The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-31
IN THE EVENT OF A WAR.

throwing the whole of the vast business and
commerce Of the Nation into disastrous con-
fusion, for the sake of protecting an insig-
niicent lot of Canadian poachers in their
nefarious operations.
The situation now is merely stiff diplo-
matte game, in which both sides are play
ing for advantages.
In this game the detriment that either
will suffer in the remote event of an actual
played.
1t is insisted by great many that all the
advantages in such contest would be on
the side of Great Britain. She has the most
powerful navy in the world, and it is claimed
that she could not only drive the whole of
our naval force out of Boring Sea in few
weeks, but at the same time blockade our
coasts, lay our seaports under contribution,
and iniict upon us such enormous damages
that we would be glad TO sue for peace long
before we could really get ready for war.
Then, too, it is urged that she has the
e eat Dominion of Canada lying along our
whole Northern frontier. She could fill this
country with troops, and the Great Lakes
With light war vessels, which could easily
attack and capture Buffalo, Cleveland,
Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
This is the timid view of the matter
which sees nothing but strength and readi-
ness for war Oh the English side, and moth
ing but weakness ard unreadiness on our
side
Let us look at il from another side.
The first and most important considera-
ton is that we are the only great Nation in
the world which is really footlocse in re-
gard 10 going to war. Before Great Britain
can actually threaten any other great power
with war, she must make herself reasonably
certain as TO what view other powers may
| take of it. Before she can take any prelim
nary steps toward struggle, she must be
sure that Russia will not take advantage of
her engagement with US to push on to India
statesmen must have an understanding with
those of Germany, Austria and Italy-per-
haps also with those of France-that Russia
will not be permitted TO oYerset the treaty
of Berlin. This will have powerfully
lettering influence On England, especially
at this time, when Russia is believed to be
only too anxious to go to war. On the other
hand, we can fight, or threaten to fight,
without caring picayune what any other
Nation may say or do about it.
Secondly, while the English have a navy
which is immensely stronger than ours, in
one sense it is really not so strong. The
reason is that in the event of 4 war it would
have thousandfold more work to do. We
conld at once call every seagoing American
steamer In, fit her up with few guns, and
start her out again to play the Alabama
role on the fleets of British vessels which
swarm on every sea. Ten fairly swift
American vessels, hastily fitted up as
cruisers, in a few weeks after war became
threatening, and commanded by enterprising
officers would more than employ the entire
force of the British navy in hunting them
down, guarding ocean pathways, and con-
voying merchant shiEs. Twenty such ships,
which we could readily start upon their de-
strnctiye mission, would almost paralyze
EnglaBds worldwide commerce, shut down
her factories, and bring her people to the
verge of starvation by interfering with the
transportation Of food products. People
who can only see, by the eye of prophecy,
British ironclads laying Boston, New York,
Charleston, and San Francisco in ashes by
shells from their mighty guns, should
lengthen out the telescope with which they
scan the future. and contemplate the posi-
bility of 100 fast-steaming "Alabamas"
scurrying around among the 5000 merchant
vessels which fly the British flag, and light
ing every sea in the world with their flames.
There is where Great Britain is vastly more
vulnerable to loss than we are. We can
readily protect our seaports from her iron
clads with tOrpedoes, submarine mines, and
other devices which the inventive American
mind would produce in abundance, if occa-
sion called for them; bat 10 times the
present British navy could not protect her
wealth which is afloat from the ravages of
the commerce-destroyers which we would
turn loose against il.
So Car from Canada being an element Of
military strength, she would be one of weak
ness. She is not so good base to operate
from as she is an objective TO operate against
The inhabited and strategic portion is long,
thin line, stretching from ocean to ocean,
and which we would break in at least five
widely-separated places within fortnight
after the declaration OF war. A look at the
map Will show how this could be done.
There are enough Sons of Veterans and