The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1917-04-22

Henry Clay, OF h6nIucky, anu Joih
C. Calhoun of South Carolina, in the
House. and William H. Crawford, OF
Georgia, in the senate. The eloquence
of these men, and their stern logic
in debate, soon gave them the mastery.
They called for action, and, since the
administration maintained that Ma
Doleon had Withdrawn his DEGREES,
thew could aim their action only at
England. So, after much discussion,
they did, and on June IS, 1912, the
United States were declared to be in
state of war with England. The die
was cast. The issue must be won.
In the sober light of history we
know that France was as much at
blame for the conditions from which
we suffered as Great Britain, but it
did not seem so then. And, no doubt,
there we're twilights and shadows OF
influence and experience seen and
known then, which history can hardly
impart to us after a century OF time
has clouded it's sources of information.
But the conditions of our people had
become insupportable, and they were
exasperated beyond endurance. This
much history teaches us beyond caVil
or doubt.
The outrages of British captains on
the high seas; the intolerance with
which they disregarded American and
all neutral rights; the contempt with
which the British ministry sought still
to look upon America as the protege
and dependency of the British crown.
all conspired to rouse our government
to assert it's independence throug the
last final appeal Of nations,-the
sword We had tried peaceful coer-
cion. while our ships rotted at the
wharves. We had tried remonstrance,
and received a vain and insolent re-
sponse. We had al but Frustrated
ourselves, and had been spurned with
contempt by an arrogant nation. NOW
we were going to win our lndepend-
ence. Not in a political sense. Wash
ington had won US that But in that
sniritual sense that comes with re-
cognition of latent abilities, potent
and invincible in purposeful accom-
plishment.
Will it be valuable then, to dwell
upon the incidents Of the actual war
fare? Are they not too we'll known
! to need repetition? 1t is true that
in the northern campaign of 1872 our
troops met with defeat most disheart-
ening. Our troops were unframed and
led by men of no experience. The
Duke Of wellington said the American
campaign of 1912 was beneath crltl-
cism." But However inglorious was
our campaign on land, our fortunes
were retrieved at sea. The British
frigate Guerrero was met by the Con-
stitution some tire hundred miles of
Cane Race on August 10. In thirty
minutes the Guerrero was left With
out a spar standing. The duel be-
tween the American Wasp" and the
British "Frolic" was fought six hun
dred miles from Norfolk on october
18th. After forty-three minutes OF &C
ton the crew of the Wasp boarded the
Fr0lic A week later the frigate Uni
ted States, under Captain Decatur,
captured the Macedonia, and brought
her into New London. "The only Brit
ish frigate ever brought as a prize
into an American port" In December
the Constitution added to its laurels
bv overpowering the frigate Java.
The effect of these successes was
electrical. The British foreign min
lister Canning declared that the loss
Of the Guerrero and the Macedonia
produced a sensation in England
scarcely equaled by the most violent
conyulsion of nature. The British ma
Wv was no longer invincible.
Then again, in 1913 Perry swept
the British fleet from Lake Erie. we
have met the enemy and they are
ours" was his dispatch. So General
Harrison was able to transport his
troops into Canada. Mcdonald also
drove the English from Lake Cham
plain. On July 5th, 1914, General
Winfield Scott won a signal victory
over the English at Cheppewa on the
Northern frontier, and on July 25th,
was fougth the desperate battle of
Lundy's Lane.
To create a diversion in the in
terest of upper and lower Conada, the
British determined to aim an attack
at the American coast. Accordingly,
On August 10, General Ross landed
an army on the shores of the Ches-
apeake Bay, and marched on Washing
IF a