The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-26
For sale at H. H. LIvINGsToNs.

I
| and electricity. In like measure when the
| Nicaraguan canal is built even our Attain
| tic seaports Will be as near to the East
| Indies and China as the English and Ger
man ports were brought by the Suez canaf,
and will be six to ten days nearer 90 the
| Pacific coast of South America than the
ports of any European nation.
In the past century the better part of
continent suficed US. The increase of pop
ulation from natural causes, aided largely
| by immigration, furnished home markets
| for the products of fields and factories.
When nation exports in one year. as
we did in 1895, products valued at thirteen
hundred million dollars (of which three
| hundred millions was in excess of its inn
ports) no pent up Utica can bound its
view"
| The American people regret that cir
cumstances have forced them to control
| alien races, They want no colonies. They
| have no desire 10 mix in international poll
tics or quarrels. They want to be let alone
to mind their own business. But their bus
mess has grown so big that it is filing the
world, and from time to time it jostles the
| business of other peoples.
When there were few railroads and
| freights were high, farmers in the prairie
| states burned their corn for fuel. Would
| the people of the United States be content
| to destoy any of their surplus for the lack
of outlets? Are they willing 10 be shut out
| from any of the markets of the world be-
| cause other nations covet them? The strug-
| gle for the rewards of commerce has been
| constant ever since Jason led the Argo-
nauts in the voyage to recover the golden
| fleece. Competition Is the life of commerce
| as we'll as of trade, but the great powers
| of the world want monopolies, are jealous
of rivals and trample upon those who can
not or will not protect their rights
To an extent Americans recognize this
and are unanimous as to an increased navy
| but, trusting to their ocean bounded home
| like the CampbelFs, amidst the crags of Ar
gyle they say, '"Tis far cry to Loeb
| ow."
| Modern wars are short because the better
| prepared nation brushes the unprepared
| even If in numbers there is little difference
| An English officer of great experience said,
| in reference to the Russian Emperor's pro-
| posal for a general disarmament of Euro
pean nations, lit is practicable but what
would unarmed civilization do against
armed barbarism? We must consider what
| would our unarmed civilization do against
the armed civilization of other nations?
It is generally believed that some Euro
| pean nations wanted to check us in our
dealing with Spain. This was jealousy in
| the abstract When jealousy springs from
| a conflict of material interests it will only
|
definite and determined efforts to thwart
| ES.
Policemen are for the protection of life
| and property. The navy Is our sea police
on land the army.
| There are, / believe, about 100 police
| men guarding Savannah to-day. 1 can re-
member when Francis Stone, the city
| marshal was the only day policeman and
the night watchmen were laborers who
worked hard at their daily toll and slum-
bered peacefully upon their beats at night
| A proposal to pay 100 men to devote them
selves day and night to guarding the city
would have shocked a conservative citi-
| zen of Savannah forty or fifty years ago
Arguments based upon the cost of an
army will not control the nation. The real
| obstacle is the dread of standing army
| as possible instrument for subverting lib
| erty.
Washington could, and Grant might have
enthroned themselves through the influ-
ence of their comrades in arms. Granting
| them the full merit of seif-abnegation,
they must also be credited with the sound
common sense and knowledge of their
countrymen, which told them that Amer
| leans were able and intended to rule
themselves.
To maintain that ability and, as an off
| set to a standing army the remedy Is to
which the constitution says sis essential
to the safety and welfare of the com
munity."
The volunteers (the only organized mill
| tia) have, in the past, suppressed riots,
but have not always put down Insured
tons, and could not have successfully re-
| sisted an Invasion of soldiers equipped
with modern arms and ammunition and
| trained to respond, almost automatically,
l - ~k~ ka.o
| tics.
Our state rights principles make US jeal-
GUS of federal control. and yet most of
| the states have left to the central gov
eminent the arming and equipping of their
| state troops Undoubtedly this will con-
| tinue.
The United States government can man
ufacture arms and equipments better and
more economically than each state. The
amount distributed annually &C
cording to population, ought to
he greatly increased, but the distributions,
| whether large or small, should be on con-
| dition that each state that receives them
must adopt certain general rules for the
| organization and management of its
troops and must appropriate funds for an
| struction (either in camp or otherwise) Of
a certain percentage of its voting popula-
| ton.
create militia in which the members
will not have to spend their own money
Cor the privilege of serving the state, but
| will. while In service, be supported by the
| state so literally that it will not be pc
| cuniary sacrifice for laboring man to be
a militia man. Foster the service and en-
courage such-an esprit de corps that every
| citizen. rich or poor, will feel it a privilege
to be one of the enrolled defenders of his
| state.
While each OF the forty odd governors
of the states controls his own troops Il
will be all the more difficult for a Presi-
| dent or an officer of a standing army to
make himself military dictator.
It Is not necessary that these troops
should enlist for service out of their own
state. They should understand that there
win be no more legal right 70 take the n
for foreign service than attaches to every
citizens of military age, with or without
enlistment. They are enlisted ito sup
press riots or instructions and repel in
vasion," but while training them for such
service, they should, so far as possible
he fitted for any service.