The age-herald., 1898-03-02
WAR PREPARATIONS
 ARE GOING ON

" aSnanguOd, hharcn I-SnVer, tarun ana everything of a peaceful nature has been laid aside aleres and we rsow hear nothing but war talk. In the halls of congress, in the departments. on the streets and in the hotel Hobbies. the most intense excitement prevails. The calm attitude of the admin istration Faas no effect. It seems as if the bong dormant war spirit has been aroused and everyone is getting into fighting trim. The opinion that peace can be preserved between this country and Spain grows less every day. Spain's diplomats are doing their utmost to allay any hostilities, and while they are proceeding with their usual brayado, the Spaniards are not by any means spelling for a fight The Spanish charge d'affaars here, Senor De Bose, is leaving no stone untured to make more tenable the accident theory, and he Is suc- ceeding as well as cam be expected under the circumstances.
 The advices received in the last two days from Havana and Madrid are by no means reassurng. The populace in both cities is said to feel 'insuHed" at the suggestion that there were mines in Havana haribor and that Spain had anything to do with the blowing up of the Maine. Great fears are expressed, and still greater ones felt that are not expressed by those in touch with the situation that harm may be done to Americans in Havana. It is we'll known here that if riot breaks out in Havana the authorities will be powerless to stop 1t. Nothing they could do would insure the safety of the foreigners, if a Spanish mob breaks loose. In fact that danger of an outbreak in Havana is so grelalt that it IS said the administration has little hope that a rupture can be averted for many more days. General Lee. true patriot that he is, has notified Secretary Day that he will remain at his post, no matter what happens and if the Americans on the island are forced to leave he will be the last to take foot off the island.
 Undoubtedly the most popular man in the country today irrespective of party, Is Consul General Lee. In all this muddle, in spite of the fact that he was hampered first with an administration that would not back him up in his stand, and later by one with whose policies he was not at all in sympathy, he has acted like statesman, and an American of the truest type. No matter what the outcome of this miserable business will be. his name, Nike that of his kinsman of confederate fame, will go down into history, as a patriot and soldier
 The silver men in the senate will not permit the word "gold' to be inserted in any bonds that may be necessary to issue in order ito carry on a war. Nor will there be any necessity for it, in spite of the fact that the bankers are crying for gold bonds. The government will be able to b orrow all - the money it may need, be that what it may, on its simple promise to pay in coin. As I understand in these dispatches some days ago there is a strong sentiment in congress, even among the financiers, against the issuing of amy bonds for time at least. They say that sufficient green backs could be issued and foatd at par to stave off a bond issue until it became ab solutely necessary. In this way the gov ernment would be saved an enormous amount in interest, and no harm would re- suit.
 One distinct advantage that our navy would possess over that of Spain Is that several of our higher naval officers have been through a war. They have been un- der fire in the war of rebellion, and a num- Der of them bear scars of service upon their persons. All of the commanders who graduated between 1861 and 1865 have been in positions of peril that have tried them, and they have not been found wanting.
 The commanders of battleships on this station, men who would be in command where hostilfties would commence and the fighting would be the hottest, are an able set of men, fully qualified to compete with any set of sailors in the world. They all stand at the head of their profession and I,ofr f-of ic -uridn Nff fhnxx entered the navy at the period of transi- tion from the old-style wooden to the mod ern battleship. They have all seen the ponderous and unweildy muzzle-loading cannon give way to the modern breech- loading and rapid-fire gun. Some of the commanders fought upon the first ironclads that were ever fioated, and the rattle, of shot against heavy steel plates will have no terrors for them at all.
 Capt. W. T. Sampson. who now com- mands the big battleship Iowa, and is at the head of the board of inquiry to de- termine the cause of the Maine explosion, is one of these. It Is a coincidence worthy of mention that the captain, when lieu tenant, was himself a victim of torpedo explosion, and the torpedo was from an enemy, at that. It was on board the Patap- sco, an ironclad which was operating against the defenses erected by the confed- crates at Charleston. The fronclad sank in two minutes, drowning sixty-two officers and men, Only five officers and some thirty men were saved
 Capt. Sampsons coolness on that occa- sion caused him to be complimented by the department and his bravery saved many lives.
 The formidable monitor, Puritan, is under the command of Capt. P. F. Harrington, another man who fought his way through the civil war. The monitor, Terror one of the most formidable defense ships affoat, is commanded by Capt. Ludlow, who entered the service in 1859, and sniffed powder for five years. Capt. Higginson of the Massa- chusetts, Capt Phillips of the Texas, Capt. Cook of the Brooklyn, Capt Chadwick of the New York, are all familiar with naval warfare as it exists in times of war, all of them having seen three or more years