Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-05
THURSDAY. =. FEBRUARY 8. 1891.


Mr.. CocxREIL, of Missouri, was right
when he said that there was no danger
that any seacoast city in the United States
would ever lie attacked by the navy OF any
country in the world. We have for years
regarded the expenditure OF large sums OF
money in seacoast defences as unwfse and
impolitio, and we have illustrated our ar
gument by saying that it would be as rea-
sonable 10 suppose that pigmy would at
tack q giant because the latter had nus
hands in his pockets as to suppose that
France, Germany, England. or any other
nation will ever attack seacoast city IN
this country because of its defenceless
condition. The fact is that BRoTHKR JoSA-
THAN is not only a real giant and known as
such TO all the world. but he is lingo
giant. He has 1.-THE money" and the
men," and no will make the world stare
when he puts on his seven-leagued boots
and sets out on an expedition in search OF
unruly JOHN BELLS or JOHNNY CRAPKAUs, OF
other such misbehayers.
BRoTHrR JONATHAN does not lack for
reputation. From the rivers to the end
of the earth" his strength is magnifed by
thousands OF persons who have never seen
him. His summary way of disposing
of the KoTzKA case some forty years
ago served as notice to the world at
large that there was on the face of this
terrestrial globe republican giant,
peoples advocate and defender, of whose
existence il would be well for all lesser
giants and all advocates OF royalty and
regal privileges to take due notice. But
the wonder Of the age was made manifest
during the war between the States, when
the Confederate States Government and
the United States Government both raised
such armies as not HANNIBAL nor JULIUS
CESAR, nor ALEXANDER THE GREAT, nor
even NAPOLEON ever commanded, and car
RED on such war as dwarfed many which
had previously been numbered among the
great ones Of the world. MILTON said the
so-called battles in England during the
heptarchy had in the light of subsequent
battles become as contests between kites
and crows. BRoTHER JONATHAN probably
looks at some once-famous battles in the
same light.
Anyhow, the United States Government
is the most powerful on the face of the
earth. 1t is strong in fame. but not less
strong in fact The rulers of the nations
cannot but wonder that any government
could muster soldiers by the million, we
might say, to meet soldiers mustered by
hundreds of thousands by section COM
prising less than fifth Of the able-bodied
men Of the country as it stood before war
became fragrant between the sections.
And such soldiers the world had never be-
fore seen. CHARLES DICKENS said that
mob in the United States was mob in
broadcloth. 1t might be said that the
armies of the two belligerent sections of
this country were armies that had DOTTED
broadcloth and donned the blue and the
gray at the command Of duty as duty was
understood by thossarmies respectively.
And so ii has come about that the sea-
coast cities of the United States are as safe
from harm, though exposed to shot and
shell, as if there were innumerable IRON
clads guarding the entrances TO their har-
bors. and bristling forts as strong as Gil
bralta threatening all belligerent CON-
erg