El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-09-22
RELATIVE STRENGTH.
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force the laws of nations. Furthermore
the interests of nearly all European
countries are so closely dependent on
the pational and material walfare OF
| Inc United States that war between
the latter and Spain would created a
worldwide panic.
Spain holds Cuba not only by inter
national, but also by Individual right.
No foreign nations could righttully
deny to Spain the right to declare war
against the United States If the latter
should unlawfuliy aid the Cubans and
acknowledge them as beliigerents.
Should this latter take place, Spain
| would, out of self-respect, have TO de-
clare war.
When we comp the strength OF
the two countries aud their respective
| advantages aud disadvantages Tor at
| tack and defence, we Will hud that de-
cisive actions between the Two could
| be fought only on the open sea IN the
strait between Porto REQ and Gu
| ba, or in the principal harbors OF the
two islands. For The United States
| the principal question would BE-, IN
case of sucn war, whether they are at
press MT strong enough for war, and
| hether they possess the means for
sh Gliding themselves fl ON heavy loss
les The situation OF the two countries
| is as follows: Spain has the advantage
over the Union both in its geographl-
cal position, and its coast detences.
| In the United States the impression
seems 10 prevail that it wants bat the
| order of the president to SCI the union
navy to Spain, Cuba or Porto Rico, to
invest The coast, to destroy the com
merce aud to dictate L. rms to spain.
| Nothing is more erroneous. The coast
of Spain is difficult of access and we'll
fortified. Along the north and north
east coast, Spain has irrespective oil
/ the dangerous ellis which are al
vantageous to defence, fortified the
harbOrs of Fuen,ara bia. Passages,
and the naval parts of Santona, SantaD-
der, F,rrol, COrunna and V1go. The
/ Mediterranean coast is guarded by
the fortitica lions of Palamus, BarcelO'
ia, TaragOna, Malaga, Almeria, Car
/ thage ma and Alicanthe. The entrance
to the Strait of Gibral ar is swept by
the guns of Cadiz, and the Stra'g nt it.
self oy the guns of the Notifications o!
/ Tarifa and AlgeclraS.
1t is doubtful, therefore, under these
circumstances, whether the Union
| fleet would be able to intiict serious
damage on Spain itself, especially
when we consi0er that the fest would
have to operate from base 5000 mil es
distant.
| Concerning Cuba and Porto Rico,
/ the conditions are somewhat d1tferent.
| An attack on one of Ihe few accessible
harbOrs OF these islands would Prooa-
bly, be successful, but the Spanish fleet
would first have to be driven from the
seas. AS long as Spaoish ships are at
| large, few Of the twenty-seven piruc1-
/ pal har bors of the United 5 ates would
/ oe safe from their guns. On account
| # the immense extent of coast line,
the Au ericau fleet, reinforced by u
| few auxiliary cruisers OF little account,
would not be able to guard all the har-
bOrs.
| A recognized American authority,
| General Miles, says, in tnis relation:
The population of the United States
| n the vicinity of the coast is six mil
lions, who live within range of naval
guns and in this belt there Is ten bill
| nous of property in the twenty-5even
principal h arbors of the United States.
| An increase in the United States navy
and in the seacost artillery would,
| here fore, be adv. sable before going to
| war. The more enthusiastic JingOes'
| claim that the Spanish fleet would be
destroyed before it. could reach the
coast. But e ance at the relative
naval power of the two countries will
show that, according to all human cal
! culations, complete victory of the
United States fleet over the Spanish
will be well nigh impossible
''The entire number of ships that the
United States can at the present mo-
ment briog into naval fight on the
Atlantic ocean is twenty-n'ne, and this
includes he passenger steamers Paris,
New York and St. Paul.
Spain Have FOrty-five Ships.
Spain, on the other hand, can bring
forty-five war ships into naval battle
on the Atlantic Ocean. This number
includes the ships OF the Spanish
Transatlantic company, of which ten
can in short time be converted into
effective cruisers.
A comparison of the two fleets will
show that the Union feet, although
stronger in powerful war ships aud
guns, dos not form complete whole.
since there is a wait of such auxiliary
ships as rapid gun-b )a's, tor edo de-
stroyers and torpedo boats IN otter
words, the organization of The fleet
does not answer the modern require
ments of navies, aud is therefore wan,-
ing. And this is not q l..
1t is an open secret, known to all for
eign nations, that there is hardly
ship in the entire fleet that has its full
complement of officers and men, SER
iOus source of weakness in case of war.
1t would be foolish to suppose that
large numbers of capable men could
be taken from the coast population,