The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-15
Of RE VAR
Estimated by a Journal Which
Stands For Peace.
EASY ENOUGH TO BEGIN
But Outside Help Might be
Needed to End 1t.

the duration of the war, the Evening Post
says:
In case we have a war with Spain, an
important question will be, How long VIII
if last? 1t is generally assumed that
since such A war would be begun on &C
count of Cuba, the taking of that island
nv Ms would be the end of it. But that
does not follow. Spain might be willing
to drop Cuba, provided she could be rid
of it without dishonor. She might not be
sorry to have it wrested from her by su-
perior force, since in that case she would
be delivered of woful expenditure OF
blood and treasure, to which at present
she sees no end. If she could be rid OF
that burden involuntarily, so that her
people could not reproach either the gov
eminent or themselves, she would GER
tainIv be a gamer. She has lost lOO 900
men or more in vain attempts to put down
the rebellion. She has spent $2OO,OOoV0O'
and her present expenses there are at the
rate of S. 900, 900 per month. Why should
she not welcome any chance, which
should appear honorable in her own eyes
and in those of the world, to abandon
the task?
In stead Of being weaker after losing
Cuba, and, perhaps. Porto Rico, Spain
would be stronger than before and in
much better condition to fight. The war
would then be prosecuted on the ocean,
wherever any American or Spanish ships
are to be found-war ships and other,
Spanish commerce would be swept from
the ocean, and ours also. We have more
to lose than Spain has, but whether little
or much it would all go. 1t would not be
necessary that any Of our merchant ships
be actually captured. The rates of marine
insurance would be prohibitOTy, and that
would settle the whole question. Our ships
would not leave our own ports. Our goods
would either be carried in foreign bot
toms, both coastwise and otherwise, or
not be carried at all. British commerce
would be the principal gamer. The Ger
man, French, Norwegian, and Italian
ship owners would gain in proportion to
their available tonnage. They would di-
vide the spoils Of both Spanish and Ameri-
can commerce among themselves, and
rightly so. That would be one of the
punishments the both cOmbatants would
suffer 1t would be in proportion to the
amount of their shipping and to the dura-
ton of the war.
Is there any reason why such q, war
should ever end? Other powers might in
terfere, but we can see no reason why
it should end at our option. Spain is so
far distant that we could not invade her
even if we had an army; but We have
no army. and it appears that congress is
not in favor of having one. Congress- we
are told, wants a war but wants it with
out soldiers, or at all events without
trained officers. 1t wants to have war
ships without steel plates. That is the
reason why we are buying ships abroad
now. Other nations go TO war on the
gold basis, and take great pains to have
the gold in readiness. We should prob
ably go about it on silver basis, or reach
it soon. The Democrats, or a majority of
them, would perhaps favor war for that
reason. Many droll conceptions find lodg-
ment in the national capital, but the droll-
est of all is the conception that the war
would naturally end with our taking
Cuba.
In fact. it would only begin there We
should then stand in SPANS shoes so far
as pacifying the island goes. The insur-
gents say that they will fight US, just
as they have fought Spain, if we do not
recognize their independence. That
means that Immediately after taking Gu
ba we should evacuate it. Undoubtedly
that would be the best and cheapest thing
for us to do, but we should feel rather
sheepish, perhaps, when we came to cast
up the account of profit and loss. Spain, !
as we have said, is TOO far distant to be
invaded by US, even if we had an army
What else can we do to her? How can we |
compel her to stop fighting after we take |
Cuba? What form of coercion can we |
put upon her? She can send out com /
merce destrOyers" till the crack OF doom. /
Privateers are commerce destroyers, and |
these so without being sent 1t is with /
them a private speculation. They cost the /
government nothing. 1t is supposed that /
we can chase them off the ocean? one I
was sufficient to drive our mer- /
camille flag from the high seas. in spite of /
all our war ships. But Spain has navy
Of her own. She is not in the plight that /
the Confcderatcs were during the civil
war. She has a recognized standing /
among nations. as the Confederates had /
not She has ports. She has dry-docks,
and that is more than we can boast Of.
She has nearly as many ships to begin
with as we have and she can build more
according to her noed-not as many as
We can, perhaps, but enough to prolong
the war indefinitely, since one cruiser
afloat VIII annihilate more commerce
than ten can protect. Have not our
Iingoes been telling us for many years
what havoc they could make with British
commerce by means OF half-a-dozen fast
And can not Spain perform the
same Office for Us, not TO mention her
feet Of privateers?
1t may be said that VIC can blockade
Spain. but nobody really believes that. We
can not blockade her any more than she