Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-03-20
WAR SCARES OF The PAST.
HISTORIC INSTANCES ILLUSTRATING
HOW WE .sSPoILED FOR FIGHT"
An Accumulation of Insults Settled in
the War of 1S12-Stormy Con-
~roversies With France
and England.

OF war scares we have had "~a-plenty."
The republic was not out of the kinder
| garten when they began, like ominous
storm clouds, to sail over the national hor-
lion; and they have been sailing there. at
intervals, ever since.
The first one began in Washington's sec
ond administration. relates the Springfield
Republican. and continued while John Ad-
ans was president. The French revolu-
ton commanded the deep sympathy of a
majority of the American people, and when
war broke out early in 1893 between France
and England, many of our people main
tanned that the treaty of HIS. by which
We contracted with France an offensive
and defensive alliance, was still in force.
Hecessitating a declaration OF war by the
United States against England. Washing
ton aroused intense anger by a procianla-
ton of neutrality. which meant that, in his
judgment, the treaty of 1.ls was no longer
in force because of the change of govern
ment in France. . Then came the Genet
episode, accompanied by various incidents
such as the sailing of an American priva-
phia. the organization of expeditions
against Spanish possessions ty French of
ticers in Georgia arc the act OF re a n |, =
libeled vessel from the United States mar
shall. Fancy such things happening on the
| dear old soil to-day. We can almost hear
the explosion.
A Row With France.
Genet was ordered home and forgotten.
bat the war scare stayed with US. The
French directory became very insulting to
the American ENJOYS to Paris. because of
Jays treaty with England and the over
throw of the French sympathizers in the
election of 1886, when John Adams defeated
Jefferson. The French authorities regarded
America as ungrateiui IN not helping
olution. The outcome was that the Amer
lean ENJOYS We're ordered to quit France;
and French cruisers attacked
American and committed great
depredatiCns. John Adams asked his at
torney general for an opinion on the state
OF affairs, and he reported that France
Has our enemy and that there exists
not only an actual maritime war between
France and the United States. but a mari
time war was authorized by both nations.
In May. 1898. congress authorized the pres
ident to instruct the commanders of our
war ships to seize French war ships caught
pillaging American commerce. IN army TO
be enlisted for three years was also au-
thorized, and in June. George Washington
accepted a commission as commandments
chief of the United States military fc:ces:
All French treaties were declared void, and
on February 9, 1893, the United States
frigate Constellation captured the French
frigate LInsurgente. Yet, very curiously,
there was no war, beyond what these Incl
dents signify, according to the weight OF
1893 became peaceably disposed, received
our ENJOYS and the clouds passed away.
As a war scare. however, the affair could
not be surpassed, and it must be given the
first rank among the storms that have
threatened but never burst upon us.
British Assaults.
We got along fairly well through this
troublesome period until June, 1907, when
the British frigate Leopard SO wantonly at
acked the United States frigate Chesa-
peake and removed from her by force a
number Of seamen. There was a scare.
annals as an attack upon the national hon.
or. did not cause war. They are sober his
torians who think that Jefferson was de-
plorably weak in not making the affair a
| casus belli. but he was anxious for peace
and. notwithstanding the intense popular
feeling. left the matter to be settled some
was now in the air, and five years later it
came, after various violent fluctuations in
| popular feeling.
We had rather stormy times during Jack
sons two administrations. War was re-
peatedly threatened with. England over the
Maine boundary and with France over the
payment of the French spoliation claims,
but Jackson got no nearer actual hostili-
ties than to occupy the harbor of Charles
ton with a squadron of warships in order to
overawe the South Carolina nullifiers-and
that was 4 domestic issue. In the '40s
there was the war with Mexico. of course.
but aside from that the country was
threatened for some years with war with
England over the Oregon boundary. The
Democratic national convention in 1874 de-
.ndnueQ lre WlOie OF oregon or HONE, Win
or without war with England" a cry which
later on became $40 or fight" In 1916
there was a genuine war scare, for the
president was directed to give England
twelve months notice to quit. but Polk in
| dealing with England was a different man
from Polk dealing with Mexico. and the
war clouds blew over and by the treaty of
1916 we were left on latitude 40 as our
northwest boundary.
Hot Times in the sos.
There was a scary time in the SOS. when
three American ministers in Europe met at
| Ostend and published a manifesto declaring
that there was no hope for the safety and
| repose of the United States without the ac-
| QUESTION of Cuba and when a number of
| flibustering expeditions got away from
American ports to start revolutions In Cuba
and Central America. but nothing came
from them except some executions of adj
| venturers. riots in New Orleans and an in
demnity out of the United States treasury.
The civil war was somewhat more than an
ordinary scare and is still remembered by
the American people. Those who don't re-
member it have probably heard about it.
During its progress we nearly came to
blows with England again over the Trent