The Philipsburg mail., 1898-07-29
OUR WAR WITH SPAIN.

a result most gratifying which the
present war has developed is the com
plete obliteration Of all sectional lines
drawn by the late war of 1S6165 be-
tween the North and the South. In
union there is strength, a fact undis-
puted in the land, but more than one
| foreign nation had it's serious doubts
about a perfect union existing within
our border, and not until the passage
of the bill appropriating $50, 900, 900
for national defense did it begin to
dawn upon them that the wounds in
f1icted during the civil war had
healed and that the scars worn by
both the blue and the gray only served
to make the union more complete.
When the war clouds began to darken
and hover over us a few months ago,
no end OF comment was made by the
anti American press regarding the ac-
tlOns Of our President as being too
SLOW lacking of executive ability. and
the like The people Of the United
States We're looked upon as a nation
of merchants who would not fight,
had no navy, our sailors denounced as
towards, and our demands upon Spain
considered bluff. President Nc
Kinley had gone through the civil war,
and being PERSONALLY familiar with it's
fearful results he carefully weighed
the responsibility accompanying the
step he was about to take in announc-
ing to the world that state of war
existed between the United States of
America and the Kingdom of Spain.
The response to his first call for volun.
teers proved beyond a doubt if a doubt
still exlsted) that the Union was
like one man in support OF the execu-
tive and the defense of our flag. Bat
tle-scarred veterans of both the blue
and the gray are now fighting side by
side, winning equal honors and receiv-
ing alike the gratitude of their coun-
try. Separation from a religious
standpoint has also disappeared. What
ever may be the religious belief of the
individuals, they are all patriots
loyal to a common cause and united
under one flag. The present war has
been closely osberved by the monare h.
les of Europe and a notable change is
apparent abroad. The victories OF our
navy and army have created IL sensa-
tion and all are now unanimous in
their praise and comments upon the
tact and craftsmanship displayed by
our administration. The entire world
has suddenly realized that we have a
navy and that our volunteers don t
make such bad soldiers after all In
two naval battles Spain has lost about
twenty warships and thousands of
men, while our score is one man killed
and not IL vessel seriously damaged
The Spanish colors have disappeared
from the forts of Santiago and %, 900
| Spanish soldiers have surrendered
their arms to our forces. The stars
and stripes have been raised at Port
CAMEO and Porto Rico is ours. Our
navy now bears the proud distinction
Of being the best atloat for it's size,
and our soldiers have no equal on
earth. The opinion Of the foreign
press is also clearly changed. Their
favorie pet name, Yankee swine, has
disappeared with the Spanish fleet
Even Germany is trying to convince
herself that she is on altogether
friendly terms with the United States,
and the German press is sort Of repent.
ing since it has become "a settled
fact that it will have no opportunity
Of publishing news of an American
defeat. We have been at war scarcely
three months and the great deeds
Spain had hoped to accomplish with
her much heralded Spanish valor have
end Of their rope and are sueing for
| peace, What different light SO
short Il space of time has cast upon
our couDtry. At least three and per
haps four more stars will in course of
! time be added to our banner each to
represent new state of the union,
whose ship was launched during the
summer Of 1898. These events will
make grand chapter in the future
history and along with Dewey, Schley,
Sampson, Hobson and other heroes,
President Mckinley will go on record
as one Of the ablest statesmen CT the
nineteenth century.