Show The Great and Joyful News of PEACE Between America and Great Britain Reached This City This Evening r. r M C ear q I 4 x p n t ti 1 Y r i n 4 n 4 y r-y s sr r r r l P a T 1 i L v c THE TilE PEACE OF ClIENT GHENT 1811 AND TRIUMPH OF OP AMERICA This AMERICA This allegorical picture drawn by William William Wil Wil- liam on engraved by Chataignier and published by P. P Price Jr of or Philadelphia was very popular throughout the United States Stales after the end of or the War IVar of or 1812 Its design Is thus described Minerva represents represents represents the wisdom of or the United States Mercury her commerce Hercules her force Minerva 1 dictates their conditions of or peace which Mercury 1 presents to Brit tania and Hercules forces her to accept them thern On the shield of or Minerva l are the names of or those who signed the treaty on the obelisk those of or the braves On the theother theother theother other side America passes In 10 triumph through the arch on her way to the Temple of or Peace She Is b attended by Victory and followed by a numerous train Several trophies arc are seen and In Is the background are the ruins of or the Capitol By Dy ELMO SCOTT WATSON 0 o Western Newspaper Union N CHRISTMAS Eve O ON years ago the English- English speaking peoples of the world had good reason for singing peace on earth good will to men men Over in the ancient city of Ghent in southern Netherlands now Belgium eight men representing the United States of America and Great Britain were signing a treaty to end the year two-year war which those two nations had been carrying on against each other It had been fought on sea and on the soil of the United States and nd her neighbor Can Can- ada It was the second war which these two nations had fought but it was destined to tobe tobe tobe be the last During the next century they kept the peace established between them at Ghent and symbolic of their lasting friendship is the 1000 mile border line between Canada and the United States along which there is not a single single single sin sin- gle fortification on either side Not only have the two nations kept the peace with each other for more than years but during that time they have fought side by side as allies in the greatest conflict conflict con con- filet the world has ever known A little tittle over a month ago they were parties to another treaty On November 17 in the historic mirrored East Room of the llie White e R 4 CHRISTOPHER HUGHES nUGUES JR I House where the starred ill-starred Kellogg Kel Kel- logg-Briand logg logg Briand war anti-war pact wa was was signed five men Sir men Sir Ronald Lindsay British ambassador to the United States Arnold E E. E Overton secretary of the British Board of Trade Cordell Hull American secretary of state stale President Franklin D. D Roosevelt Roosevel and Mackenzie King prime minister minister min min- ister of Canada signed the trade agreements which link the three English English English speaking democracies together together to to- together gether as common foes of international international international inter inter- national trade barriers and align them against the totalitarian policy policy pol icy of self sufficiency The Treaty of Ghent was the delayed culmination of ot a chain o of events had started within three months after the war had officially begun On June 18 1812 President James Madison signed the he bill passed by congress declaring declaring de de- claring Glaring war against Great Britain Brit Brit- ain At that time John Quincy Adams was American minister at athe atthe atthe the he Russian court When the news reached St. St Petersburg Czar Alexander expressed his regret to Adams that the the two countries should be at war and began making making mak- mak ing ng efforts to bring about a peace He sent instructions to M. M his representative at Washington to offer to the United States his friendly services in ending the war President Madison Madison Madison Madi Madi- son had been eager for a peace if ift it t could be secured on honorable terms In Russia's offer he saw sawa a way to bring that about He immediately accepted Dasch- Dasch cofi's kolTs offer otter and appointed Albert Gallatin secretary of the treasury treasury treasury treas treas- ury and Senator James A. A Bayard Bayard Bay Bay- ard and of Delaware as envoys extraordinary extraordinary ex ex- extraordinary to act with Adams diplomatic situation In Europe which made it advisable for England England England Eng Eng- land to conclude a peace as quickly as possible finally put an end to the wrangling An agreement agreement agreement agree agree- ment was reached on Christmas Eve and the treaty was signed The treaty was immediately taken to London by Mr Baker secretary to Lord Gambier Gambler and Mr Carroll one of the secretaries secretaries secre secre- tortes of the American commis commis- There It was ratified on December 28 by the Prince Regent Regent Regent Re Re- gent and then sent to America by the same messengers They sailed in the British sloop of war Favorite on January 2 1815 and arrived in New York on the evening evening evening eve eve- ning of February 11 11 Christopher Hughes had left Ghent with willi a copy of the treaty at atthe atthe atthe the same time as the other messengers messengers messengers mes mes- had proceeded to Texel and there embarked for America I American Medal Commemorating the Treaty of or Ghent I in negotiating a peace treaty with England at St. St Petersburg The British government however however however how how- ever refused to treat for peace under the auspices of Russia but offered to open negotiations in London or in Gottenburg in Sweden President Madison immediately immediately immediately im im- im- im mediately accepted this proposal and chose the latter place for the meeting A short time later the city of Ghent was substituted for Gottenburg There the American commissIoners commissioners commissioners commis commis- assembled in the summer of 1814 They were John Quincy Adams James A. A Bayard Albert Gallatin Henry Clay of Kentucky and Jonathan Russell The secretary secretary secretary sec sec- of the American commissioners commissioners commissioners commis commis- was Christopher Hughes Jr then our charge at Stockholm The British commissioners were Lord Gambler Gambier Henry Goulburn Goulburn Goulburn Goul- Goul burn and William Adams They arrived in Ghent in August and negotiations began immediately But progress was slow for the British representatives had been instructed to make no concessions to the main demands of the Americans Instead they were to try to gain as many con concessions from them as possible This fact combined with their arrogant attitude irritated the I Americans who were suspicious of virtually every suggestion offered offered offered of of- by the Especially Especial ly was this true of J John OM Quincy Adams head of the delegation His irascibility increased as the conference dragged on and on and only the tact and diplomacy of Albert Gallatin more than once saved the llie conference from ending with nothing accomplished I After a deadlock that lasted for for several weeks there came from America the news of the British defeat at Platts Plattsburgh burgh This strengthened the hands of the American commissioners and combined with a hange ange in the on the schooner Transit This vessel arrived at Annapolis Md two days after the Favorite reached New York but Hughes was in Washington with his copy of the treaty before the ratified copy arrived News of the arrival of the Fa Favorite Favorite Fa- Fa in New York soon spread over the city The publisher of the Mercantile Advertiser printed print print- ed extras slips extras slips of paper five by six inches In size which size which bore these words PEACE New York Saturday Evening 9 February 11 U. 1815 1115 The great and joyful news o of PEACE between the United States State and Great Britain reached this city this evening by bythe bythe bythe the British sloop of ol war Favorite tha th Hon J. J U. U Mowatt Esq commander In two forty days day from rom Plymouth Henry Carroll Esq Secretary of the American Legation at Ghent Is li the welcome wel wet come bearer burer of the treaty which was waa signed at Ghent on the of December Decem ber bar by the respective commissioners and ratified by the British government on the December Mr Baker late Secretary to the British Legation at Washington has haa also arrived In an the sloop of ot war with a copy of the treaty ratified by the government These extras were thrown out of the windows of the newspaper newspaper news news- paper office and eagerly caught up by the excited crowds who in inthe inthe inthe the words of a contemporary made the night vocal with huz huz- zas There was rejoicing in England too and in both countries special medals were struck in commemoration commemoration commemoration oration of the great event The English medal bore on one side the words Treaty of Peace and Amity Between Great Britain and the United States of America Signed at Ghent December 24 21 1814 Upon the other side was wasa a a. a feminine figure standing upon the segment of a globe bearing the cornucopia of plenty and holding in one hand the olive branch of peace Surrounding this figure were the words appropriate to the Christmas season season lOOn On the Earth Peace Good Will Good to Men Despite all the rejoicing in both England and America over the end of the war It is noteworthy that there was dissatisfaction with the treaty in both countries The English Tories and their newspapers condemned the treaty because it yielded too much to what they called the insolent Yankees and they continued to disparage the American people and the American republic Among some factions In this country the peace was regarded almost as unsatisfactory as the war had been The anti adminis forces pointed out that the important issue of of American seamen was not mentioned in the treaty and such problems as the standing long dispute over boundaries the Newfoundland Newfoundland Newfoundland New New- fisheries and navigation navigation navigation tion of the Mississippi remained unsolved One of their newspapers the New York Evening Post in its New Years Year's Address had declared declared declared de de- Your commerce Is If wantonly lost Your treasures are wasted and gone gont Youve You've fought to no end but with millions of cost And for rivers riven of blood youve you've nothing to boast boas t But nut credit and nation undone and when the terms of the treaty were made known the criticism in that stanza seemed abundantly justified Despite all the abuse that was heaped upon the treaty and the themen themen themen men who made it it was ratified by unanimous vote of the senate on February 17 1815 and it was promulgated the next day by proclamation of President Madi Madi- son Although the American commissioners commissioners commissioners com com- missioners had not gained all that the administration had hoped they might in the words of one historian far more important to this c country and the world than 1 1 e ALBERT GALLATIN the security of Incidental advantages advantages advantages was the establishment by bythe bythe bythe the war of the positive and permanent permanent per per- manent independence of the United United United Unit Unit- ed States and with it a guarantee to the of the perpetuation perpetua perpetua- tion and growth of free Great Britain had been taught by the lessons of the war that the young republic the tho offspring offspring offspring off off- spring of her oppressions growing growing growing grow grow- ing more lusty every hour would no longer tolerate an insult or suffer its sovereignty to be questioned questioned questioned ques ques- without resenting the offense offense offense of of- and she was compelled to sign a bond as it were to keep the peace in the llie form of an acknowledgment acknowledgment acknowledgment ac ac- ac- ac that she had in that republic a formidable rival for the supremacy of the seas which she was bound to respect For Americas America's victories on the sea had been impressive and aud for forthe forthe the llie first time In hist history the domination domination domination domi domi- nation of the Mistress of the theSeas theSeas theSeas Seas had been successfully chal chal- On land however the opposite had been true With one or two exceptions our military operations operations op op- had been bungling and more often resulted in defeat than thanin thanin thanin in victory And then like the proverbial bolt from the blue came the news that an American general had won a victory over England's best troops On January 8 8 1815 Gen Andrew Jackson with his motley army of Kentucky and Tennessee frontiersmen Creoles and Jean Lafitte's pirates had smashed the army led by General General General Gen Gen- eral Pakenham against New Orleans Or Or- OrI I leans leans leans-an an army composed of Wellington's Wellington's Wellington's Wel Wel- lington's veterans who had helped him win fame in the Peninsula war Forgotten now was the dissatisfaction dissatisfaction dissatisfaction faction over the treaty forgotten were all the defeats and disasters which had overtaken our armies during the two years of the llie warOld warOld warOld war Old Hickory Jackson was the hero of the hour To a country that had almost completely lost faith in itself to a country that had almost learned to cringe this news came like a reprieve to aman aman a aman man on the gallows It was literally literally lit lit- crazed with joy and in its delirium it flung the name of Andrew Andrew An An- drew Jackson against the stars Christmas 1814 may not have been a very happy one for most Americans But Christmas 1815 certainly was Andrew Jackson had saved the self-respect self of the nation early In the year By the time tune Christmas came around a anew anew anew new national prosperity was already already al already al- al ready on the way and out of that prosperity and the peacetime re readjustment readjustment readjustment re- re adjustment of national affairs came eventually the Era of Good Feeling which distin distin- distinguished guis Led the administration of ot Madison's successor James Monroe Mon Mon- roe |