The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-28


served our country with brain and pen
as we'll as with the sword. Many OF
our presidents have been elected to- the
White House on account of their mill
tary records. Washington and Taylor
and Jackson and William Fl. Harrison
and Grant and Hayes and Garfield are
among the number. But the American
soldier rarely has the opportunity to
study statecraft as has the sailor. 1t
was only comparatively a few years
ago that foreign lands were brought
into cable touch with our national cap
ital. Thus every naval ship which
touched a foreign port not only had to
have a captain who could sail the seas.
but also a naval diplomat, who. indie
pendent Of the home government had
to decide many questions which.
wrongly decided, might involve his
country in bloody international strife
We all honor Admiral Dewey for bis
memorable victory in Manila harboF.
It Is easy enough now for deprecating
critics to declare that he merely sank
a few old rotten hulks, armed for the
most part with antiquated guns. But
when Dewey went into that harbor he
went with a heart as brave and fear
less as that of Farragut when he sailed
into Mobile bay. AS far as the Amer
leans knew those waters were mined
with torpedoes. Those forts guarding
the outlets were supposed to be impas
sable. The Spanish admirars feet, on
paper, was a powerful fiotilla Of death.
Only a Spaniard could have any con-
ception of how corrupt the Spanish
navy had become. Only a Spaniard,
who was a tyrant in Cuba, Porto Rico
and the Philippines, could suspect that
Spain's own naval officers would fill
their torpedoes with sand and pocket
the money which ought to have pur-
chased powder and would thus leave
their war ships absolutely defenseless.
because the funds which were voted to
the Spanish navy had been stolen.
UphoIding the Flag.
Our national Indebtedness to our ma
w is not confined to its proves in
| battle. We owe much to the tact and
craftsmanship of our naval command
| ers. They have not only to uphold the
honor of our flag in distant seas, but to
| display the courtesy and consideration
| to the navies of other nations which
are necessary to the maintenance of
| friendly rela tons. 1t would have been
| possible for Admiral Dewey by an in
| discreet act while he lay in Manila bay
| to have involved us in an international
| quarrel Thousands of miles away
from home, there he lay, surrounded
| by the cannon of foreign ships. By
| one false move he could have made
Germany an enemy and involved us in
war with Emperor William. Had he
been careless there might have ensued
a scramble on the part of other nations
| to gain possession Of some Of the Phil
| ippine Islands for themselves. There
was similar danger in the Hawaiian
difficulty. During all the negotiations
| over the Hawaiian Islands there lay
| the American war ship Philadelphia,
by careful diplomacy compelling the
foreign governments to keep their
hands off, until at last the American
flag few from above the ex-queen's
| throne room. What honor is too great
for the memory of Commodore Mat
/ thew G. Perry, who in March, 1852, ne
j gotiated the famous treaty with Japan
which for the first time opened the
ports Of the mikado to the ships from
! other lands? Incident after incident
could be cited where the American
sailor has won imperishable laurels in
preventing war rather than in winning
prizes after war has been started.
/ Our American navy has defied the
severity of the elements as well as the
1 storm of shot and shell. / am not
now speaking of the hurricanes which
blow over the Atlantic or the Pacific.
i have in mind the frigid terrors of the
far north, which Captain D. L. Braine
/ defied when ne tried to find the arctic
! pole in 1873, and Lieutenant Com
i mander George Washington De Long
defied when he led the fatal Jeanette
. expedition in 1879. All, those were
brave men, yet no Drawer than General
Greedy and Rear Admiral Melville and
the many gallant fellows who went
after the De Long party, and faced icy
dangers to bring back the survivors
and the frozen bodies of the dead. They
were no drawer men than Lieutenant
| Peary, who has again and again tried
to reach the north pole. On returning
home from his latest journey he had
to have part Of his feet amputated
because they had been frozen among
the northern SHOWS. In spite Of all
the past dangers and sufferings. he Is
again chatting and fretting to go back
to hts old search. .e5
For National Safety.
. Does any one say that ell this sacri
ice Of heroic naval lives to the northern
elements Is useless sacrifice? / dc
not think so. As young boy I saw
the long procession Of hearses that car
ried many Of the dead of the III fated
De Long expedition out to their las
resting place. heard the sad story
told by surviving lieutenant, who aft
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