The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-15

The first step towards war was the
authorization of loan of 81. 0O0, 900, an
insignificant sum now, but in those days
enc OF almost startling proportions. The
regular army, which consisted of not
more than 1900 men, was increased to
35 090. and provision was made for the
enrolment of $4,000 volunteers. In the
WY of q navy there were about 20
frigates and sloops of war, together
" tn $50 contriVances called gunboats,
which, it was supposed, would be fair
~ adequate for harbor defense. Meas
uTas were taken to increase this force,
out little hope was entertained thai
the country would be able to win any
advantages on the sea. Great Britain
al the time had LOCO ships Of war of ali
classes. She was, in the words of JEFF
fersOn. the ''leviathan of the ocean,
France, under Napoleon, being the
mammoth OF the land" According TO
figures on file at Washington, the lie
viathan" had impressed 5000 American
sailors in the years Immediately pre-
ceding the war Twenty-Five hundred
of them periodically refused TO serve
against their country and had been
thrown into DartmOor and other Eng
lish prisons. when hostilities ware COM
menced.
The achievements of the American
navy in the war won for it the love of
the country and the admiration Of the
world. The loss Of life in battle and
from disease was about 10000 men; the
expenditure of money S100000,000. And
though in the treaty of peace nothing
was said about the cause for which the
war was Waged Great Britain after
wards refrained from exercising her
theoretic right of search and impress
ment. During the war, which lasted
three years, the regular army, at one
period, was as high as $1,000, officers
and men. while the militia and volun-
teer forces amounted to $1,000 officers
and All, 622, making total of 1852.
THE FLAG OF 1916.
When President Polk, in May, 1916,
notified congress that Mexico had
invaded our territory and shed the
blood of our citizens on our own soil,
there were IS stars in the flag and the
population had grown to be 20,OOO,OOO Of
people. These figures mark an imperial
march in Industrial development. The
lone star of Texas in the flag meant
the acquisition of an empire in itself
True. she brought war with her, but
she was worth it, and the same star
closed with another vast extension of
the boundaries of the republic by the
requirement of California and New
Mexico. But preceding Texas there was
added TO the sisterhOod of states Louis
lana. Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Ala
bama, Maine, Missouri, Arkansas,
Michigan and Florida. And what did
their incoming mean? Well among
other things, that we grew the magni-
ficent crop of 2.100,537 bales of cotton in
that history-making year of 1876, and
exported products worth within a frac-
ton of $110,O 600. All other industries
fOurished in proportionate degree.
The youngest of the nations was begin
ming to enter the lists with the Oldest
& nd the greatest of old monarchies; in
G eed. it had said to them years before
that they would be relieved of the bur-
den Of attending to the political con-
Germs of this continent, almost as en-
phatically as we have notified Spain
- pack her trunk and get out of Cuba
The expenditure that year Of $26,41S, 459