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Communications: For The Signal Of Liberty: In Time Of Peace ...

Communications: For The Signal Of Liberty: In Time Of Peace ... image
Parent Issue
Day
23
Month
May
Year
1846
Copyright
Public Domain
Letter to the Editor
OCR Text

Mr. Editoh, - Fí-v mnïirna Iitimni or. divine, lihyc ommrind cd so inuch venerntion ot Christian Govcrnmèntg ■ t!ie onp t!i:it Iicnicís tliis anide. To slc'i nn ex en; hiive Grcnt Ikiiniu, Franco, nml tho Un ted Síates fullowed ilie leachings of (bis doubtful proverb. tluit iheir prepara ti bns for wnr in time ofpe: es. cost more tlmn thé cutiré prufiís of tlieir utiiied cOinmeice. As ihe veneniblu name oí Washington s mnde lo fathor lilis mnxni, lot us rtíffir t liirii as ihc inie exppundcr ol ii, diiring liis administrntioii. i. el us seo how ho 'prepnred for wnr intime of penco." Vhen that illuátrlou ñ miík riccedod lo' tlio Presidency. íhe country had just ehioV3ol"frëm a long, wast hj w.ir. Tl-.u ngc v:is warlike, nnd tlie [floral power of como erec, nnd oí international Íntercourse. fncilitntcd by ste.im. bad liard!}' fcomo lo lio leu os a lígnmcnt of hrotlnrhood letveen untions. The Dernncintic principie liad hnidiy boen neknovlccl:;eJ ns a (ixe I factin human gov'iinicnt,ífc was itcver more expnscii to be orushed out of existenco, under the licfl öf l'hiropean d?spoiijin, ilian (liirinij ilie first yenrs of American indepenrlcnco. Tlie cnjIo werc [celeínnd few, nnd ecattered overa vast territory. Tliey niiml.cred 8cnrcoly four millions, young nnd oíd, bond nnd free. Powérful tribes ni" disaílbcted Jndinns surrounded tlie ropublic witli a tordun of diingcrous foos. If military dofences rendei n ríation secure froni forcign invasión; or if n nat;on is most exposed wlien least ab!o or prep'ired to rc8Íst a foo. then at no ptiiod of oitr nntional existence should there have been crealer prepnraiions for wnr in titneof peace; (lian dtiring the ndrnlnistratípn of Washington. And we mny nssiíme that nono could lipvo Iiocn moro decply impressed wiih iho impórtense of sucli prcpnrntions, (lian hv and bis campaulof-4f the RcvoIution. Nor enn wn suppnse they wilbhold n dollar in the'ir expend.iuirfa ;or ; h i purpost', froro nny rclijonncu ol' tlie pcoplq to yd'e adequate dtffcricea fir theíí cotirifry. Wc have no re..;. n to believe that the Govefninrnt under rilni would liave appropriated a la'gor sum to the Army nnd Navy, if ts revonuo cq nlled that of (lie present timo. How did lie prepare for wnr in time ofpeacc, Kso précarioua J" During the eight years of his adiiiiiiisirntioi'., and while surrounded by penis which have long since censed to esÍ8t, the wholo nmount npproprintcd :o ihe Military nnd Naval Establishments, was $Ii).!)'5,470. This sum, in his view, mot all necessitiesof preparing for war in time of pence. Ho asked no more to put the country in an attitude of defence, at a time when It was most exposcd to invasión, if the principie be (ruó, thni a nation is most expoeed vyheji least nble to resist. Now let usturn to anothcr chopter of our national lii&tory nnd sec how this nmxim, nttribnted to Washington, has been curricd out. Du-, ring the eicht yenrs ending wiih 1S43, n period of prolond ponce in the civilizad world, theGovernmeut expended $163,330,717 on the .Military ond Naval Kstnbliahmcnt ! I 1 Tnklng the nverago population of lbo country during these cight years, i t must havo been nearly 10.00.00C - four times the munber of the peoplo under "Wnshington'e administration. Cnn his exnmplc, then 6U8tain iho present coursc of this Government in preparing for war in tinio of peace 2 - Is o rapidiy nercasing population nn elomont of weakness; or is a country more exposed to invasions in propórtion as the namber of i ts men and nioaus for defonce increases 1 lt would secm so irorn the coursc of our Government ; for while the population of ihc country has mttltiplicd it8elf by four, the öppr.opriations for iheirdcfencc havo been multiplicd by sixttin !- thus $10,300,000 for a population of four millions, and j(IGO.()üO,000 fora popuiation of sixtcen niillions, during n period of cight ycars. At this ratio, when the people of thia country shnll numior Bi.xty-four millions, then the appropriationsfor tlicir defencc, tb.r eigit yenra, will amoun to 32.560,000,000 ! Is it not time for the peoplc to think of thcs