The true northerner., 1898-05-18

Tdpner. some OF our DuSlest statesmen
now use those machines. Others say
they cannot manage them. Mr.. Shell
don thinks the talking machine Is q
coming necessity for regular correspon-
dence.
Infatuation Of Spaniards.
Think OF Tom Thumb making faces at
John l.. Sullivan! Think Of Admiral
Dot going into the ring with Corbettl
Little by little we are getting light
upon the otherwise ineonceivable infat-
uation of the Spanish people. IL Is al
most impossible 10 imagine their con
viction .hat Spain 10 the superior, mil
itary or otherwise. OF this enormous
country 1t amazes the average Amer .
team 10 find Spaniards. Immersed In
and contented with their sioth. their
fieas and their decay. telling themselves
that we are nation OF soIdid shop
keepers, tmid. cowardly, shrinking
from war. nd all of a tremble al the
prospect of Spanish scowls and Span
ish violence. IL is ridiculous, but there
is something pathetic about IL for the
Spaniards are actually serious and
they believe il as devOutly as the Jap
anese believes in Buddha.
more or less satisfactory twinkle
of light is thrown upon this perplexng
mystery by the utterances Of Spanish
newspapers. especially where those
newspapers are informed by correspon-
dents in this country. For example.
let us consider the United States cor
respondence Of the Madrid impartial OF
recent date. OF course, II was sent
before the naval engagement off Ma
Mia, for even a Spaniard would not
have written such feeble slobber after
ward The correspondent is said TO be
Senor Julio Gonzales Alba, and he is
quoted thus:
Press Misled the People.
THE United States hesitates to fight.
Its waiting policy is due 10 timidity.
Its fleet hovers around the shores of
Cuba and moves up and down the
American coast. doing no greater dam
age than here and there the capture of
a defenseless merchantmen. The rea-
son for this is that the American gov
ernment is not prepared TO fight. 1t
was not thought that Spain would Of
fer any real resistance. The press OF
this republic has misled the populace
as to the power, resources. and military
virtues of the Spanish people.
The only powder mill on the Ameri-
can continent capable of producing
smokeless powder has been destroyed.
Thus the Americans have no way of re-
loading their heavy ordnance, as black
or brown powder cannot he used effec-
lively.
Then the states which were counted
on 10 furnish the men for the war find
themselves handicapped by threat
ened Indian uprising. The regular
army has been withdrawn and the saw
ages have already taken the warpath
In the states of Ohio. Illinois and Iowa
the citizens have already been called
out to protect their western frontiers
from the raids of the wild men.
Militia Guard and Taxes.
In the District Of Columbia the mil
itia guard has refused to serve. The
guard was ordered out by the presi
dent, and when ii was discovered that
il was to go into camp and drill for war
purposes il disobeyed the officers and
returned To the capital The $50,OOO,OOO
voted for the war has not been collected
and a bill is now before congress pro-
vding means TO borrow money with
which TO fight Spain"
This is such sorrowful rubbish tf at
alyze it, The poor devil who concocted
il no doubt believed every word he
wrote. and we cannot find the cruelty
TO disturb him in his dream. But think
of a nation nurtured on such food as
this Imagine the hopeless infatua-
ton. the self-deCeption. the suicidal
error of a nation which accepts all this
miserable stuff as solemn truth. Ger
..t..
a prophet. Whether he knew il or not,
he portrayed in the absurd, the lovable,
the melancholy. and the honorable pict
ure of Den Quix"te. the character and
the doom Of modern Spain.
Wise Choice of Major Generals.
Wisely and well has the president
acted in choosing the commanders Of
our volunteer army. The major gem
erals and brigadier generals have all
been selected with regard to their fit
ness to lead troops and manage cam
paigns There are no noVices among
them All have had military training
all have seen service in the field. With
such names before the country there
can be no suspicion of favoritism, no
thought that politics played a part in
their selection. Military men for mill
tary WORK is the neeO OF the nOur, anu
in declining 10 take the commanders
from civil life the president reduces to
the minimum the dangers of mistakes.
once our army goes into actual service.
To have adopted any other policy would
have been deplorable in the extreme.
With the appeal 10 arms and patriot
ism ringing through the land il is hard
to believe that the United States sem
ate refused the widow Of Lieutenant
John l.. Worden anything over the $50
month TO which she is entitled by
law What an unworthy stand for a
great nation at such "a moment. when
the issue OF this war largely depends
on the courage and loyalty Of the navy!
What an incentive 70 patriotism and
heroism to know that if blown up on a
battleship ones family will be given
the minimum pension. and that 'grudg
ingly and OF necessity
Monitors Encounter with the Merrimac.
1t was an anxious April morning.
after a Sunday of breathess anxiety,
that the news came that the valiant
little monitor. with her inexperienced
young captain, had. after a voyage of
unparalleled danger. reached Hampton
Roads. gone at once into action. fought