New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-09
THE "STRUT."

Two or three Instances have lately been re-
ported Of steamers being disabled by accidents
TO the part Of their machinery known as the
strut" AS some OF these have occurred IN
the nelghborhood of Key West. where the news
papers now engaged In carrying on the war
against Spain are Intending shortly to concen-
trate our Navy, n suspicion has been aroused
in the minds Of persons unfamiliar with naval
architecture and the machinery OF propulsion
that the Sagasta Ministry have discovered that
the vulnerable point in our Navy Is the strut
and through their emissares In Cuban waters
are experltnenting on our commercial marine
In order to be able when war passes beyond the
stage of big type to that Of big guns to get
in their disabling work on the strut In our
warshps in somewhat the same way that the
Hon. Robert Fitzsimmons. in recent open-air
discussion Of the question who's who with the
Hon. James ]. Corbett, got In on the latter
genteman's solar plexus.
1t is barely possible, OF course. that the Span
sh Government, having observed how vigor-
ously and successfully the newspaper custodi-
ans of the National honor are prosecuting the
war at it's present stage with "swagger," may
have reached the conclusion that In the next
stage of it-llable at any moment to be de-
would be equally dependent upon its strut"
1t may be-"swagger" and strut" being in
tlmately associated in the Iberan mind-that
the Spanish Government have decided to tackle
the strut" In the Navy-which they have
found by these dastardly experiments on our
commercial marine to be lnerable-rather
than take any chances with the blood red death
dealing, sleep destroying, long "swagger'
hnV oil mic.
take. The strut" Is not our solar ple1us.
And II It were they never would be able to
reach It even with Mrs Fitzslmmons standing
by to encourage them.
Then, too. even If they should succeed In
disabling the strut in the Navy and send 1t
lmping home or to the bottom Of the sea there
would be statesmen to encounter whose strut
they could never hope to disable. Take, for
instance. the Hon. Joseph Bailey, OF Texas,
who recently bombarded the Virginia Legis-
lature for three hours at short range, and who
has frequently encountered Thomas B. Reed
ut close quarters. but whose strut has never
been impaired. Take the Hon. William Sui
yer, who for a long time has been in favor OF
war at any price and most Of the time willing
10 man all the Notifications on the coast with
his own constituents. That statesman has re-
Gently been in collision with the Hon. Richard
Croker, but though obliged to surrender every
thing else, he proudly retains his strut" ex
hbltlng it daily on, Pennsylvania-aye. Then
there's the Hon. Lemuel Ely Quigg, who two
years ago sent through Spain a shudder Of
alarm by his impassloned declaration: Cuba
fought to he free. Cuba must be free. and Cuba
shall be free" He, too, has had his collisions
had one, II reports are true. a day or two
ago with Governor Black-but in none Of them
has his strut" ever been in the least injured
or impaired.
No; If the Spanish Government think they
can dick" this country by insidious work
against the struts" In our Navy they are Nigh
tily mistaken. They Will find the strut Of our
statesmen invulnerable and the "swagger' Of
our newspapers unanswerable.