Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-16
The Lesson of the Hour for Americans

To tie Editor of The Evening Star:
After several contradictory statements
peace seems to have been ratified between
China and Japan. bringing to its close a
war which has been remarkable for prick
ing some huge bubbles. To no country.
however, does the lesson of that struggle
commend itself mo4e strongly than to ours.
The popular view of the United States is
that we are vast in strength, as we are
in extent, population and wealth, and that
we are first-rate power in the world.
1t was certainly true at one time, but
that optimistic view has become fal-
lacy; we have dropped behind the times,
and while all other nations have equipped
themselves with great numbers OF guns
and other home defenses, and with ade-
quate fleets, we, with a strange blindness
to circumstances, are content with a cou-
pie of guns and vessel or two yearly,
and that scanty provision actually serves
to lull to a sense of security a score OF
wealthy sea and lake ports and thousands
of miles of coast, inviting bombardment
or the cowardly alternative OF ransom
But yesterday the word of China might
have stood against a great part of the
world; now none so poor TO 90 her reVer-
ence. And our position is very much the
same. But yesterday, when we had
fleet the word of one-half of us thrust
the French out of Mexico and extorted
damages from wave-ruling Britannia, ;
now we respectfully inquire about French
consul TO twenty years of Imprisonment,
and mildly suggest that Great Britain
should agree to arbitration before she
finishes Selling as much of Venezuela as
she wants. AS to Alaskan seals, which
we supposed that we paid for. Great
Britain has handed them over to Canadian
poachers and as to the Monroe doctrine, 1t
is the butt of every European whiting.
Whatever happens. we assume "indiffer-
ence," partly because our forts are not
ready and our ships are outnumbered.
Comparing ourselves with China, we have
wealth of a certain kind so had she; and
our wealth will be the chief reason for our
being forced to pay an indemnity on some
pretext We have large population; she
has one five times great. Some or US
think we have an army and a navy; year
ago China thought hers were inyincible
and the world at large was strongly in
clined to believe it. Our navy consists OF
some seventy vessels of all classes, one
third of which would hold their own
against similar craft; but the Whole of
them combined could not withstand the
continued onslaught of the fleet of any
ffrst-rate power. 1t is true that a foreign
army would find it difficult, perhaps i'm
possible, to march far into this country, but
there is no harbor on either coast which,
having a sufficient draught of water, could
repel the sudden attack of any first-class
fleet: and hostile armor-clads once inside
might hold the place almost Indefinitely
with the aid of modern guns, to be found
in greater abundance in every service than
our own. Suppose could, as we are fond
of boaS ting, raise millions of men, well
armed and equipped, burning with patri-
otism, each man a paladin-or more, an
American-could We, even with our choicest
flesh and blood, stop Misunderstanding