The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-15
GENERAL SICkLES ON SPAIN
Former Minister to Madrid Tells What the Dons Think of Us
and Why They Expect to Win.

zone fact that needs to be appreci-
atedated in order to understand the sit
uation in the present war between the
Dan" Sickles the other day, sis the
difference in the extent and accuracy
of the information which each country
possesses in regard to the other"
Probably there is no man in the
country better qualified to discuss the
Spanish American complication than
the doughty old general. He is of the
last of the fighting volunteer gener-
ais of the civil war. and perhaps the
most prominent of those who remain.
Though he is past 20 now and has to
stump around upon one leg (the other
was left upon the field of Gettysburg),
he takes e keen interest in the present
war and is actively engaged with Lieu
tenant General Schofield in the forma-
ton of the National Volunteer Reserve
General Sickles knows the realities OF
war. for he was in the thick of the
fray at Charlottesville and Gettys-
burg and other hard fought fields. He
is familiar with the political aspects of
the present contest. too, for he has
been a congressman and a member of
our European diplomatic corps. Like
wise it may be believed that he under
stands the temper. disposition and re-
sources of the Spanish. for he was
formerly the United States minister at
Madrid, and his wife was Spanish
lady
americans are as rule well-read
and well-informed." went on General
Sickles. "They don't know all about
Spain. but they know in more or less
general way of its extent and its re-
sources. They know. too, something OF
the character and habits of the people.
A good many of them have actually
visited Spain and have seen the coun-
try for themselves. Nearly all the
others have read about it. To be sure,
think the ideas which our people have
formed regarding Spain are not alto
eether accurate. We are apt to regard
the upper classes of Spain as ignorant.
lazy and worthless. and to believe that
the rest of the nation is made up of
hulI-fghters and muleteers, who are
good for little else. AS a matter OF
fact the resources of Spain are ant to
prove surprisingly great, considering
the desperate condition in which she is
now placed: and the average Spaniard.
though he may be adverse to ordinary
labor. looks upon fighting as an honor
able and worthy employment. and gem
arallv has enjoyed some training for it.
Mind. 7 am not casting doubt on the
result of the present war; it can have
but one ending. What I may say is
that we must not expect Spain to crun-
BILE to pieces 1T the first touch OF a. hos
tile nation. The fully informed people
Of this country do not expect that, but
they realize that Spain is immeasurably
weaker than the United States. In
general the ideas in regard to our OPP
penent which prevail in this country
are pretty accurate.
SPANIARDS KNOW LITTLE OF US.
when one turns to Spain, however,
the situation is very different. The peo-
pie of Spain, taken en- -masse. are not
we'll educated or widely Travelled, and
they are particularly ignorant as to
what this partiSz-lar part of the world
is like. Even those whom one would
expect to find well posted in this par
ticular cherish singular decisions. That
these incorrect ideas persist is due, I