The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-27
WARS AND WAR sCAREs.
What THIS Country Has Experienced
in It's History.
From the Philadelphia Press.


From the Philadelphia Press.
The United States, as an organized gov
eminent, has been in existence 100 years
only, but during that time it has fought
two foreign wars, one war on its own soil,
and been subjected to number of war
scares, some of which developed nearly
into actual war. The two foreign wars
were with Great Britain and Mexico, the
former being popularity known as the war
of 1872 from the year in which it began,
and the latter as the Mexican war. Both
of them are fully and clearly described in
history, and all the leading incidents are
we'll known to every schoolboy. The war
for the Union was so recent also that it is
still fresh in the public mind.
The war scares are not so well known,
They began soon after the government
was organized, and have continued to oc.
cur since with more or less frequency. The
first war scare was the result of the
French revolution. The French govern
ment, formed on the fall of the mon
archy, wished the sympathy and support
of the United States government, and sent
TO this country as its minister the well
known Genet. His design was to form an
France and the United States and embroil
this country in war with all the enemies
of the French republic. The enthusiastic
reception given Genet by the people of this
country, who were eager to express their
sympathy with a nation struggling for lib
erty, turned his head. and he imagined
that he could override the government and
take whatver liberties he chose. He had
privateers fitted out in the ports of tho
ha ri
vessels captured by these priyateers were
confscated by French consuls in this
country, Notwithstanding the neutrality
proclamation issued by this government.
1t was only the firmness and decision OF
Washington, whose demand for the recall
of Genet was promptly complied with, that
saved the country from war with Eng
land at that time.
This is the best-known war scare this
country has experienced, probably because
it was the first and one of the most acute
There were two other French war scares.
The second one arose from the delay
France showed in making compensation
for the American vessels seized in French
ports during the time of the first Ma
lpoieon. The controversy over these seiz-
ures dragged along until near the close OF
the second presidential term of Gen. jack
son. when he peremptorily demanded re-
gerously near to war on this occasion and
diplomatic relations between them were
stopped for time. But England medi-
ated and the war cloud blew over. The
interference of France in Mexico during
the war for the Union was
cause of great irritation to this
country, but beyond protest nothing
was done until rebellion in
the Southern states ended. Then an en-
nh nd he MI Ira al of
the French was made. and had it not been
complied with, war would have resulted
Louis Napoleon saw the need of prompt
action and quickly withdrew the French
army from Mexico, and another war scare
was dissipated.
British war scares have been frequent
but with the exception of the war of 1872
they have all ended without hostilities
One of the first of these was caused by
the refusal of England to surrender The
Western forts as agreed when the revo-
lutionary war ended. But this difficulty
was settled by the Jay treaty. England
and the United States were very near to
war in 1907, when the British warship
Leopold fired upon and boarded the Uni
ted States frigate Chesapeake. This
trouble was quieted by Englands dis
avowing the act and making reparation.
The settlement of the Oregon boundary
line doomed up on the horizon for a time
as a probable cause of war, but the ques-
ton was settled amicably in 1916. Great
Britains course during the war for the
Union, was the occasion for much I'M
friendly feeling in this country The fit
ting out of the Alabama and other priva-
teers in English ports gave rise to what
were known as the Alabama claims,
which might have caused a conflict had
not England paid damages to the amount
of SIS, 100000. The Venezuela war scare
growing out of Great Britain's claim to
territory in South America is too recent
to need explanation.
Spanish war scares were numerous as
long as Spain held possession of any part
of the North American continent Her
hold on the mouth of the Mississippi rlV-
er was a constant irritation to the Ameri-
can people until Louisiana was sold to this
country and later her possession of Flor
ida and the disputes as to it's boundaries
were a perennial source of war scares.
For causing some of these scares the peo-
pie of this country are not wholly free,
for the South was not prescriptions
about observing Spanish rights. Since
SPANS hold on the continent was released
Cuba has been a fertile source of war fe-
vers. In 1854 the famous Ostend nantes
to advising the Pierce administration TO
buy Cuba from Spain might easily have
led to war. The Cuban rebellions have
also brought the United States and Spain
near to war Some delicate questions RAD
to be settled during the Cuban insurrec-
ton, beginning in 1865. and much patience
exercised to prevent war. The notorious
Virginius affair of 1873 almost precipitnt-
ed conflict. And now the long rebellion
in the island, the injury to American
commerce, the inhumanities practiced by
the Spaniards, and the blowing up of the
cruiser Maine have strained the relations
of the two countries nearly to the breaking
point. But it is hoped that justice may
prevail without the necessity of con-
flict and this latest war scare be dissi-
pated, as so many before 1t have been.
Prof. James E. Keller, who has just