Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-07-08
4 SECOND REVOLUTION.
United States to Be One of the
Great Armed Powers.
CHIEF EVENT OF THE CENTURY

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CHIEF EVENT OF THE CENTURY.
L Trio Of Changes That Henry Norman
Calls u New American Revo1ution-says
the War Has Taught This Country .
Severe Lesson In Regard to the Army.
Powerful Navy Sure to BE Maintained
In Future--The Outburst of Patriotism.
The London Chronicle publishes a
copyright article, dated London, June
80, written by it's special commissioner,
Henry Norman, and treating of new
America and its army and navy. Ex-
tracts from it are given herewith:
The vision of new heaven and a
new earth is still unfulflled, but there
is new America. The second American
revolution has occurred, and it's conse-
quences may be as great as those Of the
first. / have waited till the end of my
visit before putting my impressions on
paper, for it is easy to be mistaken
about popular sentiment in the United
States The American people are as
sensitive to emotional or intellectual
stimulus as Photographic film is to
light, but they are also, to a remarkable
degree, a people Of second thoughts.
Their nerves are quick, but their con-
victions are slow. The apparent change
was so great and SO unexpected that at
first could not bring myself to believe
in it's reality or it's endurance. Unless
all signs fail, however, or fail to in
terpret them, the old America, the
America obedient to the traditions of
the founders of the republic, is passing
away, and a new America, all America
standing armed, alert and exigent in
the arena of the world struggle, is tax.
ing it's place.
The change is threefold: i. The Unit.
ed States is about to take its place
among the greater armed powers Of the
world. 2. By the seizure and retention
of territory not only not contiguous to
the borders Of the republic, but remote
from them, the United States becomes
a colonizing nation and enters the field
of international rivalries. 8. The growth
of good will and mutual understanding
between Great Britain and the United
States and the settlement Of all pending
disputes between Canada and America,
now virtually assured, constitute a
working union Of the English speaking
people against the rest of the world for
common ends, whether any formal
agreement is reached or not.
Viewed in the light Of the events it
may conceivably bring forth this trio
of changes may be described without
exaggeration as the event of the CEN
fury. There is little to say about it that
has not already been said, but as SUBJ
ject for comment it has this advantage,
that there is little mystery about it.
One great element of uncertainty of
course remains, the final direction TAX
en- by American public opinion, but
with that exception one may speak as
witness and not as prophet.
First, then, with regard to the future
army and navy Of the United States,
the war has taught this country Sc
we're lesson. A few weeks before the
outbreak of hostilities read in lead
ing New York paper carefully detail
ed estimate, based upon returns from
every state in the Union, showing that
an army of 1000, 1000 men could be
promptly raised. This ludicrous notion
undoubtedly correspondent to the popu-
lar view Of the country's capabilities.
Anybody who remembers certain
statements made during the Venezuelan
dispute will not think this remark ex-
travagant. It was known that the pa
triotism of the people was equal to the
supply of any number of volunteers, the
resources Of the country were known to
be limitless-the combination of in
Vulnerable men with limitless resources
is all that is required for vast army.
Such was the reasoning. But nobody is
misled by it today. The president has
called out 100000 men, and they have
responded with extraordinary prompti-
tude. But in few days two months
will have elapsed and the whole force
is yet far from ready to take the field.
Fifteen thousand men-nearly all regu-
lars-have gone with General Shafter
to Santiago; a few Thousand are to be
sent to reinforce him as quickly as pos
sible; about 1000 have gone to Manila !;
20, 900 are wanted for Porto Rico and
are not available, while the main army
of Cuban invasion will hardly be ready,
I should suppose, for another month yet.
Two weeks hence, General Alger
says, every man will be equipped, down
to two suits of uniforms for the tropics.
The ''hardships'' they have suffered are
not such as soldier should talk much
about; $4,000 tons Of rations have been
provided for them; so transports have
been chartered and fitted out Besides
all this, the war department has laid
1900 submarine mines, set up 40 search
lights and armed large number Of
forts-often building them first After
admitting every reasonable criticism
it is triumph of organization. 4-doubt
if so much, from so little, has ever been
accomplished 50 expeditiously and so
uneventfully before.