BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-01-29

shilOfb III Al Oflentbi port, nODOuy IN tnlb
city has been able to get up thrill even
of curiosity as to whether the incident
might lead to International hostilities. But
then it is fact that when "war scare"
starts on its travels in the United States,
the quisteat spot In the whole country is
generally the seat OF government, where
the lines Of alarm might be expected to
focus. The reason is not far to seek.
Washington is the place Of manufacture Of
most war scares, and the people here are
too familiar with the way they arise to be
at all disquieted, unless there ia some &C.
tual cause. In the last twenty years there
have been six Of these sentimental convul.
sons. The first was over the Behring Sea
question, when England seemed disposed 10
insist upon certain rights which the seal.
fishery people in the United States disput-
ed. The second was the affair with Chill,
growing out OF sailors fight in the streets
OF Valparaiso. The third was strain upon
our relations with Italy over the familiar
incident Of the lynching Of some expatriat.
ed lszzsrori. The fourth was the Venezue.
la boundary episode. The fifth was the
Cuban Intervention. The sixth would have
been, IL the scare had had time to get
started before being rndely snuffed out, the
threatened break with Germany over the
Monros Doctrine.
OF these, only one had any really sound
basis--the stir which preceded the war Of
1893. It had long been plain to all who
took the trouble to read the signs Of the
times that set-to with Spain could hardly
be avoided unless the earth should open
and Cuba be suddenly swallowed up. for
that island was ceaseless menace to our
peace. The next in order Of sanity was the
Venezuela case. There, however. the weak
point lay in the assumption that Great Brit.
ain had any desire for quarrel with this
country, to the point Of shedding blood.
The scare had fuller and better fe while
Mr. Cleveland's message was sill only
vaguely foreshadowe than after it came,
accompanied by all the correspondence fol
the latter, read between the lines, shower
that Lord Salisbury had no more iiea Of
going to war than he had Of Jumping OF ths
dome Of st Paul's. His contribution to the
literature OF the controversy was almost
|sxasperatipg IN ita atlnvspisvro Of righteDsis
forbearance, as Il bic Government we're 30
c.ck.sure Of its ground that 10 could afford
|t) cit by with folded hands and watcn our
fireworks as long as sCe cared 10 keep up the
exhibition. Nevertheless, as scare IL
amounted TO good dsal, and there was Q
terrible slump in stocks as q consequence OF
II; though this was feature which, under
the market conditions OF that day, was not
10 significant as IL might have been, and its
share 10 the general decentralization was
chiefly spectacular.
Nobody who know anything OF interna-
tIonsl relations had an idea that the Italian
imbroglio scou!d 20 further than . brief
suspension of diplomatic intercourse this
Is Q very different thing from war. The
Chlian matter was everywhere suspected
Of being bit Of 'grand stand" playing on
the part Of bo:h 3overpm ,nts, with no no
iion OF real clash of arms on either side.
Tie Behnrg Sea controversy took sueh
form as to render war practically impossible.
Most VI the war scares start 90 tho work
Of inexperienced newspaper writers. Thsrs
used 10 be notion that place 81 tAs had
ofa Warrington bureau was one Il the pr
ses of journalism, 10 be won only By q rather
long and arluous apprenticeship A man
had % male . study Of the work on the sp,t,
where be learned perspective am,ng other
things. The habit Of transferring . loeal
reporter irom selns etksr city 10 The capital
sad setting aim up ss . fsaiy made wash
ingtoa correspondent has srspt In daring
tho last dexsn sr a'tssn year; sad ths war
seaEss and similar Disturbances mag usually
be traced 70 . lsck ef seqaainranes wifh Ne
asIl % TIE part II thsir aa,hors fhe iIs4
a irlib~Fsfr had isith IN st4rfing snsk sio-
ries dses ipiazsiss - masf 81 Ne m-s ~hel
k&Rs axured a ssaTewFifefA "A n@w nsdx
81 saFF~spnadsal eftsn sxel.lmf a sael
amanns u Aaa mAAsrsal sAssA tAa ED. ssa-
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sxnsFsna<4 Il a. ea@ smRxszzss - uxm
|sssen. ed $40 H. - eAssS ed wmws he
aa4a tssk ket sea.lsn "a ~ scssT wosk.
~ ss~z - - ~ - A.epr. 500
A. - So $50 lcH u&3AN NonA 4 .
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