The evening times., 1898-05-21

favored doing things in q hurry Pres
ident McKinley's war experience, the
most remarkable part Of which is the
way in which on one occasion he kept
the men at the front supplied with hot
ccffee, seems to have inclined him to
extreme caution. The other members
of the Cabinet had no war experience
at ALL These gentlemen, after mature
deIiberation. appear to Fave decided on
a policy of uniform delay. The only
prompt action Of the whole campaign
has been that OF Admiral Dewey. and
that was hastened by the prodd!ng Of
the British government In ordering
Dewey's fleet out of Hong Kong. Mr.
Mckinley seems to have been possessed
by the fixed idea that We must be all
ready before we begin to fight. This
is very good idea. but 1t can be car
ried too far Some of the greatest VIC
tories of the world have been won by
generals who were not ready for bat
tle but the enemy never knew the DIFF
ference. The trouble. however. with
| the policy pursued in this case Is that
the enemy has also been getting ready.
| Blanco has had six or eight thousand
| men hard at work for month digging
| trenches around Havana for our boys
/ to die in. He has also collected his
army in the city. where they can do the
best work OF which they are capable.
| If anybody believes that Span!ard
will come cut in the open to be shot,
when he can pot at the enemy comfort-
ably from behind a stone wall. he does
not know the Spaniard. or human ma
ture. either. Our Regular Army was
ready to go straight to Cuba, whatever
might be said Of the volunteers, and
| all the delay that could possibly be
made has attended the appointment CT
officers and organization Of the vol,
unteers. The fleet until recently cccu-
pying Cuban waters has not taken the
| precaution to go down and capture coal
transports which were almost under its
ncse and which were absolutely GER
tain to be valuable to the enemy. Al
together. with a little more OF this
policy OF delay. there is an excellent
prospect that the Spanish may be able
| to get us into a sure-enough campaign
about the middle of July. when the cii-
mate will join with the enemy in max
ing it lively for our Army in Cuba. For
a merciful President, Mr.. Mckinley is
behaving in very funny way.
This Merciful War.
The course of the war in Cuba thus
far indicates what some Of the writers
of the day are wont to call the irony
of Fate. Whether impersonal Fate or
concrete authorities are responsible for
the condition Of things, the American
people must decide for themselves. 1t
was announced at the beginning of the
difficulties that this was to be a war on
behalf of humanity. Mr.. Mckinley d d
not believe in making war. with all the
horrors of war. unless it would a some
good. His chief object i~ allowing Con-
gross to a~-,--e nostilities was the well
fa- VI the reconcentrados. Vengeance
for the destruction of the Maine was
far, far from his thoughts. He would
not be dragged into any such unholy
strife But, after mature considera-
ton, he did feel a great sympathy for
| the poor unfortunates who were fur
nishing dinner parties for the Havana
buzzards. and he intended to feed them
if he had to send soldier to stand over
the dinner basket, sword in hand, while
the good work went on. And all the
joiced that the reconcentrados were to
be fed. and their long nightmare Of
| agony and starvation ended.
The first thing that Mr. Mckinley did
| in the direction of Havana was to or
| der pacific blockade. This surprised
some of the old Army and Navy men.
| for they had never heard of making war
peacefully. But this major of the Union
Army. now raised to the rank of COM
mander-in-chief Of the Army and Navy
of the country. thought differently. He
was opposed to the sacrifice of one un-
! necessary life. He therefore announced
| that the Key West fleet was to sit down
| in front of Havana and starye out the
Spanish army.
This, as measure of war. might be
excusable. AS a deed of mercy 1t has
| its defects. When the reconcentrados
heard.> as they undoubtedly did. that
|
bay. they must have felt thrill of un-
speakable joy. Bread was coming, un-
der the protection of American guns.
Soon their fiendish captors would have
all that they could do to take care of
themselves. Havana would be bonn
barded. but not for long. The Cubaus
had been dying so long and so miser-
| ably from starvation that they could
| hardly have feared death from an oc-
casional shell. And when the city was
| taken. and the marines of the Navy
| were in POSSESSION of the town, then
| the stores which the American Govern
| ment had sent to relieve their /, IN
ger. and which had been confiscated by
| Blanco. would be theirs, and they would
| take new lease of life. This, or s,yna-
| thing like this, may have beer their
dream. No one will ever kno.s. Ger
! tain it is that that dream was dizpeiled.
not suddenly. but by inches. The fleet
did not lombard Havana, it swung idly
to and fro in the bay. Food grew
scarcer and scarcer in the city. Even
the Spanish soldiers and officers were
reduced to sb"rt rations. As for the
Cuhans. Thair last hope was gone. 1t
does not take long to kill q man v ho
fos been IN the verge of starvation for