Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-06-01
A Letter FROM THE
CITY BY THE SEA.
argus" urites Seathins1y Of the
Board Of Blunderefs."
The SPANISH War SCARE OYER IN THIS CITY.


WAITING TO BE MADE COLLECTOR OF
CUsToMs-CoUNCIL SHOULD HELP THE
POOR.
The war, which some people were
foolish enough to think would be over
in ten to thirty days after itcommenced,
seems to lag and no one seems to know
exactly why. If the President would
only kick the "Board of Blunderers" out
of his reach, and leave the war with
Spain to the men who know how to
fight, speedy termination of the
present trouble might reasonably be
looked for; but if the object is to prolong
the fight until all the favorite SONS of
their fathers are provided with good
fat places in the army and elsewhere,
why then the "Board of Blunderers,"
which for courtesy's sake is called the
Board of Strategy" may be continued
for the purpose for which it was created.
In that event no man can tell within five
years of the time when peace will again
bless our land. Up to the present time moth
ing but batch of blunders has emanated
from Washington. If the sameor similar
blunders had been committed by Army
or navy officers in the field or on the
sea, cOurt-martial would have follow
ed and some funerals would have take n
place with the honOrs of war left out.
1t is humiliting fact that but for the
outspoken friendship of Great Britain,
and the silent influence of her tremendous
navy, this country would be in a most
49, g. r.
is well known that the 'peace at any
price" crowd prevented our government
from taking any action against Spain
uutil public indignation became so great
it was impossible to resist it. Then
Spain was politely requested to restore
order in Cuba-but she declined to
restore it. Finally war was declared
and our fleet of powerful warships was
ordered into Cuban waters, and it looks
now in the light of subsequent events,
as if the Board of Blunderers" had given
them quiet 'tip" not to hurt anybody,
but only to "make believe" they were
waging war, and to proclaim that
somebody was going to get hurt later
on. Alas! fear that many will get
hurt later on, as the result of incompe-
tency at Washington, and that it will
be our own brave soldiers and sailors
that will be the victims. If Admiral
Sampson had been allowed full swing at
first, he would have promptly knocked
Havana to pieces-turned Old BlaDco
over to Fitzhugh Lee-whom he insulted,
and who knows just how to deal with
such cattle-aDd redeemed his spromise to
"make Hi smell of garlic within
twenty -four hours" With Havana as a
foothold, the United States could have
begun to carry out the object for which
it said to the world it declared war
against Spain-namely, to relieve and
save from starvation the victims of
Weyler and Blanco. Unfortunately for
these poor creatures somebody tied the
hands of Admiral Sampson, and they
have waited in vain for relief until it is
estimated that fifty thousand more of
them have been ''fed to the buzzards" as
Speaker Reed most forcibly expressed
it. Such is the state of affairs on the
island of Cuba, and our sailors have
been compelled to float around idly in
the best battleships and cruisers OF the
world, while Blanco has taken adyan-
tage of the delay to strengthen his forti-
fications and make it infinitely harder
to capture the enemy's stroDgholds
when the peaceful blockade" foolish
ness finally comes to an end.
Commodore Dewey was more for
tunate. He was q long way from head
quarters, and where the "Board of
Bunderers" could not easily reach him,
or else he, too, would probably be lying
outside the harbor of Manila with his
feet, and the Spanish Admiral, Montijo,
would still be big man instead of an
everlastingly clicked" one. Dewey,
when war was declared, evidently
thought it meant that he should do
something, even if somebody got hurt,
and the way he transacted his part of
the business was most satisfactory to
his countrymen. The only way tie
aboard of Blunderers' could harm him
was to leave him unsupported, and tAat
they did until the whole country and
other nations cried out for very shame.
Not until last week was single soldier
turned toward him to hold the rich and
almost imperial territory that the
bravery of himself and his sailors had
won. / wonder where the Board of
Blunderers" would stand, in the affec
tions of their countrymen, if by any
chance Spain should stake her all in q
final effort to recapture the PHILIPPINES,
send her last feet to Manila, and win a
desperate battle / do not expect such
result, but it is well not to forget that
almost everything happens in war that
you don't want to have happen. Dewey
broke the worlds naval record in de-
stroying q great feet without the loss of
ship or a man. He might lose some of
both if Spain should conclude to abandon
Cuba and hazard everything in an
attempt to drive him out of Manila.
The same tactics and want of energy
were painfully apparent at the beginning
of our great civil war. There were men,
then, who stood in the way OF the sue
cess of the Union armies until President
Lincoln kicked them out and gave the
country the assurance that the wsr
should be conducted by men who knew
how to conduct war. After that o
more McClellans were sacrificed, and the
war was prosecuted in earnest. If Ad-
miral Sampson, isn't a lucky man the
fate of poor General Mcclellan awaits
him-for he is most of the time within
reach of Washington by cable. and sub
jact TO the fearful and wonderful strategy
of the men who compose the "Board Ol
Bluudererso who claim all the credit
when man like Dewey wins victory
in spite of them. The American people
learned much during our fearful civil
war, and much from which they may
profit, and these latter-day blundererf
who are playing into the hands of the
money sharks 80 profitably, just now
will be called to account later on.
People here are about over their wal
L f.. Il -
o. few Spanish bombs being dropped
| into town as contribution towart
the gayety of the season. Reading thu
daily war dispatches, which are mostly
! an infinite variety ot fakes" they hav'
o1<>..k ,> <4.<>l 49,, tho Iox,