The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-13
WHAT WAR Will COST
A Hundred Millions Sufficient to
Defeat Spain.
HER NAVY IN POOR CONDITION.

MOST III the flgntink VIII De Done Dy
Navy and Regular Army Expense OF
Msufia Would he Borne by the Various
states-weakness of the Spanish Navy.
WASHINGTON. April 13. - Especial l.
Statements have been made in the news
papers to the effect that a war with Spain
Is likely to cost the United States S1,000,-
00C,00 This is regarded as absurd by
well informed officials with whom / have
talked on this phase of the war subject.
Among the members of the ways and
means committee of the house who have
been consulted by the secretary of the
treasury as to raising funds for war ex-
penses no such sums have been heard of
from any quarter. The general expecta-
tion Is that the war with Spain will not
only be a short war, but that 1t will not
take great deal of money out of the fed
eral treasury. A hundred millions Is be-
lieved by many to be sum sufficient to
cover the whole cost, beyond the regular
expenses of the war and navy establish
ments.
eve have been informed" said mem.
Der of the ways and means committee to
me, THAT $100, 100000 will be sufficient
to carry the war on for a year. 1t must be
remembered that most of the fighting
will be done by the army and navy which
are already ready for the field. Their ex-
penses during war would not be much
greater than they have been in times of
peace. OF course they would need more
ammunition, and their supplies of coal
and other materials would have to be en-
larged, but these would not run up to
vast sums. AS for the army, its cost
would not be much greater in time of
war than in normal times, except for the
matter of ammunition and transportation.
If 1t should become necessary to order out
the militia, the various states propose to
bear their own expenses, save that of
transportation. They will pay their troops,
equip them and bear great deal Of the
expense that would otherwise fall upon
the federal government"
Weakness of Spanish Navy.
That the Spanish are unable to carry on
resistance against the United States for
any great length of time is firmly believed
by every man in Washington who has good
opportunities for forming an opinion in
such matters. There are current here
statements apparently well founded to the
effect that the Spanish navy is in bad con-
dition. 1t lacks good boilers, many of it's
marine engines are not in the best of trim,
skilled machinists are so scarce in the
Spanish navy that it has been found neces-
sary TO hire French mechanics, the coal
supplies of Spain on this side the Atlantic
are woefully deficient, and back of it all
is the fact that Spain is troubled for ready
cash with which to carry on her opera
tions.
The Spanish navy at its best, even II
every ship in commission were in first
class fighting trim, is not a match for tho
navy of the United States, according TO
the Judgment of our experts. At first
Spain might gain little advantage
through her possession of the fleet and
strongly armored cruisers of the ViZcaya
type, which are really swift battleships,
but the period of their effective operations
must necessarily be short on account of
lack of good base of operations. Perfect
organization, number of ships capable of
effective handling, ample supplies of coal,
skilled machinists, proximity to bases of
operations, the higher intelligence and
morale of the American navy over those of
the SpaniaIds, would all count very soon,
and it seems to be beyond the pale of rea
son to suppose that Spain could overthrow
the United States on the sea.
Plan of Campaign.
Unless Spain could inflict a severe blow
upon the United States at the very outset
the naval men here figure out that we
should be able to invest Cuba with our
fleets, to establish an actual blockade of
such ports as Havana, .NIatanzas, Santiago
de Cuba, Cienfuegos, etc., and by prevent
ing food supplies going into the Cuban
cities starve out the Spanish army in the
island. Almost every military expert i'm
Washington will say that If our fleets are
strong enough to beat back the Spanish
squadrons the task of capturing Cuba will
be an easy one A blockade will do it al
most without the aid of our troops landed
in Cuba, for without new supplies of pro-
visions the capital of Havana and all the
leading cities would soon DO in dreadful
plight
What will become of the poor reconcen-
trados II matters are pushed as far as this
is thing which people in Washington
charged with responsibility do not like to
think of. Probably many thousands of
them, already suffering for the necessities
of life, would starve before peace could be
declared. One reason why President Mo
Kinley was last week so loath to let slip
the dogs of war was because he had been
concentrates in case war between Spain
and the United States were added to their
other woes. Louis Klopsch, who has done
such good work in feeding the starving
victims of SPANS cruelty, told the presi-
dent that II war were to come $50, 900 Of
these unfortunate people would perish.
The Feeling In Spain.
The prevailing idea in Washington dur
ing the past week has been that there ex-
listed In Spain public sentiment akin to
that which exists here-a determination
on the part of the people to destroy any
government that stood In the way of tho
popular will. In Spain the people demand
cd that Cuba should not be given up with
out struggle, while in the United States
they demanded that Cuba must be free.
The government of Spain, IL was believed,
would be as powerless to check this senti-
ment and as unable to stand before it as
the government at Washington has boon
to control public sentiment In this coun-
try. Could both governments do as they
please no doubt way out OF the difficulty
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