The San Francisco call., 1898-07-24

combination of innumerable men with Hmitless resources is all that is required for vast army. Such was the reason Ing. But nobody is misled by it to-day. The President has called out 100000 men, and they have responded with ex traordinary promptitude. 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 regulars-have gone with General Shafter to Santiago a lew thousand are to be sent to rein force him as quickly as possible; about 1000 have gone to Manila; 10000 are wanted for Porto Rico and are not available, while the main army of Gu ban invasion will hardly be ready, l should suppose, for another month yet. A month ago it was commonly said that f5,O00 men were going at once to Cuba The United States could not dis patch half that number of equipped sol- diers then, although she had over 100,- 900 men with the colors. The state ment remains true month later
 Remember one thing always: The war took everybody by surprise It was not desired, it was not ex- pected; it was, therefore, not prepared for. If the Maine had not been blown up there would be peace to-day. Forty eight hours before the rupture a lead ing New York capitalist, who had gone to Washington to discover the exact situation, returned and reported that he had absolutely certain knowledge, from official sources, that there would be no war. Thus the Government was called upon to create and equip an army from foundation to coping The regular army was small in number, scattered all over the country; it had never been collected since the rebel lion; officers of different companies in the same regiment were often stran- gers to one another; brigade drill and even regimental drill, was unheard of The National Guard of which so much was expected, had, in many cases, neither clothing nor arms. A few were ready, aye ready" but the response of most of them has been described as mixture of tragedy and opera bouffe
 When 1 visited Camp Alger I found one regiment of 800 men with 200 rifles and several had from 30 to 40 per cent of new recruits-men who had never fired a rife. Then, again, the War Department had not the aid from the States that it had confidently expected. A hundred thousand men, quickly fol- lowed by nearly 75000 more, were de- livered to 1t, needing almost every thing. They have been transported vast dlStanceS WlIn one-only one--tr1- fling accident; two weeks hence, Gen eral Alger has assured, me every man will be equipped, down to two suits of uniform for the tropics the hard ships" they have suffered are not such as a soldier should talk much about; 32,000 tons of rations have been provid- ed for them; fifty transports have been chartered and fitted out; besides all this, the War Department has laid 1500 submarine mines, set up forty search lights, and armed a large number of forts-often building them first. After admitting every reasonable criticism it is a triumph of organization. doubt if so much, from so little, has ever been accomplished so expeditions ly and so uneventfully before.
 And look at the display of American patriotism. When the volunteers were