The Washington herald., 1907-09-22
by FREDERIC j. HAsKrN.

II II had not ralned on the morning Of
the battle Of Waterloo the map of the
world would be far different from what
il IS. The little word 'ifr is the Quall-
fcatiou of foresight and hindsight: "if
1 can. in the one instance, Ii had, g"
in the other Applied to any event that
has taken place il opens the way for
speculation as to what might. would, or
could have happened the other way.
Nevertheless. when the turn OF the tide
in great affairs has been made on a
trifing incident which might easily have
been prevented. fl IS interesting TO trace
the influence Of that occurrence which
made an the difference.
One dag during the Revolutionary war
two horsemen rode along the road that
led down the Hudson River to New
York, which city was held by the British.
At the edge Of the neutral territory. over
which American and English forces alike
claimed control, and neither exercised it.
one Of them said 20 the other. 4 viii
leave you now, you are safe" The man
was known 10 the seven yeOnen who
were guarding the road farther on. and
would have been permitted 70 pass by
unQuestioned, as their other friends were.
The lone horseman rode on He was
halted and searched. He was Mai. John
Andre, adjutant general Of the British
army, and between his stocking and the
e-f. ..F E.+. %
paper that proved the trcaChery Of Bene-
diet Arnold. Had Joshua Smith kept his
promise 20 show MIR. Anderson" as De
called him. safely into the British lines.
the traitors plot would have been sue
cessiUl, and the cause Of the American
Revolution so injured that victory would
have been quite impossible.
When the second war with Great Brit
ain was being fought. the New England
States Were in bitter opposition to the
/ Federal government. Three governors had
refused TO respond 10 the call of the Pres
ideut for militia. A convention was called.
TO meet at Hartford in the winter Of 1874
I Everybody thought that 1t would mean
disuniOn. a Boston preacher, rector OF
Trinity Church, in his pulpit declared:
"The Union has been long since virtually
1 dissolved, and it is full time that this part
OF the disuuited states should take care OF
/ itself That statement was too radical.
and the sentiment for diSunionism fell of
I in the reaction, SO that when the cJnven-
ton met there were expressions Of strong
States rights doctrines but no thread of
/ secession. Suppose the New England
States had seeded?
II DR.. Samuel d. Burchard had not been
q radical anti-CathOlic, Grover Cleveland
would never have been President. Just
before the election of 1854 Mr.. Blaine was
at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York.
a delegation from Brooklyn called on
him, headed by Or. Burchard. In his
speech the eminent preacher referred 10
/ the supporters of Mr.. Cleveland as the
allied forces Of Rum, Romanism and Re
bellion.' The story was spread broadcast
among the Roman Catholics Of New York
Blaine and his friends were powerIess to
counteract its effect, and, In consequence.
Cleveland carried New YORK, but by less
than 1.J00 votes. giving him the required
number Of electoral votes to make him
President.
When two great armies of brave men
meet IN deadly conflict the issue is gen
| orally decided by the skill of their re-
spective commanders. but often the scale
| is turned by some circumstances or sue