The New York herald., 1922-12-31

habitually alluded to as the greatest in all
history. but so far as this country is con-
cerned, the war with Spain, comparatively
insignificant as it was, surpassed it in at
least two details: the world war inspired
no poetry to equal William Vaughan
Moody's "An Ode in Time of Hesitation"
nor has it (to date) produced any sensa-
ton comparable with that which burst
upon these United States on the night of
April 21 1899. when Capt Joseph Bullock
Coghian of the cruiser Raleigh rose at a
banquet given in his honor at the Union
League Club in New York and recited
''Hochi der Kaiser"
The mists of twenty-three years have
Ndimmed the memory of that incident and
probably few of the younger generation
ever heard of it, but it held column after
column of front page space for days and
days. rocked the country with mighty
laughter. nearly involved us in a serious
international complication and brought
forth frcnzied frothings in the German
American press.
This last circumstance might have given
thoughtful men pause but for the COM
Portable theory every one had in those days
that We were all loyal Americans, brothers
living together in this land of plenty, ready
TO defend it against aggression from any
quarter and to die for it if need be. Also
there was another comfortable theory quite
generally held that the Germans were a
peaceful and home loving race, thoroughly
good hearted and inoffensive, and that they
rafting. shining armored Kaiser as we
were. Most of us looked upon the Kaiser
as joke; certainly few of us suspected
that his people regarded him as a god and
that many thousands of those people were
even then living in the United States,
under the protection of its laws and it's
flag
The cruiser Raleigh, with Capt. Coghlan
in command had belonged to Admiral
Dewey's squadron which steamed into
Manila Bay on May 1, $685. and sank the
Spanish fleet. 1t had fired the first shot of
the battle and it was the first ship of that
squadron to be sent home. A mighty well
come greeted it when it entered New York
harbor and on the evening of April 21 the
Union League Club gave a banquet to it's
officers. headed by Capt. Coghlan. 1t was
an elaborate affair, with Elihu Root as
postmaster and Chauncey Depew as one
of the speakers. There were many courses,
great popping of corks and every one was
very happy. All. welladayi
Mr.. Root made the first speech and
then called upon Capt. Coghlan. That gall
liant officer at first demurred on the ground
that he had never made a speech and
didn't know how, but at last he was pre-
vailed upon to rise and tell the story of
the battle. That story, of course, his hear
ers already knew, but what they did not
know (since Admiral Dewey had kept it
out of the dispatches) and heard for the
first time was the story of the insolent
behavior of the German squadron in
Manila harbor, and its interference with
Admiral Dewey's blockade orders The
climax of the story as reported in the
papers next day. ran something like this.
The German squadron was in command
of Admiral Won Diederich, and one night
one of his staff officers approaching the
Olympia in a launch and refusing to stop
when challenged was fired upon and very
nearly sunk. He climbed the Olympias
ladder in a high state of excitement.
How dare you fire upon us?" he de-
manded. I'VE fly the German flag"
Those flags can be bought anywhere
for dollar and half yard" retorted
Dewey. go back and tell your Admiral
that the slightest infract!on of anv rule
will mean but one thing--war! If your