The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-17
TUESDAY, MAY Il, 1888.
WE MUST PREPARE BETTER FOR
WAR,


WAR.
All we'll wlshors OF their country nope
and pray that we may get through this
war without any complications Oh any
SORT with any other country and there
,yopld seem TO be no reason why we
should not. The war ought TO DE over
sn a very short time now. The Spanish
feet having come to this side of the At
lantic. there ought to be great naval
hattie I'm the next few days unless Hhe
spanish Admiral proposes 10 play the
mart Of the forty thousand French VINO
marched lin the hill and then down
ogain II he does ffht that battle, acc0rd-
tng 10 all human probabilities, MS Meet
must ne destroyed. His four armor clad
ships ought 10 have no more show in an
encounter with the vessels that we
should put against them, than baby
ryopld have in an encounter with John
Sullivan. in case then he does fight and
AZ beaten. Blanco ought TO foe starved into
surrendering in the next thirty or sixty
DAYS. and that ought to bring the war
20 an end.
Absurd though, as It would be for the
Spanish Admiral to decline a naval bat
lie after coming all the way across the
Atlantic 20 fight one. we do not feel
sure that he will accept battle. lie
knows that his four cruisers are no
match for our battleships. They have
fourteen inches of armOr which the thlr-
teen inch guns Of our battleships would
penetrate as If it were pasteboard' while
our oattleships have eighteen inches of
Harvyized steel which the Spanish guns
will not penetrate at any distance within
which they could reach.
But the Spanish vessels are much faster
than our battleships and they can easily
run away from them therefore, and
thus avoid battle. We have several
cruisers such as the New York, the
Brooklyn, the Columbia and the Minne-
sofa, that can overhaul the Spanish ships,
but they have little or no armor on them
and IL IS very doubtful whether they
could maintain themselves If they did
overhaul the Spaniards. 1t may be
therefore, that the Spanish Admiral,
steamlng past our fighting ships. may
give his whole attention TO an attempt
10 burn some OF our seacoast cities, in
which event he may make things pretty
lively for us. IL that should prove to be
his policy he may do us a great deal of
damage. while not doing a thing 20 in
crease the chances of his country in the
war. and that may arouse an intensity
OF passion that no man can foresee zhe
result OF. II he pursues that policy and
succeeds in burning one or two of our
cities. complications may arise out of that
that may set the world on fire. We
should not be likely TO limit our action
after that 10 driving the Spaniards out
OF Cuba. We should probably equip
great feet and organize a great army 10
invade Spain and secure adequate re-
dress. and when we go into that business
we are sure to tread on the toes of
somebody. No man cay say therefore.
where this thing is going TO end, and now
that we are fairly embarked in war and,
blood being shed every day. the passions
OF the people are becoming more and
moro aroused every day.
We hope for the best however, but
whatever the result. the war has taught
us one lesson that We must not fail TO
profit by In these days OF quick-hrlng
high powered guns and rapid transporta-
ton. a nation that IS prepared for war has
an enormous advantage over another ma
ton Of Imitloss resources that IS wholly
unpreparod. We tremble TO think Of
what the result would have been ~ We
had matched ourselves in this case
against Germany instead Of Spain.
The lesson OF this war Is that we must
make greater preparations for sudden
war than We have heretofore had. Con-
eress should make liberal appropriations
for encouraging the volunteer soldiory
OF the states and we should. through
that means. have always ready and at
hand. body OF at least nve hundred
thousand state volunteers that could be
turned into United States soldiers in
twenty-four hours We should have at
least twenty first class lattleships and
forty or fifty first class cruisers. and
then We may feel safe. But as we have
been We are liable TO De oyerrun when
ever We act into complications with one
OF tho first class Powers Of the world.
-
LEAF BY LEAF THE ROSES FALL.
The Atlanta Constitution is distressed