The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-22

pleasant home on L street, the writer
found that he holds some original views
of the far-reaching consequences of the
war now in progress. He calls it a
fortunate war and his reasons for SO
calling il are decidedly interesting.
Il have no particular sympathy" said
Senator Chandler, with the idea that
every generation must and ought to
have war, in order that the courage
of the nation may be preserved and the
sterner virtues of manhood be main
tanned. That is a theory which has been
held by men of considerable eminence,
who have believed that without the
hard isciDline of wars, occurring at
more or less regular intervals, the viz
Ility of nation is in danger of being
lest, so that its people will degenerate
into sOftness and weakness.
But, while l do not share this view
of war, l note il as a curious fact that
in the century and quarter. of our eX-
iStence as a nation, events have con-
srired together in such way as to give
us exactly one war to every generation.
Thus, in the first quarter century, We
had the war OF the revolution; in the
next quarter century the war with Mex
leo; in the third quarter century the
var of the rebellion; and now, when its
last quarter was running to its close
without any war 10, and behold we
have this war with Spain.
Whatever may be said about the
blessings of peace-and asSuredly they
are very great-it is undeniable that
war, particularly when it is war
Waged, as this one is, for what the ma
ton believes to be a just and righteous
cause, must have an enormous and
wholesome tonic influence, bracing up
not merely the lower and physical, but
the higher and moral, life Of the nation
engaging in it. Suppose, if you please,
that this Spanish war were to come to
an end now; that no more fighting
We're to be done. It would have been a
short conflict, with no great loss OF life,
and yet we would have already made
not only a great naval, but a great mill
tary demonstration; we would have
given ourselves assurance, and, at the
same time, shown to the whole world
that we have a mighty reserve power,
both on land and sea. We have made
q demonstration something akin to the
memorable grand review that took
place at the close of our civil war, and
which gave US a spectacle on Pennsyl-
vania avenue, which, as / look back to
il, l feel was d splendid object lesson
as to the vital strength and resources
of the republic, and was of incalculable
value in its moral influence upon for
eign observes. A similar thing is now
going to happen again. We shall put
we have to send them all to the front or
not, We shall, by and by, bring them to-
gether in one great assembly here at
Washington, and the moral effect of
that as a demonstration of our latent
power as nation will be great and val
liable. The war may be too short TO
require us to use this latent power on
which we have made a first call-and
the shorter the war is the better we
shall all be pleased-but even if it ends
tomorrow, this demonstration of our
capacity for war on a great scale has |
been made, and its moral effect viii 4
remain.
Moreover, attention having been
called in a pointed way to our def 4
ciencies in military organization, in I
coast defenses and in naval equipment /
at various points. the country will now |
insist that they shall be remedied at /
whatever cost, so that we shall never
at any future time find ourselves taken
by surprise or at a disadvantage in fac
ing any foreign complication.
1.-The next broad view which comes to
me is that this war is a fortunte war
IN many ways. II comes at a good time
and under fortunate circumstances for
as. 1t is, in my opinion, going to save
his country a bigger war. and perhaps
several other bigger wars. If we had
shown pusilianimity now we should
nave taken our place as a second-class
power instead of a first-clas power
With this extremely probable result
hat other nations, perceiving us to be
second-clasS power, not willing to
light even Spain on a question involv-
ng American principles and American
interests n this hemisphere, would