The evening times., 1898-05-09
GENERAL aoRDoN,s IDEAS.


Powerful B1owss and Quick Actior
Necessaryi to'.Demolish Spain.
Gen. john p. Gordon. of Georgia. wa,
recently asked II he had rendered hi.
services to the Government.
Il have not sIyet done so.' he
said. las con1mander-in-chief Of
the Confederate VETERANS, have fell
that any action. by, me would. in some
sense. be considersd as a committal Of
them; and while Il never doubted for one
moment theirl readiness to fight when
their services Were needed, yet it seemed
due to them that should have some
thing more tangible than my own opin-
ions before taking amy action in the prem
ises. l could not well separate my in
dividual action from my ofiici.l relation
to them In a ma tier of this nature. More
over, my belief has been and my hope
still is that the war will be brought to
a successful end by the Regular Army
and the organized military Of the States
now called into service. 1t has seemed
to me, therefore, that until there was
real necessity for more troops. any
such step on my part would be prema-
ture. These tried veterans under my
command do not need any mere idle dis
play of their patriotism or of their read
and its flag. The whole country knows
that already
Have you consulted them or any of
them as to their feelings and wishes p"
he was asked.
'oh, yes. In my recent travels through
the South l have found but one senti-
meEt among them. They are DID, and the
great body of them are poor men, whose
families have nothing upon which to de-
pend except their labors; and yet / have
not found man physically able to march
who does not assure me that he Is ready
TO go to the front when the country
needs him. You must have seen how
Gems. Hampton, Stephen d. Lee and Ca
bell. who are the commanders of the diff
ferent departments OF the United Confed-
crate Veterans, are talking. Gen. Lee has
written me special letter on the SUBJ
ject. in which he says that he and every
true Confederate will stand by me II the
occasions arises for action on our part
Il was delighted at the noble express
sion by the camps in New Orleans a few
days ago. Such action on the part of
these camps in New Orleans, where origi-
mated our organization. will not surprise
the country at ALL but IL serves notice
on Spain and the civilized world that We
are al soldiers of she Republic and that
tht-e are no sectional or STATE lines when
a common enemy is to be met Other
camps are taking similar action and
every reference made by me In my recent
Speeches TO the war and the flag have
evoked great enthusiasm
General, what is your idea of the wis
est policy in conducting the war against
Spain?''
We'll. my friend, / have great conf
dence in the combined wisdom OF those
who have the responsibility upon them
at Washington, and l am bound, there
fore. TO suppose that there are reasons
for delay in the movemen, upon Cuba
OF which we on the outside are MOI and
could not safely be informed. Il confess
that deeply regret that there should ex-
fst any causes for delay. ~ l silould be
glad to see such a blow struck at Blau-
co and his army in Cuba as Commodore
Dewey IS said TO have struck at the
Spanish feet of the Philippine Islands.
should be glad 10 see all the transports
in American waters chartered and the
whole of the Regular Army and all of
the volunteers at once landed in Cuba"
DO you think We need any such force
10 defeat the Spaniards now on the ISL
lnd?"
No. of course not compa rativelv
small force in conjunction with the Cuban
army might suffice to defeat the Spanish
roops; but / should prefer TO make our
'rmy SO overwhelming in Cuba as to crush
he Spaniards at a single blow. That is
he cheapest way, / think. to end the war.
do not mean by cheapest that it is the
'est way to save money. but blood / do
lot care about the cost in money but I
want to save the lives of our brave boys.
Why. sir. the very fact of landing such a
orce on Cuban soil would carry dismay
nto Blanco's camps and to the Spanish
hrone itself. Blanco's men would have
10 heart for battle left in them We
would hem them up in Havana in a few
Iours. and then, with our batteries from
he hills behind the city. the Spaniards
would be forced to capitulate. We would
move with such force that not a line
f defense outside of the city would hold
Is in check for a day-perhaps scarcely
or an hour. You perceive that we would
hus quickly possess all the territory
rhere Cuba's starving women and chill
rem are now dying; and this fact, 1t
GEMS to me. justifies the expenditure of
ur utmost strength"
What do you think about the yellow
ever?'
The best way to avoid loss by yellow |
ever as well as from bullets, as have
lst said. is to crush the Spaniards at a
low and bring our army back home
You do not approve, then of the sug- |
estion to wait until Fall?'
mo, do not. That might do. If We |
we're not morally, religio,Nly bound to |
ave from starvation every oppressed |
,uban possible. Besides, 1 am an un- |
believer in the maxim of |
Jackson-that the time to |
trike an enemy is when he is least pre-
ared and should deplore delay that |
Tould enable Spain to divert the CO. |
peration OF our fleet under Sampson by |
ttracting his attention at the time to
ne Spanish fleet"
what about the necessity for drilling |
ur volunteers?
THE bulk of them are already drilled,
t least efficiently so. do not not un-
errate the value of drilling and of dis
Iplining fresh recruits. but, sir, Ameri-
ans can fight and will fight, if the oppor-
unity is given. whether well drilled or
OF; and the advantage gained by better
rilled soldiers will not compensate us,
think. for the losses in many ways in
dent to needless delay. But I am not
-iticising. ! am not advised as to plans.
am only answering your questions on
eneral principles. War Is terrible under
ny conditions, but my deep conviction
that the quicker we move upon Cuba
nd the larger the army used by us, the
IS will be the loss Of life among our
,ldiers, and far less the danger Of any
Implications with other powers"
CORE ccted.
From the Detroit Free Press.)
A chance visitor in rural neighborhood
epped into little and antiquated school
,use to see what the educational meth