Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 9.djvu/86

 CLAY I THE EMANCIPATION OF SOUTH AMERICA^ (1818) Born in 1777, died In 1852; elecced to the United States Senate iit 1806, and again in 1810; elected to Congress in 1811-21, and again in 1823-25, serving three terms as Speaker; Peace Commissioner at Ghent in 1814; defeated for the Presidency in 1824; Secretary of State in 1825; elected United States Senator in 1831 and again in 1849; defeated for the Presidency in 1832 and in 1844; chief author of the compromises of 1820 and 1850. Spain has undoubtedly given us abundant and just cause for war. But it is not every cause of war that should lead to war. War is one of those dreadful scourges that so shakes the founda- tion of society, overturns or changes the charac- ter of governments, interrupts or destroys the pursuits of private happiness, brings, in short, misery and wretchedness in so many forms, and at last is, in its issue, so doubtful and hazardous that nothing but dire necessity can justify an appeal to arms. If we are to have war with Spain, I have, however, no hesitation in saying that no mode of bringing it about could be less fortunate than that of seizing, at thii time, upon her adjoining province. There was a time, under certain circumstances, when we might have oc- 76
 * From a speech in the House of Representatives, March 24, 1818,