, 1890-06-26
FROM WAKEMAN
Talks About the Re-
& bellion.
SHADOWS OF THE WAR
The Government Growing
Wise and Prudent.
COAST DEFENSES DEFICIENT
Reasons Why tho Government Is
Storing Away the Gun
powder.
COAST DEFENSES DEFICIENT

4 tCopyrieht 1901
DDvER, N. j., June IL, 1so0.--
Everybody knows Of the sad and
often ludicrous straits 10 which the
government Of the late confcderacy
was put to provide the necessary
gunpowder for carrying on the war
Of the rebellion. A very few out
edo Of ofIicial circles ever rccog-
mixed the sore tax upon our ma
ti0nnl government In the same all
essential provision. Fewer still ever
give thought to what could be de-
pended upon In this respect should
eoms sudden outbreak OF great aud
prolonged foreign war In an instant
sst " face TO face with q test of our
best national RESOURCES for defense
e aRGression.
Becxuso conditions might Mt any
time ariee making tho carrying on
~ . foreign war impossible from the
lack Of the one necessary article OF
Runpovder, the proportion Of Its
ingredients In United States mill
tsry use--7e Of nitre, IA of charcoal
ana 10 Of sulphur, 90 simple fact
that the ordinary reader smiles
wisely At its repetition--takes on,
rsfieotively, u grave aud serious Inn
portance. We could never fall short
Of charcoal. There are inexhaust-
ibis sulphur mines within our own
boundArkes, and though one Of tho
most important elements of matter,
sulphur must ever remain out Of the
chesrest and most available. but
while all are accustomed to boast of
our Iimitless natural resources, nitre
o. saltpetrc, 30 far NJ hes been dis
covered, tsn't ono Of them. To be able
to fight, We must have powder. To
have powder, we must have nitre to
the extent Of 20 per cent. Of Its bulk.
We must therefore have nltre or
turn Quakers and refuse to fight.
~ l4 80
When tho matter 10 presented just
this way, and just as 1t Is, every
oitizen Of the United States must
becolns seriously Interested; and 1t
h gratifying TO feel that the military
authoritIes have for some time fully
realized the situation as II exists and
have quietly and effectively insti-
tuted measures OF provision against
Y future fatal weakness In time of
war. My own attention was re-
Gently directed to the subject by tho
remarks of French military at
tache Ia Algiers, who said:
"four government Is at last be-
coming wise and prudent In proper
measures of protection against future
dangerous exlgencies. The very
ascendency and greatness of your
country, with Its certain refiexivc
influences against monarchial insti-
tutions, renders 1t u shining mark
for attempted conquest by imperial
greatness their own most fatal weak
nc ~, ,no,, ..na,..,,.,
a,,c,,ssinn Il ~ ~ on Evrnnnon ,n;I,sar,. Inaisi ,.a,s
cles TINT A AmerIcan rride MIGHT hear
bumblinR. The entire monarchiai
system and the preservation of titled
and military official interests are In
eirecL ana deadly ahtsgonisn 70 All
n,nerlSan IA sai, progI,ess. s,e ,.,, hgiano mas
n,sr,, % ~ ha,as wn', ,or da,i iat;n I har
,on,iiation Snain T. ,ivid ,~,tb ra.e
avrr Tho los ~ al, her Amariea,
JenenSenc,es sava ,i,,b. and a.
con.tant menace Of rossihje anneSa
fion of that i.Jand IL vnnr cauntr~
And tbs Rusa,an n c,ar fairly ,vriti,es
~ ,hs mnivarsai nnt,i,a Simnat,na
In tne Iin,tad statas nv.r n,s danii'
isb treatment Of exi,os In s,,l,er,a
~ ~ NNS' y" ,''"S'i".