| Show BEGINNING OF hostilities whether say any further formalities be observed pertaining to the mode of informing the powers of the world of the present status of the relations between the united states and spain war to Is now an actual fact and the responsibility bi it t y rests with the latter cou country kitry the refusal of the spanish gavern ment to receive the ultimatum af president mckenley can be regarded in no other light than the interruption Interrupt ibn of friendly Tela lond tiong with this country by t those bobe I 1 in n pow power er a at t M madrid adri d it was a an act by which they assumed the ability for what to la to follow spaine first att act of not to mention the destruction of the biane miane and the of the abe W pears to lifave been a trevi emus attack upon the united tol to madrid mr aho traveled with passports gudima guaranteeing teeing him bilm safe passage to the frontier word ir domes that spanish police attempted to capture bap te iture ture a member of the legation and that atter afterwards wards an attack was made upon the train that carried the minister out of the country the treacherous assault was frustrated while this little act was performed on spanish soli soil a united states cruiser captured a spanish ship oft off key west the vessel had a cargo of lumber from texas which was confiscated actual hostilities have commenced there is now war between the united states and spain broadly speaking it is almost imps bible to foresee the final outcome of the struggle ruggle s rt thus commenced but in all human probability it will be the finis at least as far as this hemisphere I is concerned to a successful naval warfare in our age not only ships hips and guns and men of superior physical and intellectual qualities are ile needed eded but also coal without this article the finest equipped battleship Is but a helpless hulk at the mercy of the waves and the engines of destruction of the enemy the announcement of great britain that coal is to be considered contraband of war is of immense importance in this connection it means that the british government will see to it that that tha t indispensable commodity will not tye tote sold to either of the belligerent par ties hea but as a matter of fact it is a blow to spain which may prove disastrous to that t country the ships of the united states are in a position to replenish their supply along the coast while spain has not a single coaling station on this side ride of the atlantic whenever euba r or porto rico alco shall have been oc c coupled by our forces to establish a line of coaling steamers to carry the feces aalt aa lt fuel over miles would be an dion 4 undertaking the steamers would be liable to capture rendering the fleet depending on an them entirely helpless el pless the chances are all against spain and it Is to be hoped that the leople ople of the peninsula may realize this fact before long and demand the cessa dign of a bo hopeless struggle |
