Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-08-19
Did it Pay ?

When we remember the many i" va
cant chairs among the households OF
the land. it is perhaps with much hest
tation that we undertake 10 make the
assertion that the result of our late
clash of arms with Spain is worth all
that it cost.
AS Gen. W. T. Sherman said War
is hell" but he might have added that
if wagcd in the cause Of right it is sure
to pay. The value of huE,an life can
never be estimated on the basis of dol
lars of cents. The 266 dead martyrs
who slept upon the Maine were worth
more than all the batleships owned by
Uncle Sam. They were more than
equal to the fertile islands of Cuba and
Porto Rico; worth more than the hun
dreds of " Dewey Islands" in the waters
of the Orient. The dead heroes who
fell in the brilliant charge Of the Rough
Riders before the intrenchments of San
tiago could not be paid for by the entire
estates of the Vanderbilts or Astors.
The victims who have fallen from Il. e
ranks when attacked by the foe known
as yellow Jack" were worth more
than all the gold of the earth.
Why then did it pay for this govern
ment to sound the bugle call and send
the flower of this fair land to meet
death by Spanish bullets'
One has only to glance at the results
of tie past few weeks to answer that
question.
For more than thirty years carpet bag
politicians and stump speakers have
waved the "bloody shirt" on either side
Of Mason and Dlxons line. In the
South some men have continued to hate
the yankees" and in our section of the
country the "Johnnies" have been sew
erely censured. The southern question
has haunted the slumbers of the Repub-
lie since the day when Grant returned
the sword of Lee. But with the calling
of Columbia for volunteers the old
strife and bitter feeling was forgotten
and will never again be recalled.
Thus with the dawn of peace we gaze
upon reunited country, where there is
no north, no south, but an unbroken
union. Is not this result worth all it
cost? Could it have been so firmly
shown in any other way?
No sooner was the present strus gle
opened than America saw the big
powers arrayed against her and on the
side Of Spain. But our own mother
country, the other great English speak
ing nation, stood beside US, and while
the peace commissioners are being
selected the leading men Of both Eng
land and America are discussing an al
lance. If this is accomplished shall we
then say "the war did pay?
The achievements of Dewey and Schley
in tho destroying Of the Spanish navy
with such remarkably small loss OF
life on the American side has caused the
nations of the old world to pause lest
they may do something which will bring
an American Dewey or Schley to their
ports. American flags will now be
more highly respected than ever in the
ports of the old world. Did it pay for
US to create this state of affairs
To these results must be added the
freedom Of Cuba, the annexing of Porto
Rico, and the control of Manila. Who,
in the years to come, will dare to rise
and say the "Americans made poor in
restment in the Spanish war;? The
Revolutionary war and the Civil strife |
were worth all they cost. So in
ike manner will the writers of our
present history speak Of the American
Spanish conflict.