Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1899-06-08
RESULTS OF WARS.
TIMELY REVIEW OF SOME OF THE Ma
TlON'S HISTORY.

The First War with England in which
We Gained Our Independence-Other
Wars Which Have Added to Our Ter
ritory.
BY the first war-the war which be-
gan in 1775 and ended with the treaty
of peace with England in 17S3-the
United States gained independence, a
place among the nations, and an op-
portunity to try the experiment of self
government-then only an experiment
anywhere-on larger scale and under
better conditions than had been possi-
BILE before that time.
The quasi war which the United
States had with France on the ocean in
1898, and in which, in short time, two
French frigates and many French pri-
vateers were captured, and others were
defeated and escaped, showed, in the
words of President John Adams, that
I'VE are not degraded people, hui
INFLATED under colonial spirit of fear
and sense of inferiority." 1t ended
French insults to American ambassa-
doris and the American government
and won for us as respectful treatment
from France as that cou2.?y accorded
any great nation Of Europe.
Several times, particularly in 1S03-5
and In 1915, the United States fought
the Barbary pirates-of Morocco, AL
geria, Tunis and Tripoli-instead OF
paying tribute to them, as Europe did.
We profited by this course, in self-re-
spect and in money, and the world con-
ceded that the American plan was bet
ter than the European by ultimately
following the American example.
These little wars-with France and
the Barbary pirates-are skipped by
most of the American historians, but
they raised the United States at tho
time in the worlds respect, and should
be read and remembered by all Amer
leans.
The second great war Of the United
States, that of 1S1215 against England,
is rdiculed by some of the historians
because the question which produced
the war-the depredations on American
commerce, the impressment Of our sea-
men into the British service, and the
instgation by British agents Of attacks
by the Indians on our frontiers-Were
not mentioned in the treaty of peace
which ended the war. The war set
tied nothing, they said. They are mis-
taken. The war helped the United
States in many ways. It's brilliant
victories on the ocean and on the lakes
over the mistress of the seas won the
worlds admiration; it went far to-
ward breaking down local prejudices
and particularist narrowness, and ere
ated a healthy national sentiment
throughout the land; and, moreover, it
cut the United States loose from all
connection with Europes ambitions
and complications.
The war Of 1S46-4S with Mexico.
coupled with TeXas's annexation, which
was the chief cause of the war, added
more than 100000 square miles to the
country's territory, gave us the richest
gold field California; which the world
has known, rounded ont symmetrcally
in the southwest the national domain,
and by the Wilmot proviso and Califor-
mia admission controversies which 1t
precipitated, it FASTENED the abolition
of slavery through the conflict which
slavery caused
One more war, that Of 1S61-5, COM
pletes the list of conflicts in which the
country has been engaged, except that
which is now under way. The war OF
1876 destroyed the secessions doc
trine. 1t did this in two ways-by
overthrowing it in battle and by the
decision of the supreme court in the
case of Texas versus White, growing
out of the war, in which the secession
ordinances of the eleven states OF the
Confederacy were declared to be null
and void and the government was pro-
claimed to be IAN indestructible union
of indestructble states" 1t destroyed
slavery, made the country free In fact
as we'll as in theory, removed the sec
tional barrier between North and
South, started the south on its career
of social and material advancement,
and settled the conflict between Hamll-
ton, Marshall and Webster on the one
side, and Calhoun, Hayne and Jefferson
Davis on the other, by deciding, as the
three first named cOntended, that this
government was a nation and not
league