The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-06

ever, the striking contrast OF the Presidents
message to the general tone OF the administra-
uon. The councils OF peace are not promoted
by Warllke threats. The minatory spirit of the
message is to be regretted and is not easily ex-
planned, except as a stroke of policy to divert
the mind OF the country from inward discon-
tents. The appointment OF a commission to
ascertain the facts of the dispute is just and
lair, Tor we have a right to know how it al
fects US
The effect OF the message has been to make
men pale or red in the face. While history
teaches that there is no folly or madness too
absurd for men and nations to rush into we
may.reasonably hope that this matter will not
be left to noise or passion, but confded to the
silent art OF diplomacy, that high tribunal
which is the reason of nations and the peace of
the world.
1t amounts to very little to cast the horo-
scope of the probabilities of victory. This is a
small matter, for war between England and
America would be to the end OF endurance of
both, and would set the world on fire. The
language of the message is not equal to the
writer's office nor worthy of the judicial and
d1spassionate mind of a great ruler. Mixed
WI tn much that is true there is the gratuitous
Jolly OF threats and opinions that has filed the
country with insane and clustering passion.
Few men who have not reflected deeply have
any conception OF what war between England
and America means. The war for the consti-
tuition and the Union that ruined one-half of
the country is q trif1ing incident in COMPARE
son. 1t is no use to talk about who would be
exhausted. The set would be incarnadined
and cities would be smoldering heap. The
highest military authority, man who knows
what war MEANS assures the country that
every city from Bangor to New Orleans would
be blockaded in ten days. All travel and CON-
merce would be stopped, labor would be a
bare-headed beggar and reviving prosperity
would be struck down at blow. Every good
citizen, every man of business, every patriot,
should face this idle, Dragging talk with So
briefly. of judgment, intelligence and wisdom.
And If there are any so wicked and peryerse as
to think and hope that war will come to make
business lively they deserve the deep damna-
ton OF their inevitable doom.
There is one view of this serious matter that
may not be fully appreciated by us. The
threatening tone of the Presidents message
has had the effect to divert the mind and pur-
pose of England from the suppression of bar
barism in the East inasmuch as in the case of
war how all her dependencies would be ex-
posed and Turkish misrule would be carried
out to the bitter end. This possibility gives a
quality of intense wickedness to the whole
business, and gives barbarism q new and ex-
tended lease.
But cannot believe that the American peo-
pie in spite of some tendency of blood to the
head now and then want war with English
men, nor do believe that Englishmen want
war with America. few years ago delega-
ton from the House of Commons impressed
upon us and all the nations that arbitration
was the way to settle all questions of disputed
right.
Questions of national importance are often
not as big rs they look to be. They commonly
involve simple business principles that are
familiar to every man of sense, and sometimes
what is called q estate paper is only great
fuss about matter that two men of good
sense could settle in q counting-r
fully believe that the good sense and Justice
of the Anglo-Saxon, English-Americail race
will declare that eternal peace between the
families of that race is the pledge and promise
of the peace of the world, and may the judg-
ments of the living God be shown in the land
that the people may learn righteousness.