New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-17
WAR TALK IN WASHINGTON
TUE ADVANTAGE OF LIVING AT THE
CAPITAI.

CAPITAL.
washington July 16-Outsde Of washington
,e arc dererdent absolutely upon the papers
~ nsc.e and aln,os; entirely for impressions; in
n~.s,irg,on only can one perceive something OF
A. ,rrar life Of the body polite. We hear
u or q member IF the House vote for a
.,.as-re with his party. but when we meet
81, d, few hours later. at a dinner or club. We
49, No. SURPRISED 70 hear him confess that he
:, really much opposed 10 war-his poor state
- orrv lust recovered from one war. and he
80, M; wish 10 see her engaged in another
-, how. can man resist his party? In Wash
,,-,o, one has d chance 10 know the man whom
.ho country At 'aree knows only as the states
49,, ~ the politician. In the Capital. too,
oor,as N actual contact with the foreign senti-
-or,e ~ all nations Even the most guarded
- 7,r,on,a.s viii in some way show forth the
CEILINGS ~ his country. Just before the war
tho members of the Spanish Legation were con-
s,ontlv 10 be met al dinners and other enter
+a,nuents Americans might fight the nation,
my not the Individual and Of personal enmity
there was no manifestation Hard as il was
,o- the Spanish representatives 10 realize that
Wv was Inevitable, forebodings Of evil hung
aver them 4 few weeks before Congress voted
tr armed interference. some one remarked to a
member OF the Spanish Legation: II would like
10 see how the map Of tie world viii look hun
6-ed wears from now" All" he replied with
a sigh You need not wait 80 Ions. Ten years
Will be enough TO show all great changes.
some Of the difficulties Of diplomacy are real
he'd az the seat Of Government. in observing
the Inability Of different races TO comprehend
each others characteristics. In reply to a re-
mark that little sympathy could be felt for
people who under defeat turned TO fight their
own Government. a prominent foreign represen-
tat.ve replied: But, certainly. had you met
with great defeats. your President and his Gov
eminent would have been directly overthrown."
Upon this assertion being ind. -naEtly denied
h continued All. you have had no defeats
and SO you cannot tell" a little history Of the
eva War being promptly produced TO refute
his statements. ne closed the subject with the
comment: well. II one thing You may he sure
You will do the Spanish mucn wrong in some =
your judgments u them. and they Will judge
YOU with stin greater injustice undar the Bit
terness os their defeat" diplomat properly
qualified for his Office must be a man who
weighs his words with care but. in spite q this.
the private feelings OF the individual Will often
ind expression.
Had great hattle-ship % your country been
blown UP I'm the harbor Of a naion you knew
10 be unfriendly. and the lives Of over TWO hun
drsd and Gfty II your officers ard men thus
been sacrificed. what would YOU have done
This question brought the reply from clever
young diplomat: Il have already asked that
question Of myself. and. to be frank II you had
bornbarded Havana twenty-tour hours after the
Maine was blown up. I, for my part could
not have blamed YOU. though you might nave
had question Of damages later on.
The general accuracy Of official information Is
much appreciated IN Washington 1t is relief
70 the mind. after reading in the morning paper
q string Of imposing names OF Spanish cruisers.
10 stroll into the club and have ones anxiety
quieted by the smile Of a retired Navy oihcer
who knows we'll the condition Of every ship IN
the talked-of feet:
In the whole Spanish Navy there are only
SIX first class cruisers and oA@ Datue-ship q MS
was before the destruction Of CerVeras hee')
Most Of their engineers are English or Scotch
the,e won't care TO fight for death and Spanish
glory-they Will he apt TO give trouble know.
I've lain alongside Of a Spanish warshp for
weeks and hardly seen drill on board Of her
Had an officer try to show me the working OF
one Of her guns-nney polished up outside but
b. George. So rusty inside he couldn't open It,
That's a key 10 the whole situation
The American people have the vGguest idea OF
the enormous amount Of work accomplished Dy
the Amy and Navy departments since the war
began one Of the ablest Army officers who
tus, after war was declared worked daily from
early morning until after midnight exclaimed:
"Oh * is this terrible unpreparedness' Congress
would give US 50 little. and now. at the shortest
notice, we are plunged into war. and every 1t
tie town along the entire coast Is clamoring Tor
guns and Notifications. II we were only ready
Ia DEFY the world" Wherein spoke the true
American spirit.
Society IN Washington naturally talks war,
but the oplni5 IS expressed by people not d.
rectly connected with official lie are more apt
10 be the reflection Of those held by some official
friend than. as IS often the case outside Of Wash
.npton. those " a favorite ncwspaper.