The record-union., 1898-05-04
The COST OF NEGLECT.
WE HAVE TO PAY DEARLY FOR
NOT BEING PREPARED.
Present Difficulties Could Have
Been Avoided if We Had
Been More Provident.


Been More Provident.
The United States, with seventy-fve
millions Of inhabitants, practically un-
limited credit and in the midst of an
era of peaceful business prosperity. has
entered upon war with Spain. a coun-
try of seventeen millions of inhabitants,
with substantially no credit, and weak
ened by three years of exhausting inter-
nal warfare. Such war should be
conducted by the United States with
ease, determination, promptness and an
| absence of disturbance of the ordinary
channels of commerce.
When last year England found. her
Indian Empire threatened by great
uprising of the northern tribes, backed
apparently by formidable hostile infiu-
ences, her hold on Egypt attacked by
the Dervishes, her policy of extension
in South Africa blocked up by the am
bitions of the Transvaal Republic, and
her supremacy in the East opposed by
the combined inro4ds of Russia, France
and Germany, she organized and dis
patched q formidable and successful
army into Upper Egypt, concentrated
of India quelling the uprising there,
continued her extensions in South At
rica, and gathered in the Chinese wa
ters a formidable fleet. All this was
accomplished without friction-almost
without excitement, while the price Of
English consols scarcely moved an
eighth Even when her Cabinet Min
lister defied the world by the statement
oil md TvoIIId r0rOtp0t her NOS
sessions, her position and her pol
icy, even at the risk of war, there
was scarcely a tremor in the Brit
ish Empire = because England has
had the manhood and the prescience to
face her problems, and is always pre-
pared.
We of the United States with the
confidence born of great wealth and
of tremendous latent energy, believe
ourselves ever prepared for all emer-
gencies and all contingencies. The con-
fidence is justified to this extent, that,
given time enough, we are undoubted-
ly able to rise to the demands of any
occasion. But events in modern life
do not wait on the awakening Of a
nation. Above all, modern warfare is
a matter of quick, precise, concentrat-
ed blows For years we have known
that our seacoast defenses were mad
eouate. We have known that our fleet
was ludicrously out of proportion to the
demands of our commerce. nay, even
to our dignity as nation, and when
we have built battleships and cruisers
we have failed to supplement them with
torpedo boats and destroyers.
Our army is so small as scarcely to be
able to perform the functions of Ma
tionaI police. For the two first mem
toned defects the excuse has always
been advanced that, were we prepared
for war. we would probably find wars
in which to engage: and that the pest
assurance of peace is the fact that we
are unable to go to war. The llloglcdl
character of this argument, which mas
always been apparent to the thinking
minds among us, has been demonstrated
by the fact that we are now at war with
Spain The opposition to an increased
army has been based on the maudiln
sentimentality of a pretended sympathy
with labor There is no pretense that
in a country like ours any man, even
if supported by an army Of one hundreu
thousand soldiers. would for moment
be so mad as to dream that he coulo
affect, much less subvert, the free lnstl-
tutions of 100000 Of people. Nor IN
our whole history can any instance be
pointed out where honest organized
labor or peaceful agitation has been
interfered with by armed force. Neither
the honest laboring man nor the peace
loving middle classes have ever uttered
protest against, nor can they con-
scientiously oppose, the maintenance OF
such an army as would secure US en-
during internal tranquility and un-
Questionable safety from foreign attack.
Nevertheless, for years we have gone
ahead in a slipshod, hesitating, compro-
missing spirit, unpreDared for war,
though uninsured for peace. The crisis
came some six weeks ago, and what
have we seen? Without a dissenting
voice Congress has placed in the hands
of the President the unprecedented ap-
preparation Of $50, 100000 to be expend-
ed for the National defense in such
manner as he in his sole discretion may
determine Is not this greater power
than the constitutional direction or q
standing army? Thereupon we have had
frantic efforts to purchase abroad ana
| improvise at home the implements OF
war which improvidence has failed 10
supply us in advance. Modern battle
sbins however, must be built; modern
guns must be constructed: and soldiers
capable of withstanding modern armies
must be trained. So much of the 500
| 600 900 as has been spent, must or ne
cessity have bought us perhaps only half
as much as it would have paid for If
expended conservatively and slowly;
and what it has procured is haphazard.
and only partly adapted to our needs.
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