Arizona republican., 1898-05-07
THE OREGON.

ne uSWS tudL tue Odp0 VtIue iS-
 lands have been left behind by the
 Spanish fleet, the effective fighting
 vessels sailing to the south or west
 is peculiarly significant, and at Wash
 ington it may be regarded with some
 uneasiness. One of the possibilities , is that the Spanish admiral is going
 into the waters where the Oregon. the
 Marietta and perhaps the Nichtheroy, that curious ship, either alone or in
 company with the battleship, may be
 discovered. The distance from the
 Cape Verde islands to the coas. Of
 Brazil is, if the route of steamers be
 taken as the farthest point, about
 l,6OO miles. To the Barbadces it is
 much greater. The chance of a fla vorable voyage to the Brazilian shore,
 then, is excellent by comparison with
 that offered to the northward, where. too, 1t is possible that the American
 ships from Cuba may appear to wait
 TOT the circumcOntinental navigators.
 By striking at the Oregon and Mari etta, either with or without the Nich- 1 theroy, in Brazilian waters. far off
 rom home, the prospect of capturing
 them Is obviously much greater than
 It would be if the Spanish souebt them afterwards.
 It Is not advisable to become rattlod
 in consequence of this Snanisb r,ouo ment. For some reasons it would be
 we'll to have the Oregon attacked Tn
 all probability the result of the battla
 would be the mortal disorganization and injury of the Spanish navy The oregon ought to be capable of stand ing any amount of pounding, and her guns should be of sufficient power to cover the Marietta, and even the Nicb- theroy, in time of danger But it is | impossible to believe that the Oregon | would allow them to be taken, The big battleship is more heavily armed than any of the ships in the Spanish fleet, and her commander, who was at Mobile Bay with Farragut, knows what it is to be under fire and pos-i sesses all the necessary information about the present war to render him very cautious. If he is approached by the Spanish fleet he may be expected to risk an encounter if he perceiyes that one is inevitable before he es- capes from the real danger impending.
 What is meant is this, that if he sees that he is being followed or threatened, he will seek his own op- portunity for fight, and, having ob- tained some advantage from the inn mediate situation at a particular hour, will proceed to fight with all the en- ergy which has distinguished naval Of fcers of the United States in the past.
 The chance that he will show fight at the first favorable opportunity. with great eagerness to win, is in by the fact that he must be aware of what effect ms defeat of the Spanish ships would have Even he did not absolutely turn the tables on the attacking ships. he might injure one or two of them se- verely. If he should do so, the incl dent would be of supreme importance. because, in the first place, the main tenance of the naval balance between ] the Spanish maritime establishment and that of the United States would be destroyed in our favor. and, on the other hand, the effect of such an even partial humiliation of { the foe would impair the esprit of the Castll1an personnel. A drawn battle . in that case would be distinctly to the ;; advantage of the United States and it I would be of immense importance in it's I practical consequences.
 It is not fact that the commander I of the battleship need fear two CT even .hree Spanish armored cruisers. His f 'h1ps ought to be worth two of the ( spanish under almost any circum- ( tances. Even at night, when the de- I troyers may be turned against him, ' le will enjoy some advantages, since 2 n the open Atlantic the utility of the I wift craft of that sort would pc al I nest more dangerous to Spain than 8 o his vessels. The Spanish cannot I fford to lose them, and to ward off one . with serious harm to itself would be = 0 impose a costly penalty on the at s acking party e
 So far as we can see there does not g ppear to be any danger ahead for the : Oregon other than that she may, by . lot being met by the Spanish, be de- . 'rived of a splendid opportunity to . Remember the Maine'