The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-04
SHORTWARW7T
Judgment of Best Naval and
Military Authorities.
SPAIN Is NEARLY BANKRUPT.

We Ought to win In Sixty Dsys-The
General slsermsn status-Prepsring For
the Paris Exposition.
WASHINGTON. March 8.-[Special. lit
will be . short war. II war comes between
Spain and the United States, 1t will not
last long. This is the judgment of our
best naval and military authorities. Ihave
been making inquiries on this score, and
almost without exception the men whose
judgment is worthy of respect say they
think the trouble will be over In two or
three months. The chief reason which
they give for this conclusion IL based upon
SPANS financial situation. They point
out that Spain is already well nigh bank
rupt. Her credit Is SO low that 1t Is only
with the greatest difficulty she Is able to
replenish her treasury sufficiently to carry
on the ordinary operations of the govern
ment and the war In Cuba. The moment
Spain goes TO war with the United States
her credit will fall still lower. Her securi-
ties will suffer frightful depreciation. No
matter what the result of the first opera
tions of her navy. In less than 80 days the
holders of her bonds will call halt. They
will demand peace, and the government
will be compelled to listen.
am assured by men who have made a
careful study of this matter that SPANS
great debt is at once her danger and her
safety. This apparently paradoxical state
ment is explained in this way: II she goes
to war with superior power, her bond
holders will have to aid her to money with
which to carry on her operations. They
will be forced to do this in self protection,
for II the war Is to fail at the outset, dis
astrously and humiliatingly, revolution
will be pretty sure to stare the government
in the face. Something will have to be
achieved in the field with which to satisfy
the populace, something that the masses
can boast of and feel good about. Having
once won their applause, the government
may then proceed to do what Is best for
the national safety.
At the End Of Two Months.
Here the bondholders will step In and
demand peace. The great capitalists of
Europe are able to reach every throne.
They are powerful in the councils of ev-
cry cabinet. They have their representa-
tives in every ministry. 1t will not be
necessary for Spain as a government to
bow the suppliant knee to the United
States and ask for the mediation of some
lOTelRu DOWtT. lnc unAlOus
to save the throne of Spain and their own
precious money, will attend to that. With
in 60 d. fter the beginning of war some
foreign liver will doubtless intercede for
Spain. BY that time the United States
should be master of the situation and be
able to treat for peace without danger Of
losing any of the fruits of victory. BY
that time Cuba should be in our posses
sion and forever lost to Spain. If peace is
to be negotiated then, one of it's conditions
necessarily will be that Spain gives up
Cuba and pays the United States great
war indemnity besides.
OF course, all this speculation is based
upon the contingency of war-a contin-
gency which has not yet arisen. But If
war comes it is pretty obvious to our mil
itary strategists that Cuba will fall into
our hands rather easily. For the same
reason they believe the Spanish naval
fleets will concentrate their attention upon
some Atlantic seaport, probably New
York. They will hope to destroy this city
of their own choice before the American
feet can come to the rescue. They would
aim by such victory to fire the heart of
Spain. AS soon as the news of the bonn
bardment of New York or Boston by a
Spanish fleet was received in Spain the
people of that country would go wild with
delight The government at Madrid would
be stronger i'm their affections than ever
before. Reverses might then come without
serious danger to the rule Of the royal fam
lily.
Sentiment In Spain.
The people of Spain, the masses, have
an abiding faith in their ability to whip
the United States. OF course they are ig-
norant people. They know little OF the
great world or of the resources of nations.
But the public men at Madrid and the
educated ruling classes throughout the
peninsula do not think so. They know
better. They fully realize that in the end
the United States must triumph, that
SPANS cause is hopeless. For this reason
they will Le the more eager to plan cam
paign which promises to give them the
prestige of a victory at the outset They
know their own people and their own dan
ger
While the country is talking of war a ia
nous artist, Carl Roll Smith of Chicago, Is
hard at work in his studio near the treas
ury building in this city fashioning a
statue of one of the greatest heroes of the
rebellion, General William Tecumseh Sber-
man. Mr.. Smith is, 1 am glad to say,
though not native American himself,
thoroughly American In his art ideals.
Most of the models submitted in COMPETE
ton for the Sherman statue were from
sculptors who work with the ideals of the
French renaissance uppermost in their
mind. The Sherman they chiselcd was a
Frenchman. He was anything but an
American. But the committee of old sol
diers who had the choice to make for the
Army of the Cumberland knew only one
Sherman-the Sherman they had seen in
the field, the Sherman of the march to the
sea, the actual, living Sherman. No
French face or figure could be worked off
ON them.
Paris Exposition.
Congress Is legislating for the American
display to be made at the Paris interna-
tional exposition i'm 1900. In the appropri-
alton bill ! do not see any provision for
banquets to be given by the American
commissioners, but 1t is fact that ban
quets form one of the largest items of ex-
pense at worlds fair. l am told on COM
petent authority that at the Chicago fair
the official banquets cost not less than ST.