The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-06
HOW WARS HAVE COME.
Eostilities are Usually Begun Without For
NAL w arning.
Atzanta Journal.

as the result, not Of design and grave
generalization, with calm weighing
of consequences, but Of some hasty
action, born Of passion and growing
out Of popular dislike, which amounts
ito distemper, aud is no more amena-
sble to reason than the cyclone is to
the eooing Of az dove. Only one case
Of the formal lodgment Of complaint
before actual hostilities has occurred
ii 40 years. The other wars were
the immediate results Of covert acts
committed by individuals or subordi-
mates who we're melted and sustained
in IN their deeds by the inflamed state OF
public opinion, which came as tie re-
suit Of causes Of long standing.
ominally kings and chief execu-
tives or legislatures declare war, but
the real Indictment to hostilities
comes from the people themselves.
Public opinion grows slowly, or is
kindled,like a fire. Long smouldering
passions burst into fame, and spread
with fearful rapidity.
THE CIVIL. WAR.
The civil wi war in this country was
years in coming on, and statesmen
Had STAYED off the irrepressible con-
,dict many times before it finally be-
came an awful reality. There had
been the oldquestion Of slavery, close
II connected with the greater one of
States rights, oft recurring and many
times compromised or evaded, when
at last the agitation became SO bitter
that the murderous raid Of John
Brown was applauded by Christian
people.
a. ! year before the outbreak Of hos
tilities schoolboys in the streets of
Richmond were attacked by others
simply because they were Yankees.
At the same time solemn-faced indi-
viduais in the land of steady habits
were abiding to the Federal constitu-
tioa ais q .league with the devil and a
covenant with hell, and were devoutly
hoping they might have opportunity
to wade knee-deep in the blood Of the
Southern IRE eaters. The fre-eaters
were busy at the same time "6ring
the Southern heart" and telling their
audierses that one Southerner could
whip ten Yankees. 1t was not surpris-
ing that in this condition Of public
opinion the intention to reinforce
Fort Sumter caused it to be fred on
by the Confederates.
.sS Il; THE FIRST GUN.
Those first guns Of the war awoke
the nation from its deirium of pas
SION 10 the solemn realization Of the
fact that an awful period had begun.
The first gun Of Sumter was the death
knell Of the old regime, but the man
vho held the lanyard, or even the
who gave the order to FIRE
Little dreamed that by that act he
ushered in titanic struggle which
would not close until the whole course
Of life at the South had been forever
changed and the nations frame had
been welded into one solid structure
with a strength and unity such as had
never been dreamed Of.
Likewise the war with Mexico was
in by an incident attributable
70 hot -bloods. Some American dra-
goons were attacked by the Mexican
cavalry, and this covert act was the
spark that ignited the smouldetiDg
fame Of popular passion. Henry
Clay declared that it was an unholy
and unnatural war, but it was popu-
lar. and James K. Polk was swept in
10 the presidency of the United States
by the war spirit.
THE MEXICAN WAR.
The circumstances then were some
what similar to those Of the present.
Texas had been struggling to FIRE it.
self from the CALLING domination Of
Mexico and the people Of the United
States warmly sympathized with the
Texans. The bond of sympathy was
more natural and much stronger in
that case. The Texans were from this
country and their struggle was the
struggle Of our kin Blood is thicker
than water, and Uncle Sam stood by
ais own. The feeling ran high on
both sides aud it was no surprise
when the news came that the Amcri-
can dragons had been attacked by the
Mexican rangers. Those reckless and
fellows little dreamed
that they were setting in motion
events that would make a new map for
this country and their own.
pocroN TEA PARTY