The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-14
]. ]. HILL ON THE WAR
THE CONTINENTAL NATIONS
AGAINST UNITED STATES
In Great Britain, However, the Feel
ing Is One of Warm Sympathy
London Didn't Seem Like n For
eign City, So Marked Is the Feel
ing--Germans Were Particularly
Skeptical of Our Ability to Fight.

his home in st. Paul yesterday morn
ing after an absence of about month
on trip to Europe. Mr.. Hill looks
much improved physically as result
of his outing. He was very busy yes
terday comforting with the officials of
the road Late in the afternoon he re-
ceived a reporter for The G o b e.
my trip" he said, was a short one.
1t will be only a month next Tuesday
since I sailed. I left before the war
commenced" he remarked drily. Con-
tinuing he said:
'I found all the continental nations
substantially against the United States,
| toward which strong feeling seems to
exist. Some Of these people have their
reasons for their sentiments, and others
have apparently no reason whatever.
The most intelligent reason that any Of
the Germans gave was that this dis
turbance interfered with the commerce
of the world, and their own in partic-
ular, and that we had no right to bring
on a war that interfered with the
worlds commerce when we had no
army and navy to enable us to bring
that war to an end within any reason
able period Of time. According to their
view, it must require from year and
half to two years for us to get to-
gether an army and navy Of sufficient
power with which to meet Spain on an
equality. This, however, was three or
four days before they heard from
Dewey. and I have no doubt that some
of these gentlemen are now ready to
admit that we have more of a navy
than they gave us credit for. I was
surprised to find this sentiment pre-
vailing in Germany, because wherever
you go in that country you will find
that almost every family has rep
resentative in the United States.
GREAT BRITAIN DIFFERENT.
'In Great Britain, however, the feel
ing among individuals was one Of
warm sympathy with the United States
and, as a rule, Of hearty good wishes
for our early success. The feeling in
London Is not, of course, SO marked as
1t is in our own country, but at the
same time the difference is SO slight
that you would hardly realize, in con-
nection with this point, that you We're
in a foreign country.
while in England I met a number
Of the principal officers Of the British
navy. When discussing the subject Of
the war they asked me upon what spe-
cial condition I laid my foundation for
confidence in the ability Of our navy to
defeat the Spaniards. When I told them
that the American nation comprised an
Intelligent and ingenious people; that
cur naval officers were trained in
naval school that was at least equal
to that OF any other nation, and that
the government had been almost law
ish in It's supply of ammunition for tar
get practice, and that we could fire two
rounds from our heaviest guns to the
single discharge of any one Of the Euro
pean guns, they seemed satisfied that,
while our navy was not a large one,
1T made up in quality and would give
a good account Of itself.
LAS an Illustration of the Ignorance
of some foreigners as to the condition
OF our defenses, [ would say that there
was German officer on the ship upon
which returned who had been detailed
by his government to this country with
respect to our conduct of the war who
was very loud in the expression of his
lew estimate of the martial ability of
the United States. Just as we were
coming up the bay he took occasion to
remark that there was no navy or any
thing else Of sufficient Importance TO
keep anybody from coming into New
York; but when we got to quarantine
the guns Of Fort Hamilton took the
smile completely off his face and a
little later, when the custom house Of
ficers came aboard the ship with the
mornings newspapers, giving the de-
tailed dispatches of Dewey's victory,
this young German took to his room.
and I did not see him afterwards.
LESSON FOR CONTINENTAL,
EUROPE.
"I am glad our government. con-
tinued Mr.. Hill, sis sending a good
strong force to Manila commanded bv
one of our very ablest generals. It will
not be the least of our victories in this
war If we shall be able to teach the
continental nations Of Europe that our
army is not mob of unframed semi
barbarians. Dewey has done so wall
mat he ought to be supported. and 7
am glad to see that the government
mas decided to support him.
Turning to the subject of business
and the general outlook along this line
Mr. Hill said: 1e'
Business in New York is very good
suppose 1t Is stimulated, to Soma eH-
tent, by the high prices of bread stuffs
lhis war will have the effect of demon
strat1ng the fact that the United States
carries the bread basket Of the world:
ana II our people are true to Them.
selves as they should be. and intelji-.
gent and wise in managing their for.
elgn commercial trade and relations so
as TO make use Of the advanta ges that
we possess, the United States ought
10 De within ten years the wealthy
nation OF the world, and New York the
financial clearing house Of the world
A fnancier Of great prominence. whose
business Is on this side of the Atlantic
as Well as in England and on the con-
tlnent. remarked to me that If the
United States had the commercial sense
ana experience, added to her natural
resources, she could practically bank
fupt all the other nations within ten
years.
Possibly the existence of colonial
possessions" said Mr.. Hill, in conclu
sion, and foreign policy that would
necessarily follow as the result of such
possessions, may teach our people to
acquire higher commercial ideas than
those which consist Of the lathing and
plastering Of the Mississippi river and.
few of it's aff1uences and the passage
or river and harbor bills providing for
the expenditure of money on streams
where navigation is impossible, and all
this with no other reason for the spend
ing OF money than merely with view
to paying some personal obligation to
political leg puller.''
Mr.. Hill made his return trip on the
Etruria on the Cunard line. He indi-
Gated the enthusiastic war spirit that
existed during the voyage by remark
ing that American airs were very popu-
lar music on board the steamer and
that he frequently heard members of
the crew whistling Marching Through
Georgia" quietly to themselves. Not
only had the fight in Manila harbo,.
taken place after the sailing of the
Etruria, but the detailed news of the
victory of Dewey reached this country
simultaneously with the big Cunarder
The news, therefore, was complete when
1t came to the knowledge of the passen-
nd