| Show I I Sinking of the Dana Panay Recalls Caroline II Incident of Years Ago President of United States Then as Now Was Faced with a Neutrality Problem Which Became More Serious When the Destruction of an Owned American Ship by Canadians and the ther r Killing of MI An American Citizen Brought Us to the Verge of War with Great Britain C Q Western Newspaper Union By Dy ELMO SCOTT WATSON HERE was a war on foreign foreign foreign for for- T THERE eign soil and although it U was no affair of ours American sympathies were definitely enlisted on the side of one of the parties involved Then an Amer American can ship was destroyed and an American r citizen killed t ta the to tide of popular Indignation inU indignation In in- U ov over r this affair mounted higher the President President i dent of the United States foreseeing the possibility of iv our becoming Involved in the war issued a proclamation g t declaring that our neutrality laws must be enforced Does all that have a familiar familiar familiar famil famil- sound sound sound-as as though it might be a brief resume of an incident incident incident inci inci- dent still fresh in our minds Well it isn't isn't-if isn't If youre you're thinking thinking thinking think think- ing of the recent sinking of the American gunboat the Panay by the Japanese It happened just years the Canadian Canadian Canadian Ca Ca- ago The war was nadian rebellion of 1837 The American ship that was destroyed was the Caroline the citizen who was killed was one and the President who found it necessary necessary sary nary to issue a neutrality proclamation was Martin Van Buren Moreover at that time there was quite as much possibility that we might go to war with Great Britain over the Caroline incident as there was recently recent recent- ly that we might be fighting Japan as a result of the Panay sinking And there is enough parallelism between the two cases to justify comment comment com corn ment once more on how history history his v tory repeats itself 4 In fact tact there Is another parallelism parallelism paral paral- another case of history repeating itself which was at atthe atthe atthe the very root of the trouble In 1837 there was much discontent in Canada over British rule in that country especially in regard to taxation Just as there had been In the Thirteen Colonies be be- y 1 y ft WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE f. f fore the American Revolution Other means of gaining redress for their grievances having failed the Canadians emulated their American cousins by resorting resorting resorting re re- sorting to violence In Lower Canada the French h t Canadians led by their hero Louis Papineau started an Insurrection Insurrection insurrection in November 1837 which resulted in bloodshed at St. St Denis and St. St Charles not far from Montreal But this rebellion was quickly crushed In Upper Canada the principal leader of the rebels was a newspaper news news- newspaper paper editor named William ti Lyon Mackenzie whose armed mob captured the city of Toronto on the night nigh of December 4 1837 Thereupon Col Cot Allan Macnab speaker of the house of assembly assembly assem assem- I bly and representative of the i Crown raised a force of f volunteers volun volun- i y f which soon defeated and andT T dispersed the rebels 1 A Price on 00 Ills Uis Head Mackenzie escaped to Buffalo N. N Y with a price of set upon his head On December 12 he held a public meeting in Buffalo to call for American volunteers to aid in the Canadian fight for liberty The next day with 23 25 men commanded by an American named Van Rensselaer he seized Navy island belonging to Canada Canada Can Can- ada and situated In the Niagara river a short distance above Niagara Niagara Ni Ni- agara agars falls fails Here he be established a provisional government with a flag of its own a great seal and andall andall andall all the other appurtenances of a anew anew anew new nation including paper money money mon mon- ey of its own owns ownsBy By January 1838 there were several hundred men principal principal- cr J 2 j a Jf ti x r O-r V C t r PRESIDENT VAN BUREN ly Americans on the island They began throwing up breastworks breastworks breast breast- works facing the Canadian shore and secured a small steamboat named the Caroline which brought supplies to them from Fort an American outpost outpost out out- post nearly opposite the town of Chippewa On the night of December 29 1837 Colonel Macnab led a party of Canadian militia across the river to seize the Caroline It so happened however that the ship instead of being tied up atthe at atthe atthe the Island island was at Fort on the American shore Since Great Britain was not at war with the United States it was a serious matter for them to seize an American ship in an American Ameri Ameri- can port But Colonel Macnab decided that the situation warranted warranted war war- ranted such action So he and his men boarded he Caroline and in the fight which followed several men were killed among them an American named Taking the remainder remainder remainder re re- re- re of the crew prisoners the Canadians set fire to the Caroline Caroline Caroline Car Car- oline and set her adrift to be carried car car- carried ried to destruction over the falls This invasion of American territory ter ter- territory caused the greatest Indignation indignation indignation indig indig- nation throughout the country especially in New York where many excited citizens were in favor of going to war with England England Eng Eng- land at once But President Van VanBuren VanBuren VanBuren Buren was not to be stampeded into hasty action On January 5 II 1838 he issued a proclamation in which he recited the tho fact that Navy island had been seized by bya a force composed partly of Americans and led by an AmerIcan American Amer Amen ican with arms and supplies procured procured pro pro- procured cured in this country He lie declared declared declared de de- that the neutrality laws would be rigidly enforced and the offenders punished nor would they receive aid from the the United States in whatever difficulties difficulties they might be involved by their violation of friendly territory terri terri- tory The War Ends On the same day he sent Gen Winfield Scott one of the heroes of the War of 1812 to the NIagara Ni Nt Niagara agara frontier and in a special message to congress asked for power to prevent a repetition of such offenses Because of the excitement over the Carolines Caroline's destruction his request resulted in a hot debate in congress But eventually that body acceded to his request On January 13 Macke Mackenzie's rebels abandoned Navy Island and the war for the time was over However excitement and disorder continued along the border border bor bor- border der and in the fall of 1838 there were several minor incursions incursions incursions incur incur- into Canada by American sympathizers of the rebels As a result of these raids PresIdent President President Pres Pres- ident Van Buren issued another proclamation calling upon misguided misguided misguided mis mis- guided or deluded Americans to abandon such projects which were not only dangerous to their own country but fatal to those whom they were presumably trying trying try try- ing to aid He lie declared that If they were captured In Canada they would be left to the justice o of the government whose dominions they had without the shadow of justification or excuse nefariously invaded These strong statements did much to dampen the ardor of the sympathetic Americans and deprived of their aid the rebellion soon collapsed More than of the rebels ebeLs were arrested by the Canadian authorities and were sentenced sentenced sentenced sen sen- to be hanged Only a afew afew afew few were executed however al although although although al- al though some were banished to Van Dieman's Land But the ma- ma were pardoned on account of their youth Mackenzie fleeto tied flee to Buffalo where he be was arrested arrest arrest- arrested ed and indicted for violation of our neutrality laws After his indictment he addressed many public meetings throughout the United States in behalf of his cause But his efforts thus to arouse sympathy for himself were fruitless fruitless fruitless fruit fruit- less and in 1839 he was tried and 0 p i convicted He lie appealed to VanBuren Van VanBuren Buren for a pardon which was refused until he had served two- two thirds of his sentence in prison Because of this Mackenzie became became became be be- beI I came a persistent and vindictive II enemy of the President doing much to stir up partisan feeling against Van Buren as a tool of the he British Although the excitement over the he Canadian rebellion soon died down in the United States this did lid not end the diplomatic troubles troubles troubles trou trou- bles between the United States and Great Britain which resulted result result- ed from that affair In fact an even iven more dangerous complication tion ion soon arose over the fact that the he American named had been killed at that time The British government had avowed that this invasion of American soil was a public act and a necessary measure of self- self defense However the American government was not satisfied that this avowal was made in an authentic manner But nothing more was done about the matter while Van Buren was President In November 1840 a certain Alexander McLeod came to New NewYork NewYork NewYork York from Canada and began boasting that he was the actual slayer of He lie was at once arrested on a charge of murder and thrown into prison This angered the British authorities authorities ties and when McLeod was convicted convicted con con- they took such a strong stand on the subject that the threat of war became even greater great great- er than It had been in 1838 A Diplomatic Problem When William Henry Harrison succeeded Van Buren Duren as President President President dent Daniel Webster became secretary of state and the McLeod McLeod Mc Mc- Leod case was one of the first knotty problems which he was called upon to solve He lie was greatly hampered by the fact that McLeod was within the power of the New York courts and that the federal authorities had no jurisdiction jurisdiction jurisdiction juris juris- diction over him So when Henry S. S Fox British ambassador to the United States made a formal demand upon Webster for the release of McLeod McLeod McLeod Mc Mc- Leod in which he declared that Great Britain made a full avowal of the burning of the Caroline as a Q public act it placed our secretary of state in a very difficult dim dim- difficult cult position The only way ou was to secure McLeods McLeod's release from prison separate him diplomatically diplomatically dip dip- from the Caroline affair af af- affair fair and then take that up as a distinct matter for negotiation with the British government Websters Webster's first step was to send the United States attorney general general general gen gen- eral to Lockport N. N Y where McLeod was held and get in touch with the Canadians Canadian's counsel counsel counsel coun coun- sel furnishing them with authentic tic Information that the destruction destruction destruction tion of the Caroline was a public act and that therefore the New NewYork NewYork NewYork York authorities could not hold him This tossed the responsibility responsibility for McLeod and the consequent consequent consequent conse conse- quent question of peace or war with Great Britain squarely into the lap of the New York ties At first they seemed little inclined Inclined inclined In in- to help the federal government government government govern govern- ment in Its difficulty McLeods McLeod's attorney came before the state supreme court with a writ of habeas corpus in July 1841 But the court refused to release him himon himon himon on the grounds set forth in Webster's Websters Websters Webster's Websters Webster's Web Web- ster's instructions to the attorney general and he was remanded for If g 9 t 6 ar- ar trial in October This proved even more embarrassing to the federal government for the situation situation situ situ- was highly explosive and almost anything might happen before October However when McLeod was brought to trial it developed that thai he was a mere braggart who had hadnot hadnot hadnot not even been present when Dur Dun free was killed So he was acquitted acquitted ac as quitted and this international incident incident in incident in- in not only dissolved in thin air but it smoothed the way to the negotiation of the Webster Webster- Ashburton treaty which settled virtually all aU of th the questions that thai had been in dispute between the United States and Great Britain y e iJ A s. s v y N u Ir n a.- a. Although Mackenzie failed in in his revolt he sowed the seeds which eventually bore fruit for forthe forthe forthe the cause he had espoused and it is interesting to note that his grandson William Lyon Mackenzie Macken Macken- zie King who had become premier premier premier pre pre- mier of Canada helped harvest those hose fruits 93 years later When the he Act of Westminster putting into writing for the first time the constitution of the British Commonwealth Commonwealth Com Com- of Nations was passed by the British house of commons in 1930 that important piece of legislation was a direct result of the efforts of the Canadian Canadian Cana Cana- dian rebel William Lyon Mackenzie and his armed mob were put to utter rout after the merest excuse excuse ex ex- ex cuse of a battle but the few Cew shots they fired started the British empire empire em em- pire on its march toward the goal of autonomy under one crown The fight which the grandfather grand grand- father lather lost with a toll of one man killed tilled two executed and several exiled paved the way for the constitutional triumph of the grandson which removed the last vestiges of old colonialism from all ill the self-governing self units of the British empire The battle of Montgomery's farm whose site near Toronto is not even marked by a brass plate is now recognized as of greater import to things British than Cressy Agincourt or Plas- Plas sy Mackenzie showed his utter uselessness as a general and a politician Yet it was the rebellion he organized and the battle he so completely lost that started the constitutional movement toward complete national status realized in the regime of his grandson The Mackenzie rebellion was not as serious as the uprising at atthe atthe the same time in Lower Canada led Jed by Papineau But in Lower Canada there was racial division It was the French who attempted to throw off what had become the galling yoke of Incompetent British officialdom A rising of French against British did not strike home to London in the same way It was the little outbreak of British against British in the wilderness wilderness wilderness wil wil- of Upper Canada that Q a r f e q ti a w t f 1 GEN U WINFIELD INFIELD SCOTT caused the home government to realize something was radically wrong and resulted and resulted in Lord Durha Dur Dur- ha han haYn n coming to Canada to in in- Lord Durhams Durham's report marked the turning point in the reaction against democratic tendencies Britain's method of preventing another American Revolution It foreshadowed the union of all the Canadas and laid the basic formulae on which has gradually been built the status of nationhood nation hood secured in 1930 Even after Lord Durham complete complete complete com com- responsible government did not come without a parliamentary tary struggle but the home government government government gov gov- had learned its lesson in the rebellion and never again was there serious overseas interference interference interference inter inter- ference in the constitutional development development development de de- de- de toward autonomy The next great step came with confederation and end the birth of the Dominion of Canada in 1867 Since then |
