The times., 1898-04-18
THE DANGER OF DELAY.
Ex-senator Ingniis's Argument In
Favor OF Immediate Action.

Ex-senator John j. Ingalls, writing TO
the New York Journal of Saturday, said:
"sagasta, WeyIer Blanco and De LONE
learned with joy last night that the Ser
ate had adjourned without action, and
that there was to be another day of brill
| liant, eloquent and learned debate. This
deferred the concurrence or disagreement
of the House till Monday.
THE President has ten days for con-
sideration, which will give the European
powers ample time to intrigue ard con-
spire ard threaten to intervene, while
| Senor Polo arranges for the purchase of
munitions of war in our markets and
their shipment in foreign bottoms TO the
coasts of Spain.
Thursday night the British steamer
Hampstead is reported to have sailed
from Norfolk with three thousand tons
| of American coal for the bunkers of the
Maria Theresa and Cristobal Colon and
the torpedo fotilla at st. Vincent
THE agents of Spain are purchasing
mules at Kansas City, and quarternas-
ters' supplies in Baltimore and New iOrN.
Gun foundries and powder mills are run
| ming day and night, and new armada
| is darkening the seas.
| ''The longer the delay the better Spain
will be prepared for war when 1t comes
! Fighting as she must, at an immense
| distance from her base of supplies, with
| out fuel, her fleet will be helpless, and
| she will have neither ships 10 fight nor
| transports on which to convey the ma
| terial indispensable to military operations
on shore.
without disparagement it may be said
| that no new argument has been advanced,
| no additional facts presented no vote
changed by the discussion this week.
None can be. The case is made up. The
! evidence is all In.
THE people have rendered their YER
dict. there is no delirum nor frenzy for
| war The bravest men dread war most,
| but the 'cankers of a calm world and a
long peace are worse than war, and dis
| couraging as it may be to the moralist
! or the ecclesiastic. the man or the ma
tion that does not resent an insult, de-
mand reparation for an injury, and make
the wrongs of the helpless his own. be-
comes the object either or compassion
! or contempt
at is not wise to undervalue an enemy.
but the most competent military critics
! do not consider Spain capable of main
tanning even a formidable defensive war.
| Certainly she can land no armed force in
our territory. We have no vulnerable
colonies nor outlying possessions and de-
tendencies TO defend.
Operations must be confined TO the
sea and Cuba. Our harbors ere protected
Our fleets are equal to hers and can be
| indefinitely REINFORCED. In population
and resources we are so much superior
that victory would be we'll nigh desti-
tute of glory. Spain has passed the grand
climateric of nations and as in the stage
of seniIe decay. We are in the uncon-
quered and indomitable vigor of lusty
adolescence, and thrice armed because we
have our quarrel just.
Judging by the campaign of the past
three years it does not seem doubtful
that Phil Sheridan or Stonewall Jackson,
with corps of 10000 men, could have
ridden from Cape Mazi to Cape San An
tonic and driven Cubans and Spa eniards
tosether into the gulf Whether we have
any Sheridans or Jacksons now is not
disclosed. but the emergency generally
brings the man.
Successful wars are fought by the
young. Napoleon was conqueror OF
Italy at twenty-seven. and Alex
ander died at thirty-threo. At the
Union Lincoln was fifty-two. Grant
thirty-nine Logan thirty-five McPher-
son thirty-three Sheridan thirty-one,
Sherman forty-one, Fitzpatrick twenty
five, Custer twenty-five. Rosecrans forty
two Thomas forty-fve, Meade fortysiX.
Stonewall Jackson thirty-seven, while
Lee and Johnston, the oldest on either
side to reach distinction. were fifty-four.
Farragut the veteran of the navy, was
sixty, and Worden, the hero of the Moni-
tor, was forty-three. Gen. Miles and
Commodore Schley will each be fifty-nine
this year, but the treaty of peace will no
doubt be signed before their birthdays
come.
Considering the immense Importance of
time and the dangers and complication
that accumulate with every hour of de-
lay the prolonged diffuse and leisurely
interlocution in the Senate today was alb
solutely unintelIigible. Were it for a
struggle for party advantage it could be
comprehended, but partisanship Is oblit-
erated-Democrats, Populists and Repub-
licans united.
Not only are the Spaniards obtaining
great advantage by the waste and con-
sumption of the hours but the business
of this country suffers acutely from the
! uncertainty and indeciSion of Congress
upon trivial and unimportant details of
| phraseology punctuation and etiquette.
1t is reported that the President is anx-
ious for immediate action one way or
the other, and the House is so impatient
that it refused to adjourn this afternoon,
but took a recess till 10 Monday morning.
The effect is to continue this legislative
day over Sunday, in order to be ready to
! act upon the resolution passed by the
Senate at the earliest moment, and with
out interference from the regular order
of business.
The friends of recognition are san
guine of success, and it's opponents init
mate that should the President consider
the Senate resolution an infringement upon
his constitutional prerogatiVe he Will be
at liberty to ignore and disregard 1t and
act in his own time and his own way.
I'm the tumult and clash and collision
of opinion in such a passionate crisis
changes are Kaleidoscope in their rapid
ity and 1t is impossible to foretell the
action of the House, because the mem
ters have formulated no course and have
no fixed purpose. The tendency will be
to dispose of the matter at once on any
basis which does not require too great
a sacrifice of pride and self-respect.
1.-The House can either concur in the
Senate amendment on Monday or Ii can
disagree and ask for a conference. Con
ference committees are constituted with
q majority from each house who are
friendly to the measure as II passed the
body by which they are appointed. They
can only consider such matters as have
been before the houses so that the scope
of their action is defined and limited.
THE adoption of the Foraker-Turpit
amendment by a majority larger than it!
champions anticipated is a signal victory
for the adversaries of the Administra
ton, and renders the final result more
uncertain. The personal equation comes
in to complicate the iss.Ie. Great effort
will be made TO prevent concurrence b,
the House and to throw the subject int,
conference. Such struggles usually enc
| | in COMPROMISE Between recoGnition an,