The times., 1898-09-10

pecially If she should allow the United
States to possess themselves of the
Philippines. Before the Americans
left Hong Kong they enlisted English
gunners, deserters. This explains the ac-
curacy of the American. rre during the
action at Cavite. Their guns We're served
by bluejackets (sic) Every deserter was
paid $500 a month, an admirals salary.
'.The directing hand of Consul Williams
appears in all American doings in these
Chinese seas. He directed everything. To
him statues are due. An honor done to
him honors the American navy, for Con-
sui Williams IS an eX-naval officer. Con-
sui Williams, though an American, is the
type Of that dangerous but valuable tool
an English consul" Lieut.. X here tells
how he asked his servant, an able Breton
seaman, wnat his fellows of the Bruix
crew thought of the war The answer
was: "The men, sir. think that the
Americans are treacherous and the Span
iards not much better
On May II he said: Manila is the key
of the extreme East. The island of Lu-
zon is the geometrical center of all those
points on the globe whose possession is
the most important to those powers who
have interests TO protect in the Pacific.
Taking Manila as center, a circle whose
radius Is five days ordinary steaming
ter lanes and all the lines of communica-
ton between Europe and the extreme
East and Australia and America"
This is an extract from the diary of
May IS:
1.-The necessity for naval force in
creases with the economic riches of any
nation. Naval war is decisive war when
waged by a rich nation. When Rome de-
cided 10 conquer the world she took to
he
supremacy is now a naval problem.
These people (the Americans)
blow their own trumpet. In what does
this bluster differ from that of the Span
iards? Only that for the moment the
latter are the under dog"
On May 20 the lieutenants moral sensi-
bilities were hurt. He wrote: ''The
Americans will put an end to their mac
ton, now that Aguinaldo has come
l suspect the Americans of
planning a sort of evangelical stroke at
Manila, like that of the English in Egypt:
they will let the insurgents do the work
and give them the means; will help them
to take Manila, perhaps permit them to
plunder the city for three or four days;
then as soon as their own soldiers have
come disembark them under pretense of
establishing order, take possession of the
city in the name of Christian morality
and remain there until driven out; that is
TO say, forever"
On May q he wrote: "All the French
and German officers are of one mind, I
think: 1t is impossible for us to allow
the English and Americans to make a
football of the Philippines. The
English are losing their cool political
heads. Any European nation which will
aid the Americans is guilty of unpardona-
bic folly"
May 23.-"Europe is so blind that she
cannot see that if England and America
unite to dominate the eastern and west
ern shores of the Pacific there will be
no room for other nationaities. The lat
ter must submit. For this reason the pos
Germs the Anglo-Saxon. England is will
ing that the United States should occupy
them, If she cannot do so herself, and so
long as other nations are excluded
May A.-This days entry in the lieu
tenants diary is headed in English, "a
convocation of political worms What
are the English, Germans japanese, and
ourselves doing here?" he says. I'VE are
watching fate; we have come to make
certain that he whom we are abandoning
is not able to defend himself and cannot
suddenly come to life again. How child
ish to imagine that the powers have sent
their vessels here to enforce respect for
international rights, their flags. or even
the rights of Europei The pow
ers know that there can be but one end
to this struggle. Their jealousy their
distrust of one another, have given a
clear course to the United States. On
that day which daWns upon Spain's ire
parable disaster all these ships will go
to sea and leave his prey to the victor
The lieutenant's journal ends on May
q, under the heading: "a last word
about the action at Cavite. The facts"
After belittling the land defenses, he
says: "On board the Baltimore was the
American Consul Williams well informed
on every point which Commodore Dewey
ought to know The only new thing in
the Frenchman's story is that while the
American feet was drawing off and pip
ing to breakfast, he asserts that seven
Spanish vessels lay close to the arsenal
behind Cavite Point. Their officers went
ashore and to breakfast, where they were
notified that the Americans were bearing
down upon them. Seeing the futility of
resistance, the sea cocks of these seven
vessels were opened and the ships thus
sunk The officers and crews escaped to
the shore. The American SQUAD
ron, in three hours, destroyed the Span
ish squadron at anchor. The Spaniards
accepted battle, or, rather, allowed them
selves to be caught in trap contrary to
all rules of naval warfare. Never has
greater carelessness been shown before
an engagement, nor less skill exhibited
during one. Their guns were bad, their
shooting worse. 1t was unpardon-
able TO be vanquished after such fashion.
The Americans did what they had to do.
and which was easy to do, quickly and
well; they showed talent in doing that.
They struck when action was necessary.
and there is much in that