Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-08-11

tanamo left New York practice Of
$40, 900 year 10 volunteer. As Il was
standing on the steps Of the Arlington
hotel in Washington one evening q
tall, thin man, carrying largo suit case,
walked out and got on the street car for
the railway station on his way to Tam
pa. 1t was John Jacob Astor, the pos
SCISSOR Of 800, 900, 900. Theodore Roose-
velt's rough riders contain number of
the smartest young men in New York
society. A Harvard clasanate Of mine,
rising young lawyer, is working like
laborer at the Brooklyn navy yard,
not knowing when he may be ordered to
Cuba or Manila. He is naval reserve
man and sent in his application for any
post from the stokehole upward I"
And all this, be 1t remembered, is for q
war in which the country is not in the
remotest danger and when the ultimate
summons Of patriotism is unspoken
The lesson they have learned is that
patriotism alone will not fight battles.
How far will that lesson carry them2
Will it build up great army and navy3
The question requires twofold answer.
In the United States there is curious
antipathy to q large standing army.
The masses Of the people dread such a
Capitalization of power. Nothing ex-
cites more hostility than tho employ
ment Of federal troops to settle state
difficulties; witness the cutlery when
President Cleveland sent regulars to
quell labor disturbances in Chicago 1t
is feared that large standing army
might lead to aggressive campaigns
abroad, but hundredfold greater is the
fear that 1t might become an instru-
ment of oppression at home. So strong
is this sentiment that the army will
assuredly not be increased to any great
extent. Hitherto its strength has been
nominally 20, 900 men-actually per-
haps Is, 600. Congress has recently au-
thorized total Of 10000, a tiny force
for 70, 900, 900 people, according to Eu-
ropean standards.
With the navy, however, the case is
different. 1t cannot be used by the ex-
ecutive for oppression at home; the
need of it for defense is universally rec.
ognized. 1t has always been the popu-
lar arm; it has covered itself with
glory during the war. The fear of an
aggressive policy, it is true, has in1u-
enced past naval estimates also. 1t has
always been easy to get money for coast
defense ships and difficult to get it for
seagoing battleships and cruisers But
this will be less the case now that
America has possessions oversee. AL
ready one significant fact has shown
what may be expected. Not only was
the last naval vote by far the largest
since the rebellion, but congress posi-
lively made great additions to the ship
building recommended by the naval
construction committee-a course with
out parallel in American history. The
official recommendation was for one
battleship and four torpedo boats; what
congress authorized on May were
three battleships, Of IL, 500 tons; four
monitors, of 2,700 tons, for harbor de-
tense; 16 torpedo boat destroyers, of 400
tons; 10 torpedo boats, Of 100 tons,
and one gunboat to. replace the Michi-
gan upon the lakes, if an arrangement
with Great Britain permitting this is
reached. The bids for all these ships are
to be opened in August and September
l have compiled the following table,
comprising ships afoat, building and
authorized, including those purchased
for this war, one of these not yet launch
ed ut Armstrong;, to show that pow.
erful American navy is already an &C.
complished fact: