The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1918-06-28
A VETERANS IDEA OF THE WAR.

a VETERANS IDEA OF THE WAR.
During the war in Mexico against
Maximillian, 1863-68, the writer fol-
lowed the fortunes of President Ben
ito Juarez in the capacity of English
and Spanish Interpreter and Private
Secretary to the latter. In course of
my regular duty it fell to my lot to
translate frequently for English cor
respondents of that patriotic Mexican
statesman, letter from Gen. Prim,
who was then at the head of the
Spanish army, to Napoleon Hi, at
whose instance and by whose aid
Maxillian had undertaken to estab-
lish an empire in Mexico that should
be tributary to that of Napoleon.
To General Prim, who, besides be-
ing great military leader, was a
wise statesman and philosopher, the
idea trying to turn back the wheels
of progress and to substitute any
where in North America ga govern
ment of the people, for the people
and by the people" by the empire or
any form of personal dominion ap-
peared so chimerical that he at once
took it upon himself, as an ardent
friend of the Napoleonic dynasty, to
write it's head letter couched in
language of true respect and friend
ship, which in substance ran about
as follows:
Il believe 1 should be derelict in
my profession of deepest devotion to
the interests of your dynasty, did I
not invite your attention to facts of
history seeming to presage the pur-
pose of Providence to set apart the
New World for new form of gov
eminent"
Was it not significant that even
the knowledge of the existence of
half the world was withheld from
the other half until the supremacy
of Christian civilization became es-
tablished in Southern Europe? 1t had
been only after eight hundred years
of war between the elements of
heathenism and those of Christian
civilization that the latter triumph
ed. And it was at the siege of Gran
ada on the eve of the last battle in
eight centuries of war between the
forces indicated that Columbus first
appeared at the tents of the Chris
tian leaders, the monarchs of Spain,
to show them the Western way, and
shorter route to the East Indies, on
the theory Of the spherical form of
the earth, that resulted in the dis
covery of America.
4 Providence was as ever fOrehanded
with this pioneer part of the world.
Columbus was like another Moses,
only the people whom he was to lead
from the old half of the world to the
Western Hemisphere were Christians.
The majority of them believed in
Christ and purposed living in the
Americas on principles laid down by
upon the priunciple that "the great
est of all shall be the servant of all"
which is the cornerstone of DemOc-
racy and of representative govern
ments.
The conviction of Americans that
their land and institutions are Cod
given leads them to lay their lives
cheerfully upon the altar of their
country.
Patrick Henry, one of the advo-
Gates of Independence, inspired by his
belief in the Divinely prepared bless
ing of freedom for man, at the York
town convention, preceding the North
American Revolution, after citing the
three millions of people of the thir-
teen colonies, exclaimed, with won
derfully prophetic vision: Besides,
sir, there is a just God who presides
over the destinies of nations and who
will raise up friends to fight our bat
ties for u.s. And it was, sire, the
people of France, the country over
which your majesty at present rules
that Jehovah raised up to fulfill
the prophecy of the inspired patriot,
who concluded his peroratfon with:
Give me liberty or give me death, I"
and which sentiment finds response
in the vast hosts of his countrymen,
whom to conquer would be to exter-