The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-02-22
Washington Suffered
Conturnely As Does Wilson.

mexico long ago or would he have
sent our soldiery into the state of
Chihuahua when the Villa bandits
murdered few Americans a few
weeks past? Who can tell?
Would Washington have entered
the war In Europe in order to punish
the ravaging of Belgium Who can
say? Would he have declared war
against Germany when the Lusitania
was sunk and American citizens
drowned?
Here is what Woodrow Wilson him
self has written on the approach of
the Revolution, in his history of the
American People: ''The Spirit of
American affairs was with the pa
triots, and would be with them more
and more as the quarrel thickened. Tt
thickened fast enough and the storm
broke before men were aware how
near 1t was. While winter held (1774-
1775) affairs everywhere grew dark
and uneasy, not only in Massachu-
sets, where Cages troops waited at
Boston, but in every colony from
Maine to the Gulf. To the south and
north of Virginia counse1s were di-
vided. Those who led against the
government in North Carolina had
good reason to doubt whether they
had even bare majority of the peo-
pie of their colony at their back. Ev-
cry countryside in South Carolina
was full of warm, aggressive, out
spoken porters of the kings preroga-
tive. The rural districts of Pennsyl-
vania, everyone knew, were peopled
with quiet Quakers whose very re-
hgion babe them offer no resistance
even to oppressive power, and of
phlegmatic Germans who cared
vast deal for peace but very little for
noisy principles that brought mischief.
Virginians, it might have seemed,
were themselves remote enough from
the trouble which had arisen in Mas
sachusetts to keep them in the cool
air of those who wait and will not
lead. But they were more in ac-
cord than the men in Massachusetts
itself, and as quick to act. By the
close of June, ITS, Charles Lee could
write from Williamsburg, ''Never was
such vigor and concord heard of, not
a single traitor, scarcely silent dis
sentient." AS the men of the several
counties armed themselves, as if by
common impulse, all turned of course
to Colonel Washington of Fairfax, as
their natural commander, and no one.
In Virginia was surprised to learn his
response. cit is my intention" he
said, ito devote my life and fortune
TO the cause we are engaged in"
This is Washington at war.
But here is another picture, by an
other writer, of the situation faced by
Washington in 1898:
Early in April, 1898, he learned that
France had declared war against Eng
land and Holland, and it was feared
that this meant a general European
war.
The people clamored for war
against England in the cause of
France. England was harassing our
ships on the high seas and despite
Washington's fight for neutrality
his proclamation was violated again
and again and it seemed that war
with Great Britain was inevitable.
Washington's policies were ridiculed
in inf1amnatory editorials, he was
cartooned, public meetings were held
at which his policies were denounced.
The resignation of Jefferson as Sec
rotary of state was followed by the
resignation of Randolph from the Of
fetal family, and altogether Wash
ington was kept in hot water then,
just as Wilson is today.
In ITS Washington believed in
war. In 1898 conditions had changed
and Washington declared for neu-
trality.
What Washington would council
today no man or seer can say. But
President Wilson may be sustained
by the knowledge that Washington
too suffered public contumely.