The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-15
THE HOPE OF PEACE.
PROSPECTS BRIGHTER FOR A SPEEDY
END OF THE WAR.

spain's Administrative Ineficicncy and
PitifuI Display Of Armament Have Lost
Her the Chance Of Allies - Effect Of
Dewey's Victory In Fastening the End.
The Spanish government and the
Spanish people now stand confronting a
military situation which they confess to
be absolutely hopeless. AS this was from
the first . necessary preliminary to a
treaty Of peace its undoubted existence
today may safely be said to make the
prospect Of an early end of the war
brighter than most Of us expected it to
be by this time.
The truth is the collapse Of Spain
has been swifter than anybody could
have foreseen. She has managed to
avoid bankruptcy % far, though her
finances are In ruinous condition, but
her frightfal display Of administrative
~ineficiency and the pitiful figure her
navy and Notifications have cut have
lost her the possibility of allies and
have bowed the Spanish people in hu-
initiation and despair. A victory at the
beginning, or at least q semblance Of
one, was absolutely essential 10 the
game sc!\in was playing. She not only
hoped for this but she apparently had
reason to expect It. Good judges on the
continent and in England, who had no
doubt Of SPANS ultimate defeat,
thought and said that she might win
the first successes. II we had rushed our
raw recruits to Cuba to face Blanco's
veterans, the story might have been diff
ferent, but as all the operations 30 far
have been naval and as Spain's naval
power Ia turning out . ridiculous, al
most an imaginary, quantity the prick
ing Of tie bubble has come earlier than
could have been predicted.
We probably are not yet able fully
to measure the great moral effect in
this connection of Dewey's surprising
success at Manila within ten days of
declaring war. II was not simply the
and gallantry he displayed, not
the revelation he gave the world
that the old traditions of the American
navy had been worthily maintained.
There was mor In his victory than all
His stroke not only laid low the
feet, but also laid bare the
corrupt and feeble system Of Spanish
administration. Consider what the peo-
pie had been told about the defenses of
Manillai The prime minister stated in
the cortes that 1t would be found moth
Ing had been neglected. On the very
eve Of the battle the minister of marine
said that everything was 40 il should
be In the Philippines, and that ''very
the splendor Of victory would
forth and illumine tho country. /"
No wonder the rose colored vision of
this official read q victory into the dis
telling Of irremediable disaster. |
When the truth would out, and Minis
Ser Bermejo rose TO defend himself in
he cortes, he said that it was useless to
ay down torpedoes in the bay Of Manil- |
a, but that he had sent 100 good ones |
which were then ON their way.
Such fatal lack of foresight, such alb.
olute unpreparedness for the war, such
lawdling incompetence in Office, came
,pon the Spanish nation like a thunder.
lap, and the future historian Of the
var will, as we say, doubtless attribute
o Dewey's dashing victory n powerful
fleet in breaking the Spanish spirit aud
o fastening the end Of the war. And
III that has happened since then has
ut sunk Spain deeper In hopelcssness.
he gunnery Of hora artillerymen at San
'uan and Santiago is about the poorest
he world has ever seen. Even the I'M
killed Egyptians. with smoothbores
nd no range finders. hulled the British
hips 10 times at the b~ombardment Of
But our fleet. even when
xposod to fire with apparent reckless
ess, has escaped practically untouched.
IS for Cervcra's squadron, ON which
uch high hopes were huilt. IL is igno-
iiniously shut In a harbor whore sur.
or scnttling is only a question of
Ime. We mention all these rcverses 81
pain not to exuit over the misfortunes
I n weak antagonist. but 30 show how
robablo IL Is that this unbroken series