The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-17
PAST WAR SCARES.
Historic Instances Wherein Uncle
Sam Deemed 1t Expsdisnt to Put
on His Fighting Boots.
From the Philadelphia Press

Sam Deemed 1t Expedient to Put
on His Fighting Boots.
From the Philadelphia Press.
The United States as an organized
government has been in existence 109
years only, but during that time 1t has
fought two foreign wars, one war on
its own soil and been subjected to q
number of war scares. With the wars
everybody is familiar. The war scares
however, are not so well known. They
began soon after the government was
organized and have continued to occur
since with more or less frequency. The
nrst war scare was the result of the
French Revolution. The French gov
ernment formed on the fall of the
monarchy wished the sympathy and
support Of the United States govern
ment and sent to this country as it's
minister the well-known Genet. His
design was to form an offensive and
defensive alliance between France and
the United States and embroil this
country into war with all the enc
mics of. the French republic. The en-
thusiastic reception given Genet by the
people or this country, who were eager
t. express their sympathy with a ma
ton struggling for liberty, turned his
head and he imagined that he could
override the government and take what
ever liberties he chose. He had pri-
Nateers fitted out in the ports of the
United States and the British mer-
chant vessels captured by these priva-
teers were confiscated by French con-
suls 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 a war with England
at that time.
This is the best known war scare
this country has experienced, probab bly,
because 1t 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 Ameri-
can vessels seized in French ports dur
ing the time of the first Napoleon. The
controversy over these seizures dragged
along until near the close of the sec
ond presidential term of General Jack
son when he preemptorily demanded
reparation. The two countries were
dangerously near to war on this occa-
sion and diplomatic relations between
them were stopped for a time. But
England mediated 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 South
ern states ended. Then an emphatic
demand for the withdrawal of the
French was made and had it not been
complied with war would have result
ed. Louis Napoleon saw the need of
prompt action and quickly withdrew
the French army from Mexico and an
other war scare was dissipated.
o
British war scares have been fire.
quent but with the exception of the
War of 1872 they have all ended with
out hostilities. One of the first Of these
was caused by the refusal of England
to surrender the Western forts as
agreed when the Revolutionary 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 Leopard
! fired upon and boarded the United
States frigate Chesapeake. This
trouble was Quilted by England disa-
vowfng the act and making reparation
! The settlement of the Oregon bound
airy line loomed up on the horizon for
time as a probable cause of war but
! the question was settled amicably in
| 1876. Great Britain's course during the
| war for the Union was the occasion for
much unfriendly feeling in this coun-
| try. The fitting out Of the Alabama
| and other privateers in English ports
gave rise to what We're known as the
| Alabama claims which might have
| caused a conflict had not England paid
! damages to the amount of $500, 600
| The Venezuela war scare growing cut
| of Great Britain's claim to territory in
| South America is too recent to need
| explanation.
Spanish war seares We're numerous as
| long as Spain held possession of any
| part of the North American continent
Her hold on the mouth of the Mississip-
| pi river was constant irritation tc
the American people until louisiana
was sold to this country, and later hel
possession of Florida and the disputes
as to its boundaries were a perennial
source of wars. For causing some
of these scares the people of the coun.
try are not wholly free, for the South
was not over-scrupulous about observ,
ing Spanish rights. Since Spain's hold
on the continent was released Cuba has
been a fertile source of war fevers. In
1854 the famous Ostend manifesto ad.
vising the Pierce administration to buy
Cuba from Spain might easily have led
to war. The Cuban rebeilions have alsC
brought the United States and Spair
rear to war. Some delicate questions
had to be settled during the Cuban in.
surrection beginning in 1868 and mucf
patience exercised to prevent war. The
notorious Nirginius affair in 1873 al,
most preciptated a conflict.