The Nome daily nugget., 1914-03-18

1 ct mmand of the continental army mn, thrown him into jail on bread anc water and sent his generals and col oEeIs and captans to the stone pile tn Boston and had the fire department | or Cambridge turned the hose on the patriots gathered meath the elms of the Massachusetts town would moi 1 Washington have been as is Kelly today with the high hopes of the fu- tire dashed. the noble purpose trailed 1 ID the dust and the ambition busted Verify It seemed that the only differ. enee is that Cambridge was not DO. Heed by good Britishers and did not have a modern high powered fire en- zine with which to sprinkle the en :. thuSiaSm out of the minutemen of Concord and Lexington.
 Such a little thing, too, to change the course of history. Just cold water. Just plain, cold wet water. Water. and iis attendant wagon. have done many things to the history of many place. and water II was which sapped the vitality of the gallant army under Kelly which might have carried out its aVowed purpose and marched on the nations capital
 of course Kelly and his officers did not propose to capture Washington and siege the United States govern ment with the two small regiments that started from San Francisco and were so disastrously defeated at Sac ramento.
 It was the intention to recruit theI force as it travelled east and to invest Washington with an army worthy of the noble object. which was the over throw of the government
 The army did not reach Washing ten. But suppose it had Suppose that once again the old Long bridge over the Patomac resounded to the tread of marching feet and from the hills "f Maryland and the Virginia shore the invading hosts poured into the great city.
 It is not pretty picture for al patriotic American to contemplate.
 Near Washington. at Fort Meyer three are four troops of regular caval- ry and one field battery of light artil- lery Down at he navy yard there are four companies of marines. Al tho arsenal there are two companies "' engineers Scarcely one full regi- m"mt of United States troops in the entire garrison of the nations capi- tai. It is pitiably weak and sad. and vet the army is so small that that foIce is all that can be spared for the capital city of the nation.
 Washington has in addition to this force fair sized police department tut il is only large enough for the drily police needs of the city
 That is all the force that could have been mustered to meet and defeat the| army of Kelly.
 And yet there was a way. Had Kelly not met defeat in his first skirmish with the Sacramento fire de- rartment, had his men been able to stand the streams of clean water and tD have taken town after town in the march across the continent and arriv eh fine and fit before tho gates of Washington. there was way out of the disgrace of having the nations capital invaded. captured, sacked
 President Wilson from security O the executive mansion could have siPned an order declaring a half holi- day in the government offices and de- p&rtments and made the continuance in office of the thousands of super fluous officials and clerks dependent upon the deliverance of the city from tho hands of the invader.
 The four troops of cavalry and the light battery could have remained at Fort Meyer. The marines and the engineers could have continued to rest i. their barracks There would have bt en no need to call upon even the efficient Washington police. Kelly aimy, no matter how strong, would never have crossed into the nationa city. No army of ten times the size of that with which Kelly proposed to attack could ever get into Washing ter if the government clerks and of ficials were turned out and told tc defeat the invaders or loose their jobs And SO Washington was safe after all.
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