The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-26
Lord WoIseIey's Opinion.

Any military opinion expressed by
Lord Wolseley, the in-chiet
of the British army, in view of the
present crisis, is deserving of the re-
spsctful attention Of the commanders
of the United States army, and of the
War department in particular. Lord
Wolseley is one of Englands greatest
generals. the only one in fact in whom
Englishmen as n rule place implicit
trust as a military leader, if we may
except Lord Roberts, of Candahar. Cen
eral Wolseley won his way to his pres
ent position as the executive and mill
tary chief of the British army by his
military genius If he has been the
most favored of mortals in his profess
sion, he has also shown how to take
advantage Of fortunes favOrs with the
cOnsummate skill of a great command
er and a great strategist. He has seen
more service in the field than any other
general living, His experience has not
been confined to one or two, but eX-
tends to a series of small wars in diff
ferent parts Of the world which called
forth on his part such foresight and
perSpiCaCity as We're necessary in con-
nicts in which the odds We're immeas-
urably in his favor and never in doubt,
but which might by small mistakes,
msCalculations or contempt Of the
enemy 5eopardize an assured victory
and lead to endless delay, expense, and
loss of national dignity. Ir the Reil
rebellion in Canada he set about its
| suppression with that rapidity and
| subtlety of movement which took the
rebels so much by surprise that they
were unable to concentrate their forces
| for effective resistance. He followed
| the same line Of tactics in the suppress
| sion of the Arab Pasha revolt in Egypt,
! That he came TOO late to the rescue OF
! General Gordon at Khartoum was not
| his fault. Gordon could nave been cas-
! lily delivered from his cruel fate if party
! politics at home, as only too often hap
| pens, had not frustrated patriotic ac-
| ton abroad.
General Wolseley believes that we
will bring Cuba into subjecton in due
time, but he thinks we would make a
mistake in attempting to invade the
island with volunteers. 1t would be
certainly a greviOus mistake TO do so,
IL we had any such intention; but for
tunately we have not Lord Wolseley is
altogether misinformed, We have at
Tampa awaiting embarkation fifteen
thousand of the finest regular troops in
the world. They have seen service in
. all parts Of this great continent, Most
OF these troops have been on active
| duty in one way or anOther-suppres-
sing Indian uprisings or keeping in or
der our great and politically inorganic
ed territories. They are brave, stall
| wart, American to the core. Lord
Wolseley assumes that the Spanish
troops in Cuba are hardened veterans.
No notion Of their organization and vir-
ility could be farther from the fact.
The Spanish troops in Cuba are a
starved, undisciplined Tabble, mostly
boys, or who were so before they reach
ed Cuba. This is how they stood as
they were known TO correspondents be-
fore the war, and IL there was any
doubt about 1t, their utter incapability
even temporarily, 10 overcome the in
surgents sufficiently proves it, The
Spanish army is lacking in field artil'
lery. They have a few batteries which
they mount upon mules, servicable
enough in guerrilla warfare but of lit
tie practical value when engaged with
such splendid artillery as forms the
most important wing of our army OF
invasion. The volunteers that will in,
| a
, of the United Statss. They are not -aV