The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-26
NOT READY FOR WAR,
W. +. Curtis. in Chicago Record.

W. +. Curtis, in Chicago Record.
Army and navy officers are reluctant to
talk about such things, but there is no
disputing the fact that the United States
Is not ready for war. We now have a tine
lieet OF ships. u much better navy than
Spain. We have four of the finest of bat
tieships, equal in every respect to any
thing that floats, while Spain has but
one, which Is neither so large nor so
well armed as the Massachusetts, Indi-
ana, Oregon or Iowa. She has two Sec
ond-class battleships that are better than
ours OF the same grade. but she has no
sea coast defenders, while we have six
monsters that are equal to anything of
their class in the world. She has four
armored cruisers, while We have but two,
but We have ten protected cruisers whore
she has but two. In partially protected
cruisers the two nations are about even
in tonnage and guns. In gunboats we are
superior in number and in tonnage but
in torpedo boats the Spanish navy is very
much superior to ours. If the two ma
tions should meet at sea and fight it CO...
there is no question of final victory for
the United States. although Spain might
win the first few battles. OF course, we
could raise a larger army, and the United
States is wealthy nation, while Spain Is
pooi. ooi S'tuil IL stIulS, Dut HelS 10
weak, and has been exhausted in the
money centers of the world. 1t would be
impossible for Spain to make a loan of
any large amount with foreign bankers.
Her last attempt was a failure, and she
was compelled TO appeal to her own peo-
pie. who responded promptly and gener.
ously. Their resources are limited, and 1t
would not be possible for them to dupli-
cate the money they have already given
n ha I'M Ion, i,,f fN,,ho
The weak point in our condition how
ever is that we have so many important
cities on our sea coast undefended. There
is not one on the Atlantic coast, from
PASSPORT to Galveston, that could resist
or protect itself from destruction. If it
were visited by a Spanish fleet, and a sim
gle gunboat in a single day could do more
damage to the United States and destroy
more property than the Spanish army
has destroyed in Cuba since the revOlu-
ton began. 1t is alsd an important fact
that our army and navy both lack ammu-
milton. which cannot be furnished In
moment. 1t Is humiliating, but neverthe-
less true. that all the ammunition in pos
session of the navy of the United States
is stored in magazines Of the ships that
are floating today, and our great battle
ships and monitors would be absolutely
helpless and useless after few hours
of fighting. Dispatches from Wilmington
say that the powder works there are
running night and day, filling government
contracts. On the other hand, Spain Is
prepared for war. She is ready TO fight
al the drop of the hat, while it would take
six or eight months or a year to arm
and equip our navy.
Last year Secretary Herbert sent an
urgent appeal to congress asking for au-
thority to enlist 1000 men for service and
he showed that we had no more sailors
now with our splendid new fleet than We
had twenty years ago, when the navy
consisted of a lot of old wooden tubs that
had been kept floating since the war
Congress refused his appeal, and as a
consequence there Is not a ship in the
United States navy that has more than
half crew. Nor is it possible to put the
ships on a war footing in a month or two.
The modern man-Of-war Is a mOnstrOus
machine, filled with engines and electric
apparatus, machine guns and all sorts
of tackle that requires skilled and en-
perienced men to handle. And a modern
sailor must be a machinist, The slightest
mistake or carelessness on the part of a
green hand would render a gun or an en-
gine useless, and naval officers say that
no man is fit to be trusted on board a
ship in the excitement of battle until he
has had at least five years practical
training at sea. In these respects me
United States would be at a great disa1-
vantage If the government of Spain
should take notion to resent the Jingo-
ism of the senate. and that matter was
seriously discussed by the cabinet Friday
night before Secretary Olney wrote his
interview for the newspapers. and gave
an assurance to the Spanish government
that the independence of Cuba would not
be recognized, no matter what congress
said or did.
our army is in even worse condition
than the navy. We have about 2i.OOO men,
but they would not be e-fourth as many
as are necessary to man the Notifications
along the coast, even If we had guns for
them to use. OF course we could enlist
1OOOOOO men within a month or six weeks
If there was danger of invasion, but, as
Ii Hung Chang suggested when was IN
China, they would have nothing to fight
with. Guns and ammunition cannot be
made in a day, and they cannot be pur-
chased like dress goods or groceries.
Therefore, as the great viceroy remarked,
when commenting upon our military COLI
dtion. all that our soldiers could do in
case of a sudden attack upon our sea
coast would be to throw sticks and stones
at the enemy, like lot of old women.
The jingoes who are displaying their pa
triOtism in the newspapers and the Unit
ed States senate have also failed to con-
slider the cost of a war in human lives. as
well as money. If we should send an
army to Cuba a very small part of it
would ever return to this country. The
malarial fevers of that climate have done
more to prevent the suppression of the
rebellion than the arms of the insurgents,
and recent dispatches tell us that there
are now 1i,000 men in the hospitals of
Havana alone, without including as many
more who are disabled from the same
cause in other cities. The climate Of
Cuba would be even more deadly to an
American than to a Spaniard. because the
latter are not accustomed TO the cooler
temperature and the comforts and luXu-
ries which our people enjoy.