I HAVE OFTEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE GREAT COMPROMISES IN HISTORY: HENRY CLAY'S "COMPROMISE OF 1850" AND NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN'S "PEACE IN OUR TIMES"! BOTH ONLY DELAYED WHAT WOULD BE MILLIONS OF LIVES BEING LOST AND THAT DELAY PROBABLY INCREASED THE AWFUL BLOODSHED ON EACH SIDE. I SHOULD ADD THAT THE LIVES WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST ANYWAY. THE COMPROMISE OF CLAY AND CHAMBERLAIN ONLY POSTPONED THE CONFLICTS WHICH WERE DESTINED TO COME. THEY WERE BOTH, BOTH MEN OF GOODWILL. MEN WHO HAD GOOD INTENTIONS AND THE FATE OF THEIR PEOPLE FOREMOST IN THEIR ACTIONS. BUT GOODWILL IS NOT ENOUGH WHEN THE FORCES OF HISTORY ARE AT THE GATES AND THE AWFUL FOREBODING OF THE IMPENDING CONFLICT ARE VISIBLE FOR ALL TO SEE EXCEPT THOSE WHO TURN A BLIND EYE AND SEEK TO AVOID THE UNDENIABLE TRUTH. PERHAPS THESE TWO NEVER ENVISIONED THE EVENTS TO COME. ACTUALLY NO ONE DID! I SUSPECT THE GREAT COMPROMISERS WERE AFLOAT IN THAT NEVER-NEVER LAND BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG AND GOOD AND EVIL AND DRIFTING TOWARD WHICH EVER SHORE LOOKED THE MOST COMFORTING. ONE WILL NEVER KNOW. THE ONLY SURE THING IS THE OUTCOME---WAR AND DEATH ON A GRAND SCALE! DOES THIS FIT THE MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROADERS TODAY? PERHAPS! A GREAT BATTLE IS LOOMING ON THE AMERICAN HORIZON AND NO ONE KNOWS THE OUTCOME, BUT TO POSTPONE THAT CONFLICT IS ONLY TO INTENSIFY THE TERRIBLE LOSSES THAT CONFLICT WILL INCUR. THE TRUTH YOU SEE AND FEEL IS REAL AND TO BRUSH THAT ASIDE IN THE NAME OF POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY IS FOLLY, BECAUSE IN THE END THE BATTLE WILL BE JOINED---HISTORY HAS PROVEN THAT. ITS NEVER THE MIDDLE THAT WINS THAT "CROWNING VICTORY" BUT THOSE ON THE EXTREMES, THE ENEMIES OF MODERATION. THE MODERATES ALWAYS END UP BEING FOLLOWERS OF THE VICTORS, IF ONLY FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. DON'T BE THAT HENRY CLAY OF YESTERDAY, BE THAT CALHOUN OR WEBSTER OF TODAY. YOU MAY WIN OR LOSE BUT AT LEAST YOU CAN SAY, "I FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT'!
