And so it was with Cervera and his squadron. The Spanish admiral became the modern “Man in the Iron Mask.” A prisoner behind the lofty hills of Santiago, Watched by Night and Day. the eyes of Sampson’s fleet watched the narrow opening of that harbor night and day, nor did their vigilance relax for one second of time. By night the piercing eye of the electric search-light closely watched the harbor entrance. The thoughts, the hopes and prayers of our noble America were all centered upon Sampson and his brave men. He proved himself to be an excellent fleet commander and in the twentieth century his services were appreciated at their just value.
The glorious victory at Santiago bay, occurring only sixty days after Dewey’s target practice in Manila bay, amazed and electrified the world. England felt a genuine American Plymouth Rocks. pride in both of these achievements and pointing to America observed: “These American roosters are from our own setting and their name is Plymouth Rock.” When the German Emperor heard the great news from Santiago very few men in Europe were more pleased over it. His joy, however, was prompted by feelings of self-preservation rather than from exultation over the American victory. Wilhelm patted himself on the back and shook hands with himself for at least five consecutive hours when he reflected how narrowly he had escaped getting involved in a war with America and the fortunate escape of his German fleet from the fate that overtook Cervera’s vessels. This is the reason why the German squadron cleared out of Manila immediately after Dewey sent his famous request to Washington to dispatch the Oregon to Manila, “for political reasons.” The “bulldog of the American navy” reached Manila in due season but Admiral Von Deiderichs withdrew long before the “crack of doom” had ploughed her way into that harbor. As for France in 1910 she had not yet recovered from her surprise, while to Spain these disasters proved a paralytic shock of a most severe character. From 1898 to 1930 Spain was merely walking around to stave off funeral expenses.
With a relatively strong navy of five hundred and ten (510) war ships to patrol her coasts in 1999, the United States of the Large Army not Wanted. Americas were not under any necessity of maintaining a large standing army. It was fully realized that an efficient sea-power must be maintained. With that arm of defence in her possession the maintenance of a large standing American army can never seriously be entertained. It has always been a popular belief in America that if a foreign army of invasion were to land upon our shores, Americans would give it a very warm reception, so spontaneous and effusive in its character that a majority of the invaders would never find their way back home again. Many of them might become permanent residents in American soil, so deeply rooted that none but Gabriel’s trump could marshal them into line again.
Germany in 1899 held the world’s medal Germany’s Splendid Army. for the finest and best equipped army, a magnificent engine of war, ready to move within an hour’s notice, and woe to the enemy that obstructs its path. Without any doubt in the closing period of the nineteenth century the General staff of the German army was justly regarded as the highest authority in military science. Such a vast and smooth working engine for the destruction of human beings was never before known. If the sun had been good enough to stop twelve hours in its course to accommodate Joshua’s beggarly army, that luminary would no doubt gladly stand still a whole week on request of the chief of staff of the German hosts.
In 1899, with a population of barely 50,000,000, Germany possessed an army of 2,500,000. France with much less population had fully as many men under arms. Russia with a population of over 90,000,000 had an army on a peace footing of 3,000,000 men. The burden upon Europe was a most crushing one. In 1899 this drain was fast sapping the life of those nations, robbing their industries and peaceful avocations of the flower of their youth. This armed state in the time of peace was fully as ruinous as war itself. No wonder that the Czar of Russia urged a congress of the nations to convene and, if possible, devise some system to reduce these huge armaments. For this well-meaning attempt to relieve the military burdens of Europe the Russian Czar deserves much credit but, unfortunately, the proposition proved to be impracticable. The international conference at the Hague in the summer of 1899 secured no definite results.
In 1999 America did not propose to fall No Standing Army in 1999. into the European snare of maintaining a huge standing army. When America in 1899 was merely a small Republic, consisting of only forty-five states and a few odd territories, the idea of maintaining a large standing army, on the European plan, was scouted with derision. In 1899 Americans scoffed at Europe’s military establishments as a symbol of Barbarism. In 1999 when the great American Republic included the entire Western Hemisphere, military rule became more unpopular than ever. In the twentieth, as in the nineteenth century, America remained firm in her adherence to the Monroe Doctrine. This wise policy will always prove one of the best safeguards of our American Republic. Europe must be kept out of the Western Hemisphere. America will always belong to Americans only. In the twentieth century the Monroe Doctrine lost none of its force, and for many centuries its principles will still remain a living issue.
With a Monroe Doctrine to maintain and defend, it is not surprising to learn that in 1999 the United States of the Americas, with a population of 531,000,000, maintained a small army of 150,000 men. The absolute freedom of America from military burdens in 1899 and 1999 was the glory of the Republic and the envy of a whole world.
The object of government is to guarantee the utmost allowance of freedom to the citizen, and blessed indeed is the nation that can govern itself without having to maintain a huge standing army to hurl at any moment’s notice at its neighbors. Such barbarism may answer well enough for Europe, whose governments are founded upon wrong principles, but in great, free America, we want none of it, nor never shall.
America always will be the land of the free. Her principles of government are founded upon justice and equity. The voice of the people is heard in the land and it is supreme. The government of the people, by and for the people, is the gift of God to Man and the Almighty has made America the custodian of that priceless jewel.