The gold leaf., 1898-05-12
baltimore SUM-

Baltimore Sum-
The view taken by The Sun of the
present war with Spain has been from
the first that it must necessarily ir
chiefly, if not altogether, naval
war, and that its most decisive
events would take place at sea Such
an event took place on May 1st,
when Commodore Dewey virtually
annihilated the Spanish Asiatic squad
ron in Manila bay. Should this aus
piciOus event be followed up, as
there is every reason to believe and
expect, by a similarly crushing de-
feat Of Spain's Atlantic squadron by
our fleet under Admiral Sampson the
two events will 90 far toward being
decisive Of the results of the war,
and can hardly fail to shorten its
duration. With the Spanish navy in
both hemispheres destroyed it is
difficult to see what further headway
Spain could hope to make in the
prosecution Of the war.
She might drag it out possibly by
desultory guerrilla warfare on the
seas waged by means Of auxiliary
cruisers and privateers. She might
continue to impose the burden Of
great expense upon this country is
the maintenance Of the necessary
armaments by sea and land to guard
our coasts and our commerce. But
deprived of all power to reinforce or
to succOr her forces, either in the
West Indies or the Philippines,
doomed to the loss Of her colonial
possessions on both sides of the
globe, it would seem that the time
had come for Spain's best friends
among the great powers to say to
her that it was time to stop-that
she had had enough-and that the
interests of all nations of the civiliz-
ed would required that the hopeless
and unequal contest must stop.
The first demonstration of this
fact has been given by the success of
our navy in the East-in the victory
achieved by Commodore Dewey in
Manila bay. 1t is victory which
will make the 1st of May, 1898, for
ever memorable in the annals Of the
American navy. Fought at distance
of seven thousands miles from our
shores, and at that distance from all
possibility freinfOrcements, of fresh
supplies in case Of need, or refuge or
repairs in-case of discontinue or de-
feat, it was an achievement which
reflects the highest credit upon Com
modore Dewey and the gallant
officers and men under his command
At the same time it is not a victory
to be unduly jubilant over or to ex-
aggerate. The bravest are ever the
most generous, and magnanimity in
victory should ever be the character
istic of n nation strong as well as
brave. We must not forget that in
this contest with Spain it is young,
vigorous, rich and powerful nation
of 7O,O00,OOO waging war with an
old, exhausted, poverty-stricken and
enfcebled nation of less than 20,0O0,-
oOO. 1t is the big boy administering,
it may be, a needed chastisement to
Il smaller and weaker. This dis
crepancv in strength and resources
was illustrated in Sundays battle
While the Spanish fleet slightly ex-
ceeded ours in numbers, the vessels
were generally smaller, the aggre-
gate tonnage being not more than
half that of the American squadron.
The Spanish guns were less numer-
Gus and less powerful. according to
Captain Zalinski, an artillery expert
and authority in our own army, the
American ships being capable Of
firing at a single broadside three
times the weight of metal that the
Spanish could fire. The Spanish
ships were all old, our own ships
were nearly all new.
AS against these advantages in
our favor the Spanish fleet had the
support of the forts which guarded
the entrance into Manila bay, and to
boldly run past these forts and seek
an encounter with the Spanish ships
was not the least evidence of Com
modore Dewev's daring or his fitness
for command. Under the circum-
stances it was apparently the
highest courage and the best judg-
ment, without foolhardiness or rash
ness. 1t recalls some of the achieve
mentS of the navy marked by SIM
liar dash and courage during the
civil war-the passage of the forts
and attack upon the Confederate
ships at New Orleans and in Mobile
bay. and Farragut'S running the
gauntlet of the batteries at Port
Hudson.
However mearre the details OF
Dewev's gallant achievements, we
know enough to feel assured that the
naval victory was complete. Spanish
dispatches admit it. and the rumored
| bombardment of Manila. following
| upon the destruction of the Spanish
fleet, is only additional comtirma-
ton. The news of the bombardment
we should be glad to take witt
some qualification until explained
and justified, as it undoubtedly viii
| be- if it has occurred. by Com
modore Dewey's own report.
Modern civilization and modern
international law do not favor the
bombardment of cities except as an
unavoidable incident to the attack
and reduction of fortified works by
which they are defended. To bonn
bard city simply to compel its sur
render by the intliction ofindiscrimi
nate injury upon private property
and private individuals. the des
truction of peaceful dwellings. public
buildings. churches and converts
and the slaughter of the sick and
the aged. of women and children, i
at this day condemned by all writers
upon international law and by al
soldiers of reputation. The latter