The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-19
What Would Happen In
Event of a Big War.
General Algers Answers Sur
priSed EngliShmen.
Patriotism and the Militia-Martial
Spirit OF the South.

Recently there has been great deal OF
gossip as To what would be likely 20 hap
pen in case the United States were to get
into war with one Of the great naval
powers of Europe. This reminds me that
not long before the Inauguration OF Presi'
dent Mckinley General Alger was In Eng
land and found himself at dinner one
night whoro there were number of Eng
lish army and navy officers. These gen
tlemen were quite curious 10 know how
the United States expected to defend itself
In case of war with England
"Your northern frontier Is 5000 miles
long, understand" remarked n British
army officer, "and Is without Notifications.
Is that truey"
"That is true" replied General Alger.
"We have no Notifications there at all"
AT this all the company expressed great
surprise They could not understand IT,
A long frontier absolutely unfortified and
scores of important cities without protec
ton
"why is 1t sog" asked one of them at
length.
"Well, I'll tell you" said General Alger.
"There are In the United States 20, ,000,
600 of people. There are in Canada 5000,
600 or 5000, COO. My countrymen are not
such towards that they see any necess' y
for 20, 900, 900 of people fortifying them.
selves against 5000, 000."
The American Spirit.
The Britishers quickly saw the point
and did not press the matter any further,
but they wanted TO know about our greet
~, ri az Ncxx, Nnrlr Doufnn RAJ,
timore, Philadelphia and others.
"Are they fortified? And what would
happen If you should get into war with
England, for instance, and we were GO
send over 30 or 40 great battleshipsY"
II am perfectly willing to answer that
question, too, q" said General Alger "Our
cities are not without Notifications. But
leaving out of the question the defense
which these fortihcations and our own
navy would afford, making no mention OF
the development of torpedo defenses, which
would be very rapid II danger threatened
taking no account of the difficulty youi
ships would experience in operating fai
away from your coal supply, let us assume
that you could shell New York or Boston
and destroy the city. You couldn't do
anything more. Have you forgotten that
HhtiAci I ~ Ncuthiy hko OiiO Va piiN
greatest Of American cities was completely
wiped out by tlreg The destruction Of Chi
cago by tho flames was more thorough
than any work of ruin your battleships
could work, Yet Chicago arose from her
ashes, almost in twinkling, n greater,
more beautiful, richer and more powerful
city than ever before. That Is precisely
what would happen in case you were to
ahalt 6na NJ csf -
This was somewhat of "A poser to the
English gentlemen. They could not meet
a spirit like this, which surveyed with
equanimity the possibility Of tho destruc.
tion of a great ci:y by shot from big guns
They wcro freed To admit, however. that
there was no use trying To get ahead of q
nation that could look at things in this
way. After little pause, during which
the Enqlishmen appeared TO be thinking
up some new line Of attack upon the Unit
ed States, oho of them exclaimed:
but you have no army in America
Only %, ,00C or 30, OC0 men. How could
you defend your country with that number
of soldiersy''
"As to that" replied General Alger,
"thero are some things you do not know
Wo have 75, Geo men in our state militia
hfl AIRiu'i anu tHhlHPth.
They could hc put In the field on "a hours
notice. In two weeks more we could put
900, 600 men in the field, in three months
300, 900 more and in six or nino months
we could send out 5000, 900 armed sol
diers. III you want 10 understand the pos
sibilities of tho United States from the mil
itary point OF view, look at the war Of the
rebellion and remember that foreign
10 ,,t
the north or south alone, but tho two COM
biped."
War Feeling In Dixie.
1t is n curious fact that there Is more
war feeling among the senators and repre-
sentatives from the southern states than
among those from the north This feeling
crops out In many ways and Is believed &c
reflect public opinion In the sections be
hind them. have asked number of sen.
ators how they explain 1t, and the most
usual answer is that the men of the south
would bail with joy an opportunity to
fight again under the old flag. The young
men Of Dixie have more OF the martial
spirit than their fellows of the non n, and
II there were 70 be war between tho Unit
ed States aud Spain, for instance, prob
ably enough volunteers would offer from
the south slono 20 FIJI out the quota of our
armies five times over. Southern men tell
me there is "A feeling among their people
that tho south and north will never bo
completely reunited till there has been a
foreign war IN which the men from the
states formerly in rebellion will have an
opportunity 10 demonstrate their love for
the Union by going 10 the front. Many
southern men would be glad To have 1.-The
late war" refer to struggle with foreign
power rather than to the rebellion.