New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-20
RESULTS OF THE WAR.
Sn.rN FORCED TO EXTREMITIEs IN LESS
THAN TWO MONTHS.
s.poRrANr DEVELOPMENTS IN AMERICAN MA
TIONAL POLICY-ACHIEvEMENTS OF
THE ARMY AND NAVY
fsY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. J


THE ARMY AND NAVY.
rBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rnIBvSE.l
Washington June 19-After less than two
,r.hs OF actual war Spain's resources are al
.os, exhausted and she is forced TO extremities
=, order TO continue her desperate resistance to
a.. Inevitable while the United States, after de-
,,ovine more than three fourths of the enemy's
.vv and cutting off all those colonies which
,,a Standards have found lucrative In the
,ost are rapidly entering upon a career which
,,ys, place this country fairly in the van Of the
r-sa,est nations in political influence and COM
rs-c!al supremacy. The rapid development Of
,,a war from mere intervention upon humane
r-ounds for the liberation OF Cuba has already
coached large proportions through the unfore
coon responsibilities made necessary by Admiral
Davev's brilliant achievement in the Far East.
,andering perhaps imperative the permanent
maintenance Of American guardianship over the
philippine group, which In the opinion Of the
,rses, statesmen in Washington cOmpels the i'm
mediate ACQUISITION Of Hawaii and the prompt
Undertaking OF the construction of an isthmian
ship canal
The false pride Of Spain's ruling politicians.
who have resented mediation having for its OBJ
,ect the rescue OF the ill-governed Peninsula
itself from ruin. promises to force the United
States to incur the additional expense Of oc-
cupying Porto Rico and perhaps selling the
Canaries to compel the acceptance by the van
ou,shed Of any terms of peace. The premedi-
,ated and most foul assassination Of the Names
men at Havana on the night of February II has
been fully avenged and the humiliation Of Spain
accomplished in a degree that has exceeded the
most sanguine expectations OF men who were
considered the most ultra Jingoes three months
ego.
Perhaps the most remarkable development Of
the brief duration Of war operations is shown
IN the attitude OF the solid commercial interests.
The almost proverbial fiction OF the cow@rdly
business man." which for years has been by
word in Congress has been effectually demol-
ished and it is this class. constituting the bone
and slnew Of the Nation. which is to-day most
efectually supporting those features Of the mill
tary campaign promising the greatest extension
OF markets for American products and the
widest trade relations. The men who pay the
bills Of war have apparently awakened 10 the
necessities Of profting by their investment, and
business m.n who. before they realized the tre-
mendous Importance Of 2. yeys victory were
the least progressive Ame- cans. violently OPP
posed TO the maintenance + armies and navics.
have suddenly come 10 a full realization Of the
dictum that trade folio, the fae. and that
the United States with Its 1yeTproduction, can
not afford TO surrender the commerce of the
world to few foreign countries. These are the
interests which have enabled the Government
10 foat a 100000 600 per cent loan without
sending abroad for a single penny and without
undergoing the modification OF dickering with
foreign syndicates In fact. more significant
object-lesson of the progress Of the war can he
found than in the steady decline OF Spanish
securities 10 the bankruptcy limit and he strong
contrasting premium nseparable from Amer-
can papef.
The BURDEN ON THE NAVY.
From the proclamation Of Cuban blockade.
April % until to-day the active prosecution OF
the war has devolved altogether upon the Navy.
and every blow that has Inundated Spain and
crippled her forces has been struck by vessels
Of that splendid force which was sound ready for
action al the first signal Of hostilites. Until to-
day. when the first troops Of the Army VIII
possibly be landed simultaneously in the Island
Of Luzon and in the province OF Santiago. the
military service has taken no aggressive part.
account Of the necessities for radical and
thorough preparation. the delay demonstrating
the grave dangers OF unpreparedness which have
menaced the country for nearly three decades
through the persistent parsimonious policy OF
maintaining q, Insignificant standing force In
fanced security from hostile attack
Within ten days OF the delivery Of Minister
Woodford's passports al Madrid, Admiral Dewey,
forced from every Asiatic port by the strict
oonventonalit.es OF neutrality. completely de-
stroyed SPANS power In the Pacific in single
fierce fight and seized the citadel Of Cavite and
the other land fortihcations Of Manila Bay
without injury 10 any vessel OF his Meet. only
eight Of his men receiving slight wounds. "hlle
the Spanish killed far outnumbered the officially
reported loss OF three hundred. On all the splen-
did cruisers Of his squadron there was not an
inch OF armor except the four-inch turret Of his
flagship The Spanish feet was composed OF
confessedly weaker vessels but they had the
telling advantages OF selected position and the
support Of formidable shore batteries. which
changed the odds to more than two to one
agains, the American force. However, within a
few hours the last vestige of Spanish sover-
eighty in the Pacific Ocean was confined TO
refuge In the heart Of the city Of Manila. whence
It was not evicted because the American Admiral
did not possess sufficient spare forces 70 govern
the municipality nor hold 1t, had he the span
ish bluntness OF brutality to lombard II.
Scarcely ten days after this achievement ana
its convincing demonstration Of me supremacy
O. American men and guns. the heroic COM
mander received the thanks Of Congress ana was
promoted 10 the highest existing rank IN the
Navy On the same day the President decided 10
send an army corps to hold the prize Dewey had
taken and announced the selection as cominanaef
Of the military expedition Of Major-Generai Mer-
nit, next to the highest officer In the military
Establishment At first II was thought that on"
men wou be sufficient for this purpose Du'
already GOO are In transports hurrying across
the Pacific. and 1900 are ordered to follow
half OF them departing from San Francisco next
week
ITS MEANING NOT REALIZED