The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-10-26
geous secretary, Mr.. Adams, kept u

out of war when the menace was In
finitely more threatening than it is
now or has been at any time since the
great war began or ever will be again,
if we prepare ourselves properly for
national defense.
President Jackson, who, as we have
always remarked, reminds US of our
present chief executive, because he
was so different, caught two English
men trying to stir up trouble on our
frontier among the Indians and
hanged them. And England never
courted any ruction with Andrew
Jackson.
People in Great Britain gave aid to
the South and assumed an attitude so
hostile to the Union that President
Lincoln served notice upon the British
government that persistence in that
policy would lead to armed resistance.
This happened when we were in the
midst of our great Civil war, but Mr..
Lincoln's assertion of our rights was
so dignifed, so fearless, and so just,
as to command the respect of the
British government and win for us an
idemnity for hostile acts amounting
to fifteen millions of dollars. Though
facing infinitely greater difficulties
than have confronted Mr.. Wilson, Mr..
Lincoln had no war with a foreign
power.
The Republican convention which
renominated Mr.. Lincoln in 1864 de-
clared in favor of resistance of the eff
fort of the French to gain foOthold
in Mexico, where they were support
ing Maximillian. We were too busy
preserving the Union just then to take
any immediate action, but no sooner
was the Civil war over than France
was ordered to get out of Mexico, and
she did so, on the jump. This happen
ed during the administration of can
dy" Johnson, who is certainly no he
roic figure.
When Mr.. Cleveland was president,
he served notice on Great Britain
when threatening encroachment on
Venezuela, that if it was not discon-
tinued it would be resisted by all the
power of the United States. Great
Britain sat up and took notice; but
there was no war.
A little later Germany, not profiting
by Great Britain's experience, in pres
sing certain claims against Venezuela,
adopted an attitude in defiance of the
Monroe Doctrine and hostile to our
government, whereupon Mr.. Roosevelt
served upon Germany an ultimatum
which would have meant an immedi-
ate clash if Germany had not discov-
cred that Admiral Dewey was aboard
his flagship ready for action. And
Mr.. Roosevelt had no war.
AS recently stated in these columns,
q member of Mr.. McKinley's cabinet
is quoted as having said in later years
that red hot message to Spain in
1897 would have freed Cuba without
war. 1t is true that Mr.. Mckinley
did not keep us out Of war, but the
saunders of the slogan, "He has kept
us out of war" are not citing the
Spanish-American war as something
that might have been avoided by Will
sonian policies, because our Mexican
war has already cost more lives and
the destruction of more property
many times over than the Spanish
American war, and we are not
through yet.
We have not always been kept out
of war. We have had two other for
eign wars since our independence was
both of which were
brought on during the administration
of two presidents-M Madison and Polk
who, more than any others, in the
long list of our presidents, because of
their weakness and vacillation, re-
semble our present chief executive.
Perhaps "He has kept US out of
war" sticks in the minds of some peo-
pie because they think Mr.. Wilson is
less likely to accept slight occasion
for resorting to war, and therefore
promises greater security for the fu-
ture, than Mr.. Hughes. If that notion
be entertained, it must be where there
has been complete oversight of the
seizure of Vera Cruz. 1t was not to
redress the wrongs inflicted upon
American citizens in Mexico and in
sure their protection, but because of
so comparatively trifling a thing as
a salute to the flag, after abundant
and abject apologies had been made
for the original offense, and from an
authority which we refused to recog-
nize as a government, that we seized
the port of Vera Cruz and entered
upon course Of action which, if it
had been directed against any power
able to offer resistance, would have
resulted in great war.
So it appears that not only has Mr.
Wilson not kept us out of war, but