Show IN CASU CASK or OF WAK FiallI tIng power of mexico anil and the hie filled stales rates alow long would it talo us to chip whip Me col repeated a wellin well in ormed formed army officer when questioned by ly a star reporter well a crotty crotty difficult ques question quest t I 1 ioD on to answer 10 0 continued as he be settled back in big ais easy chair and looked knowingly at it the news hunter have you any iaea len what might be the be result of a war with mexico t I 1 undertake to predict thu outcome myself but it sight mean an entire change in the map of the united states and even in the map ot of euro europe pe the C ailing case and the Arre e ewe case small things in themselves might bring on a war wr which would last for years and be fraught with the most unexpected un results ye I 1 think wa could whip mexico readily enough who when we were once well started but somebody else might take a band in in 10 the lo tight besides mexico a germany armany would lile I 1 he very well indeed to rot ret a goo d Y foothold in in this part ot of the wor world 1 d bismarck Bismar cb undoubtedly has bag lia big eye open for the failure ot of the panama canal and the success of the nicaragua canal and in in such an event he want to be too far away he care to lay violent hands on cuba or on an any of the british possessions but it is is doubtful a my mind it if le be jump at the tha chance to secure lis lie object abject by lending a helping hand band to mexico el ico in tha event of a war with us I 1 dont predict it but I 1 am only elledg telling you yon on the cards if germany should maka inake such a move france who has recently declared b I 1 to be in fighting trim might think hink it about time to attempt to to re gain alsace and lorraine then ihen other powers might inight stop step in in england w would oil id probably be neutral but bat she is is a i goo good d ono one to tarnish furnish ships as wo we know enow fro from m experience price end and she holds noat moot of t the I 1 0 eNer mexican I 1 ellean bonds mexico has no tavy navy to speak off ahe is worse off than we are in that respect but the loan of a couple of aerman fronel ironclads iron aaa tal might 1 lit play the tha mischief on our coast those vessels vassals might be equipped a q i d anc an Teven crevon manned by others jtb era t than mexicans A to hoist the mexican colors with mexican officers nominally in in command for show and the ironclads iron would be ready for service service the defenseless condition a ot t our seacoast has not been abed we would be at the mercy of such ouch an attack an ironclad could approach now new york or any other sea aea port varl and levy tribute or blow it to pieces our best guns can only pen itrato ten inches and we have no proper carriages to enable them to do gobor 0 that an eleven inch armored vessel could bombard any of our cities on the coast and we could not help it the only thing we could do would bo be to sink vessels in in the chain nels and endeavor to prevent the approach of the enemy that would oil bonfy approach y I 1 be a timp temporary check in these days of dynamite dyn amito the obstructions could be blown up before our eyes and ana we would not bob have the means meana to prevent its being done we are in 1 a I nol condition truly to resist an in vision had congress directed the president to demand the release ot prisoner or cutting it would lava have gone home without w doing anything to on en I 1 able abla us to withstand the consequences ot of enforcing lease refused to even for seacoast efen sev when the tha fortifications board reported that over oter should be ba expended the first year just look a minute st at this map continued conti caad the officer pointing to a map ot of the united 6 tates states from fortress monroe alone alon the coasts 0 of f north and south caro carolina ai inn as georgia florida tida alabama and mississippi two companies of artillery are ara the only protection that is afforded while irom from F fortress artress h monroe to the lefin ican frontier rout at the mouth of the RIO bio grand there are stationed four companies of artillery one of atif infantry antry and two ol of cavalry there is a fort at key kay west but there abera are no troops to g garrison a I 1 albut on it on tho the pacific side abl there 1 ia but oro one company of infantry tj guard the ba coast from mexico to san F franciaco Fran rati citco cisco at the close of the th mexican war we ranked the world in light ardi artillery lory stood alood well in id heavy artillery and had bad a 81 navy equal to that of any other nation ot of our relative standi standing tig to day we are ara simply experimenting with heavy artillery and our navy cavy is ia ranked by all countries except a few little ones in south america mez mex ico is in stronger now than she nho wall wa at the close of that war but I 1 have no id idea ea th that a t she ehe could witha withstand tand the united states without assistance but she he would light fight better than is generally supposed d 11 tatt NT rp reporter orter we bore produced the follows tollo wius ug list of tassels cassels belonging to the mexican navy which he had ob gained from the bureau of naval in t tellia 0 ecce two iron gunboats gun boata boats the mexico and the democrats each of f tons two twenty poun dars six six of acers and eighty men me I 1 eleven linola knots speed and horse horae two ton vessels the libertad berlad Li and indo pende peaden Deia eik each armed with two twenty and manned by six officers cerr and eighty men and one other small email gunboat the name of which dybich is unknown yes yei that constitutes constitute the mexican navy said the army officer looting looking over the tha list one of those was lying at sia san francieco Franai Fraria isco eco for several years she was out of repair but the tb mexican credit was so bad that no one would do any work on her she was originally the yacht of an english gentleman the b e 0 owner er brought her over and bold d b her er toyn to th the e mexican government and she was changed into a gunboat we would have no DO difficulty 11 with ith mexico at son sea as she is now bt but im afraid would bu be omo me ironclads iron secured drw some ome place how about the tha strength of alexic on landt land asked the star SIM reporter 1 I dont know but I 1 have seen neon it stated that Mal menco licul at tu of men of u 1 hi I arms arma just anat about the size aizo of our hrin arin some of the soldiers are vry very fiti fin while others nee aie the tha worst wont I 1 ever saw in the western part of mexico there are some admirably drilled and ald equipped soldiers but bat in tho the region 0 of f bun the troops are composed of the scum of the earth they aro are mostly convicts who are riven given the choice of working in the p prisons or joining the army these broo troops ura tire marched in a open column with i t h the t E officers in the center so BO that t Y con c R in watch the soldiers on either ai niilo do arid cheek check any atten apt at despi tion which they know front from experience will be made it tho the slightest opportunity is afforded mexico maxico has bits really a una title body of men in what is a known as the karal onard about strong arming forming a U very good nucleus tor for nn an firmy army W what troops would we nave able in the tha even event tot ot warl asked the star of t tha be war would pr probably 0 be bly bo be carried on in mainly aim I 1 y by state militia and perhaps ifft if it assumed serious proportions by volunteers v 0 lun hill but t I 1 dont believe it would be possible at the start to oppose the enemy with more than ton ten thousand regular t troops this force would have to prove prevent the mexicans from invading our country until the state militia cougil bareg be reg sworn in for Govern government mont ser vice and ordered to the front by the president you know the militia or cannot bo be called into ser eer vice vica outside their respective stat states I 1 e until after a formal declaration 0 of 01 war what regular troops could be ent bent to abb mexican medica border asked th there re porter about halt half of the army is r agular ly employed on the frontier as a guard to the indians and it would be maui manifestly inadvisable to withdraw these troops tor for the indians would overrun the tha country of course it a courtany coul company tany could be withdrawn here and t there ere lony leaving liag garrison at the tha posts but most of the troops would come from kansas and nebraska tile the entire garrisons at fort omaha port fort Leaven leavenworth worl h fort reyes hayes and ro port t riley biley bould bo be sent feat to III the iii front wit without out say any danger and tb BAtchison topeka and santa fe e Railroad being very accessible they could bo be shipped direct to the border in forty eight hours these troops together with companies picked up here and there where they could be ba spared would I 1 think number about ten thousand mon men still the number would not be so largo if all the companies were like one I 1 saw start out from fort leavenworth i to put down a threat ened outbreak of the indians it consisted of just nineteen me men n w with ith a lame lieutenant in co command most of these I 1 refer to would show up a little better than that though uiva A war at between the united states and mexico alone would probably be over in a comparatively short time thae tor for mexico is ie no match for us she raise such an army as we could and she che has bag tie no credit As I 1 said though there is the danger of assistance being rendered to mexico and then there is no telling where the trouble would end washington Wait hington star |