The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-07
The Mistakes OF Patriots.

In his Eourth,of July Grafton ut Phila-
delphia upon the love which Americans
have for Engifshmen, tho Hon. THoMAsF.
BAYARD read q letter written by GBoRaB
WARRINGTON in October. 1774, to . cap
tain in the British army Tho Father Of
his Country then informed tho British cap
tain that the Colonies did not desire inde-
pendence. This n what he wrote:
-eive me leave to ada. sndr tdnh I oan sssums n
g q fact that 10 n noe the wfsh or interest Of that
Government (6aasadhnsetts1 OF any other upon this
Continent to rot up fer Independence . . I am
wen sa.isnod thar no such thing - desired by any
thinking man in all North Americas on the contrary,
that 10 n tho ardent wish Of the varmost advocates Of
liberty that peace and tranquility upon oousntulona
grounds may be restored md the horror Of OWL Dis
cord be prevented"
This only shows that even agrestpatriot
may temporarily misinterpret public senti-
ment. Eight months after writing this let
ter to the British captain, WASHINGTON
was Commanderin,Chie Of The army Of
American in~depandsncA
Other patriots make mistakes. 10 may
not be generally remembere6 that on Juno
~, 1851, the Hon. THOMAS b. BNYARD
himself addressed q public meeting
at Dover, Delaware, advocating the
acknowledgment by treaty of tho in
dependence of the Confederate States
of America. He dwelt eloqusntly upon
the Acknowledgement of tho Union was prof
cradle to q warrior tho UnicnS preservation.
In language very much like that which he
how habitually uses In discussing kinship
across the seas Mr.. BAYARp drew q picture
of two great American republics existing
side by side In brotherly leve and friendly
rivalry: a diminished Federal Union and q
new Confederacy:
"rake the proposition Of war. Of horrid Own war.
my countrymeni Grant to tho Northern arms com.
piete success. Suppose that every Southern city "a
reduced TO ghastiy ruin. evory peaceful Southern
homo desolated. and every Southern man slain or
made captive. This II the evident oomplstest realisa-
ton OF that dream of conquest % horribly ~satisfao-
tory to those minds who control the Northern press.
But what thenp VIII q union with slaves and the
possession of adesert satisfy your You do not and
cannot expect love and aid in times OF your necessity
from those States you have 30 cruelty subdued. Il Il
too plain, therefore. that your success In such . wal
would be the most fatal injury TO yourselves.
"And ia such q war necessary for the peace and hap
piness of the United statesp For half . century We
have lived ut peace with Great Britain. with hei
Canadian possessions upon our northern border. Upon
tno bOutu Ao1lCO uohhb 2 OONohun1ouh Wv N
threats of trouble to us or our oitizens. Why. then
may not too american Corvsderaoiss eatst eide b
eide ,Ofthopt conflict. each sIsSiattn0 the other IN IN.
progress Of otvtItraitonp The ootsrminouS Kingdoms
of Europe offer many examples Of similar peace and
prosperity. with such o siokouing alternative ~ owl
war, why should MOE the experiment. 81 least. b
NADER 1t Is this question we are to pass upon
bore to-day"
And Mr.. BAYARD's speech ended with
this Characteristic sentence:
"Let us. fellow mon. follow peaos - our brgh
north star whose radiance may be mild but nerve
'deiusive or uncertain. while in tho calamfties of war
and, in that worst Of war;. . civil war. we ahan on,
reach by sheer exhaustion the peace w can nov
command In ten days by treaty"
Stirred by the eloquence Of this friend o
peace at any price, the Dover convention
adopted resolutions calling for "the &C
acknowledgement Of the Independence of tn
Confederate States, 30 that peace and pros
perity may be restored among us"
Yes, patriots can make mistakes. Thor
is this difference, however, in tho tw,
cases noted. WAsHINoToN's letter to tn
British captain was written six month
before Lexington. Mr.. BAYARD's speed
to the peace-at-any-price mon at DOvor wa
delivered seventy days after Sumter.