The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-09
WAR INEVITABLE.
y

1t is now believed. even BY those
who have heretofore been most con
sentative, that war with Spain is in
cvitablc. lIasty war preparations
have taken the place Of guarded iii
,,lnmatic discussions. Spain sccms
determined to bring the matter t." Il
head, aud the apparent willingness, Of
The administration not 70 check her
has awakened Congress and our at
ininistration to the fact that active
preparations for actual warfare are
ncccssary.
4 bill was introduced in Congress
Monday to appropriate $50, 900, 900 for
tho National defense, and il is be
licvcd this bill will be passed immc-
diatcly. The activity in the war,
State and navy departments clearly
indicates that a declaration Of war on
the part Of either country may be cx-
pectcd at any moment. Orders for
the enlistment Of marines and artil-
lerymcn have been sent out notwitli-
standing Congress has not yet author
lied it. Spain'S demand on this gov
eminent for the recall Of Consul Gen
cral Lee, and the further demand that
this country send supplies to Cuba on
merchant vessels and not on the Nash
Vile and Montgomery, which are
armed cruisers, is looked rl.,n ~ an
opening wc,ipc for hnstiiitics. In re
ply to both demands the President
has fatty refused. and orders were is
sued Monday naming the cruisers
Nashville and Montgomery as The YES
sells to perform the mission. The
prompt action of the President caused
Spain to cancel her demand for the
recall Of Lee, stating that it was
simply Il request and not Il demand,
but she is ~ominously silent rs to her
demand concerning the cruisers. The
President takes the position that if
vessels Of the.l'nitcd States navy can
be excluded from Mantanxas or Sagua
in times Of peace they can likewise be
excluded from Havana harbor. prevent
the sending .f another warship tn
Havana. as promised. and leave
American citizens resident in Havana
entirely without protection.
diplomatic relations could be scv-
cred without %rrovokin. war, but
should Spain undertake to enforce her
demands concerning the warships and
fire upon the Nashville or Montgom-
cry the act will certainly prccipitatc
war. The fist run fired at the Amcri-
can flag would surely be the brginming
Of ho>til;,ic>.
The blowing up Of the battlcship
Maine and the finding of the court of
inquiry have almost faded before the
apparent determination OF Spain to
bring about war. Sunday morning
last 800 soldiers from Spain were
landed at Havana from the Spanish,
vessel Alfonso Nil amidst the hiss
and roar Of rockets and batteries and
military music which were answered
by mighty cheers from the soldiers.
The presence in Havana harbor If the
two big Spanish warshirs. Niscaya
and OIucndo and the landing Of more
soldiers has -ivcn the Spaniards an
exaggerated notion of Spain 5 naval
power and led them to believe that
war with the United States would not
be %scrinu, and whcttci their desire
for war. When this is considered in
connection with the fact that if war
does com the first guns will hc trained
either on or from MORO Castle it has
the effect to intensity the belief that
war is inevitable.
The President and his Cabinet and
Congress arc fully awake to the scri
BUSINESS Of the situation, anu no time
is being lost in preparing for the dc