New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-13
CENTURY OF PEACE BETWEEN
AMERICA AND GREAT BRITAIN
COMPLETED CHRISTMAS EVE

Great Britain was represented at Washihs'o"
first by the we'll meaning but ndscreet ErsKihe
and then by the quite impossible JACKSON WHO
was frankly described by Canning as the pos
SCISSOR of all those British characteristics which
were sometimes offensive to other nations II
TO this it be added that Madison, with his own
transparent integrity and sincerity was COM
pletely tricked by the dupicty OF the french
government it may easily be understood now
and why diplomacy failed to compose our dH-
ferences with Great Britain.
But there was another factor, which IN the
end proved to be the most potent OF all. That
was the lust of land, the same that genera
ton later led us into our unholy aggression
upon Mexico, and that still later inspired the
Ostend Manifesto and caused our government
to countenance the land pirate, Walker, IN MS
attempt to loot Nicaragua. Normally, we
went to war for freedom OF trade and sailors
rights" Actually we went to war Tor the con-
quest of Canada. Nor was this purpose con-
cealed "The conquest of Canada, cried
Henry Clay, Us in your power The militia
of Kentucky alone are competent TO place Mon
treal and Upper Canada at your feetP By
such appeals was Congress persuaded to de-
from the retirement O. Monticello, responded:
The acquisition of Canada this year as far as
the neighborhood of Quebec will be mere
matter of marching, and will give us experience
for the attack on Halifax the next, and the
final expulsion of England from the American
continent" No wonder that Randolph OF
Roanoke, with bitter truth, declared: "Agrarian
cupidity, not maritime right, urges the war.
NO LIES FROM US AND NO CONFESS
SION, EITHER.
We had. however, at least the grace not to
lie about it. There was in the act OF Con-
gress no pretence that we were going to war
for freedom Of trade and sailors rights
which, in fact, most sorely needed indicating
but neither, of course, was there comics
sion of our lust for Canadian land So no
cause whatever was mentioned. The act con-
tanned the single sentence, that war be and
the same is hereby declared to exist" With
what followed it would not be pleasant to con-
Germ ourselves. Dreams of the conquest and
annexation Of Canada vanished in the smoke
Of our own burning Capitol at Washington.
We may exult in memory of the deeds OF our
navy on the lakes and on the high seas, OF the
midnight strife at Lundys Lane and OF the
triumph of frontier levies over peninsular
veterans at New Orleans. But the rest is
silence.
A most important corollary to the war, or
rather to the complications which preceded
it. was the establishment of relations between
America and Russia The latter power had
been conspicuously unsympathetc, If not po-
tentially hostile toward us during the Revolu-
ton, and had never yet formally recognized
our independence But Madison wisely sent
thither as minister that master diplomat John
Quincy Adams who arrived at psychological
moment.
THE WORK OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
AT ST. PETERSBURG.
He was received with special honors, and as
prompt results of his mission American COM
MERGE was welcomed to Russian ports and was
in a measure protected from harassment in the
Baltic, and Russia decided to break with Ma
poleon and to seek leadership of the alliance
against him. In fact just four days after our
declaration Of war against Great Britain war
was also declared by France against Russia.
That made Russia and Great Britain allies, and
caused the Car to regard with much regret
the conflict between his ally, Great Britain,
and his friend, America.
At one time, indeed, the Gar feared that
America might become allied with France, not
only against Great Britain but also against
Russia. For that fear there was no ground,
but because of il Alexander was moved to in
crease his friendly overtures to America and
also to make offers of mediation between this
country and his British ally. Such offers were
made, unofficially, in January, lSl3 and Of
hcially in the following month, and in March
the government of the United States formally
accepted them. 1t did this on the premature
assumption that Great Britain had signihed
her acceptance, an assumption for which the
Russian government was wholly responsible
The Cars Minister of State, Romanzoff, had
told Adams that the offer OF mediation had
been made to Great Britain at the same time
and in the same form as to the United States
when, as matter of fact, it had not been made
at all The result was, when our three ENJOYS
Adams, Gallatin and Bayard, met at St. Peters
burg in expectation Of meeting British ENJOYS
there to negotiate under Russian mediation
they found that Great Britain had declined tc
have anything TO do with the scheme
PEACE NEGOTIATIONS ARE TRANS
FERRED TO LONDON.
Happily, however, the British government
made known 10 ours its willingness TO enter