The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-16
THE SUMTER ANNIVERSARY.

THE SUMTER ANNIVERSARY.
Wednesday, April 18th, was the IF
tieth anniversary of the firing on Fort
Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South
Carolina Roger A. Pryor Of New York
is named in the dispatch which calls
attention TO this anniversary, as the
sole survivor of either force engaged
in that historic event And what an
event it was! The echo of that firing
went through the nation from center
to border. 1t aroused the manhood of
the North as nothing else could pos
sibly have done. 1t was wanton,
treacherous assault upon the National
flag 1t needed but that to arouse the
loyalty Of the North and to place the
masses of the people in unyielding de
fence against the assault upon the Ma
tion s life. and in enthusiastic support
of the administration which was pre-
pairing to preserve the Union.
Ii is true that even then the masses
O. the people could not be brought to
believe that the event was anything
more than a local uprising, which would
presently be put down For, during
considerable time after that event, the
statesmen Of the North. led by Will
liam II. Seward. Secretary of State in
the Lincoln administration, thought it
would be a matter of but sixty or
ninety days 10 put down all opposition
to the National authority. The enthu-
siasm Of the young men made enlist
ments easy under the first call for 75.-
600 troops. 1t was generally supposed.
and this supposition was strengthened
by the attitude of Secretary Seward and
others. that the force thus called for
would he ample to denl with the upris-
ing But the awakening from this de-
fusion was startling and rude. The
battle Of Bull Run was notice TO all the
loyal people in the country that a big
ments and the formation of huge ar
mics began in earnest. The war fever
lasted as long rs the war itself. and
eliminated in the triumphant day at
ADpomattox, almost to n day four years
after the firing on Fort Sumter. 1t
was four years of strenuous effort, of
fierce fighting, of profuse shedding of
blood. 1T cost at least four times rs
many lives rs there was any need of
it costing. because the Government was
not prepared for war, Just as it has
never been prepared for war since, and
is not prepared today. The raw levies
went in ignorant, unframed, under of.
6cers of their own choice alike ignor-
ant and unframed. The changed mode
of life, the want of care. the lack of
knowledge Of how to make the best of
circumstances and conditions, the
change of diet. the exposed life in the
with the lives and the health Of the
men who were eager 10 offer their lives
on the altar of their country. They
died Off by the thousands and the tens
of thousands The health Of men by
the scores of thousands was ruined, for
the most part needlessly and wantonly.
Vainglory took the place of knowledge,
and careless presumption the place that
intelligent and protective care of the
men should have done.
It was time of streuuosity indeed;
and vet the unpreparedncss Of the coun-
try was to blame for very much of the
calamities The lives of the men were
sacrificed beyond all reason. and the
cost of the war. because of the un-
scientific financial management. was at
least double what IL ought TO have been.
But this country never wakes up until
it is too late, preferring to squander
lives by the thousands or ten thou
sands. rather than have any military
training or any sufficient military nu-
cleus upon which the defenders of the
Nag NAV rally nj need. II refuses to
have scientific financial and currency
policy. whereby hundreds of millions
of dollars might be saved, choosing
rather TO go on with the waste OF
money as 1t prefers 10 go on, and see
the waste of life and of money.
it was a heroic time four years after
the firing ON Sumter but IL was n time
of trial ard doubt also, enough to shake
the faith of men in the possibility OF
success under such adverse conditions
The Nation weathered the storm. how
ever; but it came out enfeebled, and
with debt which still is burden upon
MS. The practical philosophy of the
day would indicate that we ought TO
provide means TO avoid Il repetition of
such shocking and needless waste of
life and of money. But it is vain to
hope il, for as every crisis comes. we
see the same old unpreparedness, the
same shocking waste of life. the same
needless squandering of money. The
lesson of preparedness is one which it
appears the American public absolute
ly refuses TO learn.