The times., 1898-06-02
Are We ut War.

With much regret and after a good
deal of hesitation, The Times is re-
luctantly compelled to suggest to the
Administration that it is in danger Of
turning what was inaugurated as a
war for civilization and humanity into
a military spectacle of a kind seldom
witnessed otherwhere than on tie opera
bouffe stage. With one notable excep-
ton its mad course for six weeks has
been less serious than the unsuccess-
fuI enterprise of an enterpTising pyro-
technist, who essayed to reproduce the
battle Of Manila in a baseball park.
All this time our squadrons have been
safely anchored in American ports. Sc
renely sailing around the seas, or oc-
cas.onally throwing a few shells at
some towering Spanish fortress in OBJ
dience to an order from Washington 10
discover its existence. Throughout the
course of this sad. eventIess history
but one man has done anything. and
he, perhaps, only because he was at the
antipodes. and had the common sense
to cut his communications behind him.
But for Admiral Dewey this cruel
one other thing. There is a story which
informs Us that upon time, a powerful
robber baron seized an un;nhabited ISL
and and established a kingdom, invit-
! ing immigrants. The first who came
he made peers. the next batch were
recognized as gentry, and those who
followed became the masses. The SOW
ereign appointed his officers Of state,
and one of them was named treasurer
At once he addressed the throne and
desired permission to go out and tax
the common people. Nay" said the
king, leave them alone for awhile. We
are flush for the present. Not so,
SIRE" replied the minister of finance;
If you do not tax them, they will never
know that you are a government"
In the same neat but expensive way
the American masses are made to real
ize that we are at war. because they
can see and feel that We are spending
about three million dollars a day No
body would care for that, if there were
results halfway commensurate From
the start TO the present time there has
been but one, which we have referred
to. Is it because we. have but a single
Dewey that we have had but one actual
engagement? How is it?
Yesterday all the world was agog
with excitement over an alleged bonn
bardment of Santiago by Commodore
Schley, assisted by the full strength
of the War Board, orchestra and chorus
girls! It is to be suspected that the as
sault was a practically peaceful one
ike the peanut Smelling of San Juan
| There was cannonading, to be sure. but
We doubt if it hurt anything. Probably
it was not intended to, but for other
and more courteous purposes. we
know, for instance, that Gen. Miles, af-
ter paying farewell visits to all Of The
photograph galleries, burst like a sun
god upon an astonished special train.
and swept magnificentiy toward the
| Summer sea at Tampa, there to tell
| Gen Shafter how to whip Span ards.
Learning of this by cable to Kingston,
and thence by dispatch boat. Schley
| fired the salute which was heard at
Cape Haitien, Port au Prince. Turtle
Island, Port au Paix and all the other
| places where plants have been estab,
lished to manufacture naval battles for
the American market
Cervera Will get tired Of this sort
of thing after awhile. We are certain
that we arei
Hawaii and the Tories.