunging of two great nations
into bloody issue is not thing to be
lightly undertaken unless long standing
grievances have existed.
But We repeat it, there are worse
things than war. 1t will be unfortunate
if our adversary sha all be country like
Italy, with pretty formidable navy and
no commerce worth speaking of. But
even then the experience in the end will
not be without decided benefits. We
ought to know where we stand, and we
ought to have navy commensurate
with our national pretensions. The
present incident will arouse us from a
false sense of security, and will teach us
that money making is not the only aim
in national life.
1t is question as to what kind of a
people the United States would eventu-
ate in if we should pass another decade
or two in peace. 1t is now twenty-six
years since the close of the civil war. A
new generation has sprung up-a gen
Grafton that knew not Joseph" Un-
til recently stirring events in uninter-
rupted succession maintained the mar
tial spirit of our people. The early
settlers were obliged to fight the
Indians and afterwards the Canadians
and Indians together. Then we were
obliged to fight the British and Indians
together in the war of the revolution,
and the British and Indians together in
the war of 1912. After that we had in
terminable Indian wars, the war with
Mexico and the war of the rebellion.
All these were ordeals calculated to
maintain the martial spirit of Ameri
cans at high standard. If we shall
pass too long period without war the
effect on the national manly fiber might
be disastrous.
So, if war shall come through the pre-
cipitancy of Italy, lett come. The man
who shall bet on the proyerbial good
luck of the United States will not be in