The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-05-06
new ERA IN POLITICS.
Present War Will Bring a New
Crop of Men to the Front.
SOLDIERS WILL BE REWARDED

Erroneous Idea That Prevails In Europe
Regarding Our Military Strength - A
Prediction Concerning the Navy-Com-
ing Test of Naval Architecture.
WASHINGTON. April s9.-fSpecial. J.
"There is one thing the war with Spain is
going to do which most people have not
stopped to think Of, said veteran sena-
tor today. at Is going to bring out
new crop of men in this country. The
men who go to the front now and are
lucky enough to win distinction are the
ones who will stand the best chance to win
the political honors of the future. be-
lieve there is as much patriotism in the
United States as in any other country in
the world and as many men who are will
ing to go to war because they want to
serve the nation in it's hour of need. At
the same time it Is only human nature to
think of the consequences to oneself, ill
or good. A man has to stop to consider
whether or not he is going to be shot or is
going to lose his life from yellow fever.
Then he must consider the opportunity
that will be given him to earn distinction
in the field and what that may mean after
his return home.
broadly speaking, the successful men
of this war will be the successful politicians
of the future. The American people have
always rewarded their soldiers with polite
al preferment, and they always will Evil
denoe of this is found in the large number
of soldiers of the war between the states,
Confederate or ex-COnfederate, who are
now in the senate and house of representa-
tives, though that war came to an end a
third Of a century ago. The civil war pro-
duoed SO great an effect that for many
years after it was over men who had not
been to the front stood small chance in
political rivalry with those who had been
to the front. The war with Spain may not
prove so effective in opening the doors of
popular favor, but unless I miss my guess
many man now successful in politics
will soon find himself crowded out by the
hero who comes back from the war and
enjoys a larger measure of the publio's
admiration.
The Soldiers Reward.
"This is as it should be, )" concluded the
old senator. "The laborer is worthy of his
ulf6 anu Uu6 SOlul6r VI LIS ToWdTu. 1uo
men who fight the country's battles should
be pushed to the front when it comes to
passing around the honors which the peo-
pie have to bestow. No matter how peace
full may be our policy, there will always be
more or less danger of friction with for
eign powers, and a nation without fight
ing men and the fighting spirit is poor in
deed. The way to have fighting men is to
md wit
they are hurt, but with the admiration,
the respect and the honors of the commu-
nifty"
The war with Spain Is young yet, but
the world has had pretty good opportu
nifty already to see what capacity for naval
and military organization the American
republic has. The world has been aston
ished at the rapidity with which we have
put our navy and our army in fighting
trim. All over Europe they have had a
rather poor idea of the military power of
the United States. They have vastly I'M
derestimated what this country can do
when it Is reused. The principal cause Of
their erroneous estimate is found in the
fact that we keep such small standing
army. In Europe the standing armies are
numbered by the hundreds of thousands
and naturally, therefore, the Europeans
have fallen into the habit Of sneering at
the military power of the American re-
public, where the regular army in times
Of peace consists of but %, 900 men.
1t is literally true that throughout Eu-
rope an idea has grown up, amid all
classes save those which are best informed,
that the United States could be easily
whipped. There was no exaggeration in
the story which represented Spanish Off
GERS at Havana threatening to land troops
In Florida and to march straight on to
New York, capturing Washington and
other cities en- route. The Spanish really
believed they could do 1t. Our friends
the enemy, as we'll as most Europeans,
would be unable to appreciate the humor
as well as the truth of the reply which an
American is said to have made to the
Spanish threat to march an army from
Key West to Manhattan:
"Yes, you might do 1t If the police didn't
stop YOU"
A Result Of the War.
A certain result of the war is going to
be the building of really great American
navy. Ten years hence, it is predicted by
we'll informed men here, the navy of the
United States will be nearly equal to that
Of France and rank third among the ma
vies of the world. After the object lesson
which we have just had in the value of a
big navy when it is really needed there
can be little doubt that congress will make
more liberal appropriations in the future.
Nothing is truer than the old saying that
when a man wants gun he wants 1T
quick, and SO it is with nation and a
navy Because of our unpreparedness the
United States had to rush into the market
with our $50, 1000, 900 buying everything
that could be had at sellers prices, and of
course in this way good deal of money
was squandered.
The objection Is made by good many
people that great navy costs too much
money not only to build it, but to keep it
going. The argument is advanced that
all this money may be thrown away, as
our chances to use warships come about
twice or thrice in a century, but even if
wars do not come and the ships are not
needed there is compensation in the fact
that the money is spent among our own
people. Employment for many thousands
of men is found in getting out the raw
materials, in fashioning the plates, in
building the engines, in casting the guns
and in manning the big ships when they
are finally ready for commission. A great
navy may be costly, but it's maintenance
helps to promote prosperity if considered