The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-11
COMMENTS BY THE PRESS.

Kansas City Star: It is remarked that
the American loss of officers in the fight
ing around Santiago was very large. but
1t will probably be found that the per-
centage was not greater than the United
States has suffered in every war from the
| first. The tradition of the American army
inherited from enc much oIder-is that
in battle officers shall lead. not follow,
their men, In trent of Santiago general
officers were hit While with the most ad-
vanced line. The American field or line
officer who did not take equal chances
with the men would be ruined in their es-
timation. The brave officers who died on
the field at Santiago or were carried of
mortaEy hurt, but followed the rult of
more than a century.
San Francisco Chronicle: The Span
iards at Manila have found the natives as
treacherous and as cruel as themselves.
They armed and drilled a large number
OF Indians who professed zeal to fight for
their faith, only to see these arms turned
Chinese seeking Christianity, who has an
eye fixed on learning the English Ian
guage. the Manila native has professed
devotion to the prevailing religion merely
as device for getting modern arms. The
only wonder is that the Soaniards. with
their knowledge of native character,
should have been deceived.
ST Louis Globe-Democrat: Secretary
Longs order that Commodore Watson
start for the Spanish coast at once with
his squadron pleases the country. 1t
means business. This will force the Span
iards to come to terms. When the thun-
der of American guns is heard in Cadiz
or some other of SPANS home ports, and
when the American flag is seen flying over
some of those ports defenses, that coun-
try's government will be forced to listen
to reason. In the meantime, Camara' s
expedition can see that its days are num-
bered. In steering between the Scylla
rock of Watsons fleet and the Charybdis
whirlpool of Deweys squadron. the I'M
happy Camara is booked for certain de-
StructiOn..
Pittsburg Dispatch: The anti-Cuban
. :. h-ria, amuiuon. lost
no time in making the entrance of Fan
40 relnIcrcements into Cuba the subject
for an attack upon Genera! G:arc-a. 1t
was reported that Garcia had failed to
obey orders: that he had merely sent
word to General Shafter that he had not
a, sufficient force to stop Escario's col
umn, and that his action had embar
raised General I4awton. who was CO.
operatin with him. all of which asser-
tons appear to have been hasty and I'M
just assumptions. ~,
New York Evening Post: Authentic
accounts from several different sources
appear to leave no doubt that our Cuban
-aii1es at Santiago hare acted like saw
ares. StorieG Of prisoners fired on and
deca9itated, of the dead mutilated, of
quarter refused TO drowning sailors. come
believed. incredible as one would gladly
regard them. Our own officers nave had
to threate? the Cubans with volley to
prevent their friGhtful barbarity. We
hope our Commanders Will go beyond
threats if occasion calls for it, and shoot
down Wild beasts wherever found. Nhe-
Their calling themselves Spanish guerillas
or Cuban patriots.
New York Tribune:i Instead let us have
some batteships OF sufficient speed TO
cone with sGcn u situation as that of
Cervera's TESh when made by better
kept ships than his. Under different con-
ditions he might have turned on our
pluck.- cruisers for their imDudence in
following him. We need ships strong
enough 10 meet anything that can go as
fast as the.- can and we do not own
them now. The chase of the Colon ought
TO bring conviction to the bureau of con-
struction of the folly of building three
new battle ships OF 16-knot speed-slower
than those of other nations slower than
our own Oregon. Texas and Iowa-when
trifling changes in engine room design
wouIu give them is knots speed greater
than that of any American battleship,
though not equal to that of many foreign
ships built in the last five years. 1t is in
conceiva bic that any desire to avoid work
and trouble should make our constructors
still persist in building slow battleships
in face of the possibilities developed by
the Cristobal Colons Steaming so far in
her deSDerate fight