Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-08-15
LONDON TIMES COMMENDS HIS con-
DUCT OF THE WAR.
mo HIGHER CRAFTSMANSHIP"
EFFECT OF THE WAR ON AMERI-
CAN IDEAS AND AIMS.
Times Thinks 1t VIII supply Party
Issues, of Which 1t COnceives Us
to He Sadly in Need-PrOb-
lem of the PHIL
ippines.

LONDON, Aug. 15.-The Times thhs
morning comments editorially upon the
generous universal recognition OF the part
which President Mckinley has played
throughout the war between the United
States and Spain, and says:
IF foreign observers might presume 10
have an opinion upon his conduct, 1t Wouio
probably be that President Mckinley mas
kept his finger constantly upon the national
pulse and has known how to stimulate ana
direct national thought without TOO
markedly outrunning its movement.
Everything has been done in the open.
Every move has been discussed as possi-
bility all over the United States before
the government was irrevocably committed
one way or the other. and the result OF the
cautious, tentative policy is that where he
stands at this moment the president has
the whole American people at his back.
I'VE do not know that there can be any
higher craftsmanship for a president gov
erning under the constitution Of the United
States.
1T is noteworthy that, while the Span
iards, who are usually regarded as chiVal-
rous, romantic and medieval, have turned
first to the financial aspect Of the SITUATION,
the Americans, who are usually supposed 10
be intensely practical, have as yet haroiy
given a thought to the financial or eco
nomic side of the question. What occu-
| pies the American people at this moment
| is not the cost of the war, the value Oh
| their acquisitions or the balance OF the
profit and loss account. but the moral
| result Of the struggle and the nature OF
| the ideas which it stimulates.
| whether Bryanism Is dead or only Sleep
| ing, whether the smaller issues OF party
warfare are superseded by large and
worthy conceptions of national policy or
| only thrown for the time into the back
| ground, there can be no doubt that the war
| has had and will have a profound effect
! upon American ideas and aims. Not only
| has 1t renovated the idea Of national unity,
| impaired by the great civil struggle, but it
has supplied that sense Of contact with ex-
ternal forces which is probably one of the
most potent influences In favor of main
| tanning the national spirit.
| THE Antilles themselves introduce a
| novel element into American life and open
up questions upon which parties may diff
fer greatly and worthily. This in itself is
a gain, and one which was more or less
conscientiously sought when the war was
| undertaken. The perilouS unrest spoken OF
by the New York Times was a real ma
tional evil, which sprang directly, SO fal
as foreigners can judge, from the disap'
That unrest, We may assume, has vanished
and been replaced by new anxieties OF
solicitudes which may become acute bu
are very unlikely to become morbid.
Beyond the Antilles lies a more Difficult
questionable Philippines-and that Ques
ton does not end with the Philippine
| themselves These islands may be takel
Just now as a symbol of American awaken
ing, and of the entry Of the republic upon
new career which. Philippines or no Phil
ippines. she is henceforth bound to FOL
low
The Times, this morning, in specia
article reviewing the operations OF IN
! Hispano-American war. says:
1.-The fact that the war was brought t
, such a speedy end was due primarily t
the single cause of Spain's naval collapse
, The vigor shown by the American nara
| authorities and the high quality Of tn
, naval officers-qualities inherited from tn
mother country-sufficed to counteract tn
effects of Americas unreadiness. Tn
, manner in which a large number of war
ships and auxiliary vessels were rapidl
,, equipped and manned. together with tn
conspicuous ability with which the grea
naval force. largely extemporized. was SUI
: piled and handled. Is extremely significant
) 1T is impossible to speak in the sam
|
: of the failure of the war department
rise to the emergency are not yet full
. known. 1t will be interesting to see whetf
er the American people will demand an ii
vestigation. Before Santiago, as befoI
sebastopol, in the Crimean campaign. vi
necessary sufferings and nardships WEI
inflicted upon the troops. and in both case
s disaster was averted by the gallantry I
i the officers and men.
e while 1t is clear that the command {
r the sea is more than ever important, nav
Y bombardments of coast defenses are lie!
effective than they were in Nelson's day
5 That they were recently attempted on
q considerable scale is probably due to II
n desire to give American seamen and gul
= ners practice rather than to any specf
prediction on the part of american nav
t officers"