The Winslow mail., 1898-07-02
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mere Imagination. Although our prep
arations for coast defense are of course
not ideally complete by any means,
they are, nevertheless, far more COM
plete than the public, for obvous rea-
sons, has been told. Every town of i'm
portance is now protected by batteries
on shore, by mines and torpedoes off
shore. And our navy, if small, is rapid
ly growing. The number of effective
fighting ships cannot be increased as
rapidly as one could desire. But the
man that worries because we haven't a
battleship for every 20 miles of coast
ought to remember that we shall have
far more fighting ships than the enemy
can send to attack us, and that if the
enemy's ships are kept out of mischief
wherever they chance to be, all the
rest Of the coast is as safe as if war
were being fought on Mars.
''What is necessary in order to pre-
vent a Spanish war vessel from find
ing herself alone, like q deserted stage
girl in a black gown, is an abundance
Of small boats of high speed, boats that
can maintain a perfect line of recon
ncissance, and still be able to get out
Of the way promptly should the enemy
attempt 10 rid himself of impertinent
observers. Because if there were plenty
of these small fast boats on our side, no
Spanish vessel could get near our coasts
without the news coming quickly to
one Of our war vessels, which would
then be on hand to prevent the Span
iards attempting to land troops or to
shell the shore.
"That's no doubt the reason why the
government has bought SO many fast
tugs and yachts within the last few
weeks. These so-called dispatch boats
and transports will serve as naval pick
cts and will be indispensable to the eff
cient maintenance OF naval trocha.
"The first shock of war will take
place, without doubt upon the sea. No
troops would probably be moved from
this country until the supremacy OF the
sea was definitely decided between our
selves and Spain. Because Spain could
defeat our navy she might establish a
blockade of Cuba and she might oblige
any troops we had already sent there to
share the horrors of a sit
uation infinitely worse than that which
shocked the world. But should the
Spanish fleet be forced from the west
eln hemisphere Spain might then aban-
don Cuba and sue for peace without our
landing one soldier upon the Queen OF
| the Antilles. Indeed, it would be fool
hardy for Spain to attempt then to re-
tain her grasp of Cuba.
"Should we decide to open a port for
the insurgents, the undertaking would
require merely such a garrison as
would keep the Spaniards from recap
turing the town. The insurgents un-
doubtedly would soon open line OF
communication from their principal
field Of operations TO that port. Then,
| If the insurgents could secure along
this line unlimited supplies, ammuni-
ton and arms, including the latest field
artillery, and, if along the same line
could be sent in some hundreds OF
American officers, why, [ imagine that
the insurgents would shortly control
the island without the American troops
being obliged to attempt a regular III
vasion.
THE occupancy Of a port in thatfash
ion would not require large body OF
land troops And as all ports in Cuba
except Havana are said to be fairly free
from yellow fever 1 suppose our troops
in any other port wouldn't suffer as
much as one might imagine from dis
ease. For, of course, no sooner woulc
we take the port than we would se'
to work all the methods of recent sani
tary science. Why, I think even ia
vana, old and rotten as it is, both phys
ically, morally and politically. could b'
turned into a reasonably wholesome
community by thoroughly draining th'
city and driving out the Weyler span
iards. st. Paul Pioneer Press.