The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-13

In some brief interviews wired from Paris
on the day after the election. Senator Davis.
one of our peace commissioners, was re-
ported as saying that, while he was ex-
ceedingly gratifed with the result, he had
not had much concern as to what effect
any result might have had upon our foreign
affairs or the treaty negotiations with Spain,
because the American people, whatever
their differences as to domestic policies. will
practically be unit as TO their foreign re-
lations, as they always have been through
out their history, in support of the govern
ment, no matter by what party it may be
administered" That was a patriotic state
ment to make abroad, but it requires some
qualification to make it accurate. 1t is true
in a general way that a majority of the
American people have always supported the
government in important crises and in for
eign wars but they have sometimes lacked
a good deal of being unit We have never
had a war in which there was not an OPP
position party. and sometimes the opposition
has been strong enough to embarrass and
alarm the administration. The Federalists
opposed the war of 1912 from the beginning.
The declaration of war passed the House
by a vote of 70 TO 40 and the Senate by 10 to
13 some Democrats of that day voting with
the Federalists. Opposition to the war was
based on various grounds. chiefly CONNER
cial. An address issued by the anti-war
party denounced the invasion of Canada as
"a cruel wanton senseless and wicked at
tack, in which neither plumber glory
was to be gained, upon an unoffending peo-
pie, bound to us by ties of blood and good
neighborhood, undertaken for the punish
ment over their shoulders of another peo-
pie 5000 miles off" The Governors of Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut refused to respond
to the Presidents call for militia, and the
people indorsed their action by electing anti
war legislatures. In the spring of 1913 the
Federalists showed a clear majority in
every state election in New England. In
Massachusetts their majority increased
from 1870 in 1912 to 1884 the next year. and
they made large gains in all the New Eng
land States. In Congress, which met on May
l. 1918, there were 6S peace to 112 war MEM
bers. The Massachusetts Legislature de-
clared the whole war "impolitic and un-
just II and refused votes of thanks for
war like the present, waged without justi-
fable cause and prosecuted in a manner
indicating that conquest and ambition were
its real motives, it was not becoming a
moral and religious people to express any
appreciation of military and naval exploits
not Immediately connected with the defense
of our seacoast and soil" Opposition to the
war continued to increase, to the great en-
barrassment of the government, opposing
draft and other war measures, until It
eliminated in the Hartford convention,
which aimed at a new federal constitution.
Fortunately England was getting tired of
the war and our numerous victories at sea
opened the way to an honorable peace.
Opposition to the Mexican war was strong
enough to make itself felt TO the embar-
rassment of the government during its en-
tire continuance. In Congress Tom" Cor
win, a popular Wing leader, voiced the
sentiments of the opposition in a speech de-
livered in Congress in February, 1s47, in
which he said: THE senator from Mich
igan says we will be two hundred millions
in few years, and we want room If
were Mexican I would tell you. Have
you not room in your own country to bury
your dead men? If you come into mine we
will greet you with bloody hands and well
come you to hospitable graves" Popular
opposition to the war was strong enough to
enable the Wings, who had opposed 1t, to
elect President in 1S4S. but they had to
select the hero of the war as a candidate.
History shows how violent vas the opposi-
ton in our civil war. and in the recent war
with Spain 1t took the inssdious and dam
gerous form of attacking the governments
conduct of the war and treatment of the
soldiers.
The real lesson OF our wars is not that the
people have always been unit in support
OF them. for that has never been the case.