The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-11
A WISE sPANlARD.
Senior Pi Y. Margau Tells His Countrymen
about the Power of the United States.
(From the Madrid Nuevo Regimen. =,

(brom the Madrid Nuevo Regimen
1t is hard to understand how public
opinion can be so easily deceived. There
are many here who believe that it would
be simple thing for us to defeat the
United States in a war. They believe
that country is only a republic of mer-
chants. They believe that she cannot
fight with European powers. What a
mistakei America was not q republic vet
when she first defeated England Thirty
years later she declared war with Eng
land again and compelled her to sign an
honorable peace, notwithstanding she saw
the English burning the Capitol at Wash
iugton. Whom, after half century Of
peace, her inhabitants were divided about
the slavery question, and she had to fight
with her own sons, the world was amazed
at the size of her armies, at her battles,
and at her formidable engines of war.
1t was then that she produced the
monitor. On the 8th and 9th of March,
1869, III Hampton Roads, in sight of For
tress Monroe, she gave to the world the
spectacle of a naval combat such as had
never been witnessed before between two
battles, the like of which. also had never
been seen before. namely, the Merrimao
and the Monitor of Ericsson.
Against England America is always
powerful. In 1916 she compelled England
to give up O part Of Oregon. In 1871
England had to indem Nifty her for the
cruisers built in British ports for the enc
mics of the republic. Recently she has
compelled England to consent to her in
reference in the quarrel about the
boundaries of Guyana and Venezuela.
On the American continent how often she
has acted energetioally without Europes
opposltionl In 1S45 she annexed Texas
to her territory. In 1645 she compelled
England to give to Honduras the islands
of Rostan. From 1868 to 1867 she onenly
opposed the establishments of monarchy
in Mexico. She did not recognize Maxi
milan even as constituted power. She
did not attempt even to preserve neutral
lty. She favored .Juarez, and when the
Emperor was imprisoned at Queretaro
she declined to listen to the requests Of
France and Austria to interfere to
save his life.
Excepting England, there is no nation
in Europe which dares now to oppose in
any way the United States, at present
more powerful than ever. When she
fought against England thu first time she
had not 4. 900, 900 Of inhabi tants. The
second time she had no more than 5000,
600. To-Day she has GO, 600, o00 Then she
had nothing; aow she has strong naval
force. and she can put in arms at
NOM nt's notice millions of soldiers.
Her regular army is small in time of
peace, only rs, 600 men, but they reach to
hundreds of thousands in the organized
militia of the several States.
The United States are now q wealthy
nation, Industrious, active, enterprising,
without fear of any undertaking, no mat
ter how reckless and impossible it looks.
In war against Europe she would dis
play hundred fold the strength she ex-
hibited in the war of secession. She
could hardly be defeated. Never shall
we advise Spain to declare war upon the
United Statesi Terms of peaceful ar
rangement are possible, and we should
exhaust them first.