Editor's Table

EDITOR'S TABLE. MINOR INCIDENTS OF THE WAR. It is said that even the tender mercies of war are cruel. Our own Sherman is credited with the expression, "War is hell," and he ought to know, for he witnessed much of war in his time. But notwithstanding the cruelty of war, in the very midst of it, when waged between civilized nations, there are incidents which occur that exhibit the innate no- bility of human nature which no other conditions would quite so satisfactorily develop. We are not about to contend that the revelation of these noble traits of human character are worth the terrible price of war; but since we have war, and since through it are brought to light many evidences of the nobility of human nature, it is well that these evidences should be noted, not alone to relieve the general blackness of war, but that one's respect for human nature may be in- creased, and that all the good that is in the great evil, or de- veloped through it, may be preserved to our race. Paradoxical as it may seem to speak of some good com- ing from so great an evil, it is, nevertheless, true that nearly every great war has been more or less productive of good, not only in its general results, but aside from general results; in its acts of individual courage among the men and officers; in its acts of courtesy and mercy between foemen; in its exhibi- tions of chivalry and honor, not alone in "the wild joy which warriors feel in meeting foemen worthy of their steel," but in those acts of gentleness and mercy which bear evidence of the fact that not even all the herceness aroused by the dread spirit of war can all dry up the milk of human kindness in the veins of civilized man. It is something to be proud of, and it marks improve- ment in our race, when we can say that in no war ever waged between nations have there been more acts of cool courage while in action, nor more acts of courtesy, chivalry and hu- manity to foes overpowered than in the present war between

EDITOR'S TABLE. 771 America and Spain. In proof of the above we set aside the daring of Dewey in entering the harbor of Manila under the guns of Cavite to engage the enemy's fleet; the dash and even over-daring of the Winsloiv's crew on scout duty before the forts of Cardenas; the feat of Hobson and Powel and their crews in the Merrimac affair; the rush to certain destruction made by Admiral Cervera and his captains in bringing out the Spanish fleet from Santiago harbor; the several days ac- tion by the forces of General Shatter—we do not intend to illustrate what we mean by reference to these great events, but by reference to what may be regarded as the little things that have happened—the side flashes of courage, and deeds of mercy that come between the great scenes of the drama being enacted. What can be more admirable than the manner in which Admiral Dewey gave the command to commence, on the American side, that terrible battle which was to end in the destruction of the Spanish fleet? For some time the Ameri- can fleet had been under the fire of the Spanish forts, yet no response had been made. Solid shot and screaming shells had struck all about them, and the American gunners were anxiously waiting for the orders to fire Presently when the point of advantage to which the great American commander had been making was reached, he quietly turned to Captain Gridley in charge of the Olympia and said in ordinary tones You MAY FIRE WHEN READY, GrIDLEY. And what could be more admirable than the conduct of that same Gridley, who arose from a bed of sickness and dragged himself to his post of duty, and the post of danger, to take part in the great battle? And when enroute for home, to wife and children, the ship's surgeon told him that the hemorrahages would result in death, how worthy the man was his answer: The battle of Manila killed me, but I would do it AGAIN IF NECESSARY. When he left his good ship to start off to the home he never reached, the band of the Olympia played "Auld lang Syne." On the I St of July, when the First Regiment United States Volunteer cavalry, —which has come to be called "Roosevelt's Rough Riders"—were in the deep tangle of a tropical jungle, confronted by a concealed enemy shooting with smokeless powder and carrying death into the ranks of the brave men, not being able to see their enemy, they be- gan to swear. Colonel Leonard Wood, who was in com-

772 IMPROVEMENT ERA mand, hearing it, shouted down the line from which men were dropping both dead and wounded: Don't swear, shoot! The story of Admiral Cervera's noble reception of young Hobson and his brave crew, and his act of chivalry in send- ing word of their safety to the American fleet is told in our Progress of the War paper. That same old grizzled sea warrior was soon himself to stand in need of generous treatment from his foemen, and we are glad it was accorded him. When his fleet was destroyed and he himself was taken on board the Gloucester, com- manded by Richard Wainwright, who, by-the-way, was an officer of the battleship Maine when she was blown up in Havana harbor, and was among those whom one would al- most expect to feel vengeful—yet he met the defeated Cer- vera with all the politeness of the gentleman he is, and ex- tending his hands to the heart-broken Admiral he said: I CONGRATULATE YOU, SIR, UPON HAVING MADE AS GALLANT A FIGHT AS WAS EVER WITNESSED ON THE SEA. It was a further act of courtesy that he was received on board the Gloucester in silence—the men refrained from exul- tant cheers. The subsequent meeting between the Spanish admiral and Commodore Schley was equally marked by the courtesy of which noble minds alone are capable. The meeting took place on board the Iowa. The Spaniard remarked that he deeply appreciated the fact that the men of the Brooklyn did not exult by cheering when it was learned that he was a prisoner on the Iowa. The Spaniard was down in spirits, of course, on account of his defeat. Schley tried to console him by the reflection that he but suffered from the fortunes of war. Cervera replied: Yes, but I've lost my career now that I have been DEFEATED. Commodore Schley replied that such a brave deed as that of bringing out his squadron could never be looked upon as other than a most gallant feat. At which the Spaniard broke down, threw his arms around the American commo- dore and said: Ah, SAILORS ALWAYS ARE GENTLEMEN. The action that day of our evidently rough old sea dog, Fighting Bob Evans, in whom all Utahn's will have an in- terest, if for no other reason than that he once lived in Utah

EDITOR'S TABLE. 773 and received his appointment to the nation's naval academy through Utah's delegate to congress, Captain W. H. Hooper. Captain Eulate, of the Spanish cruiser Vizcaya, surrendered to Evans, and this was the manner in which he was received on the Iowa. The Captains' guard of marines were first swung up on the quarter deck to salute him, and Captain Evans stood waiting to welcome him. A chair had been lowered for the Spanish captain, for he was wounded. As the chair was placed on the Iowa's deck the marines pre- sented arms. Captain Eulate slowly raised himself from the chair, saluted Captain Evans with dignity, unbuckled his sword belt and holding the hilt of the sword before him, kissed it reverently, with tears in his eyes, and tendered it to Captain Evans. Our old rough captain, who could shout through the magraphone to the passing news boat, only a little while before, that the Oregon was up the coast pound- ing hell out of the Cristobal Colon, now as gentle as he could be brave, waved aside the proffered sword, grasped Captain Eulate by the hand and welcomed the Spaniard to the hos- pitality of his ship. When the Iowa's crew, half naked and black with powder as they were, saw their captain refuse to receive the beaten Spaniard's sword, they cheered like wild men. What could be better than this incident: When the Texas came near to one of the Spanish cruisers that had been shattered from end to end with the storm of shot and shell from the American fleet, and was now lying helpless on a reef amid burning flames and her own exploding magazines, the men of the Texas started to cheer. Then Captain Phil- lip shouted above the din: Don't cheer, the poor devils are dying. What is better than this incident? Nothing perhaps, except the one that occurred when this same captain Phillip, after the roar of guns had ceased and the groans of the wounded were hushed, assembled his men on the quarter- deck of the Texas, and said: I WANT TO MAKE PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT HERE THAT I BELIEVE IN God, THE FATHER AlMIGHTY. I WANT ALL YOU OFFICERS AND MEN TO LIFT YOUR HATS, AND FROM YOUR HEARTS OFFER SILENT THANKS TO THE ALMIGHTY. We call these minor incidents of the war—side flashes from greater deeds, but long after the general results of the war shall have been forgotten, and the greater deeds pass into oblivion, who will say that these minor incidents shall

774 IMPROVEMENT ERA. not live in the minds of men to glorify our age and race, and be an inspiration to the performance of humane acts and noble conduct in nations yet unborn and accents yet un- known. STATE POLITICS. Before long the people of our state will be involved in another political contest. The choosing of a legislature which will elect a United States senator, and the election of a representative to congress will render the contest of suf- ficient importance to make it intensely interesting. In the past our state politics have been tinged with a bitterness which it his hoped in the future will be avoided. That bitter- ness was the outgrowth of an over-earnestness in politics. It is the case of a great virtue becoming a vice by running into extremes. The people of our state are first of all things sincere, and intensely earnest in their convictions, and these qualties, if extremes are not guarded against, are likely to beget in the possessors of them an intolerance for, and a bitterness against both individuals and parties who may hold opposite views to those which command their own convictions. It should never be forgotten that a political election is but a friendly contest with one's fellow citizens for the prev- alence of those ideas of government and its administration that he and his fellow partisans entertain as against the ideas of government and its administration entertained by the opposite political party. And while sincere earnestness is always admirable; and determination to make dominant the party whose principles come nearest to embodying those doctrines of government and administration which one thinks to best promise the peace, prosperity, and happiness of the community is always to be commended, yet it should be con- ceded that no one party absorbs all the patriotism there is in the country; and one should be ready to credit as much dis- interestedness and patriotism to one's political opponent as he claims for himself; remembering that if he believes not as we believe, it is proof that we believe not as he believes, and there is no power can judge between us but the community after it shall reduce our respective theories of government to practice, and test their value by complete experiment. Moreover, in a free government such as ours, where elections are frequent, it is not a very serious matter for one or the other of the great political parties to be defeated in an election. For if the policy of the party entrusted with the administration of the government shall prove disastrous to

EDITOR'S TABLE. 776 the prosperity, happiness or general peace of the country, it would doubtless be dismissed, and the party of opposite principles put into power, so that with such opportunities for correcting evils as our system of government affords, there is no necessity for permitting differences of political opinions, and membership in opposing political parties, to dissolve the bonds of personal friendship, or disrupt neighborly concord. Let the contests be friendly, relieved of all bitterness, as they reasonably and with very great profit to the community may be, since the defeated party can rest assured that if the ex- periment with the successful party and its principles are un- satisfactory the next election will most likely result in stripping that party of power and giving the administration of government into the hands of the opposite party. One of the most serious evils to be guarded against under our form of government is government by party minority. "A government of the people, for the people, and by the people," is doubtless the noblest conception of government hit upon by the wit of man. But unfortunately, like many other noble theories, where reduced to practical operation, the high level of the theory is missed and very inferior ac- complishments are the results. To be explicit: that which passes current for "government by the people" is often noth- ing but government by a very insignificant but active minority of the people. It is true that "the country is governed by industry rather than by talents;" that "truly great men are leaders only in times of great trouble, when a nation is in peril; in quiet times, the active, talking, enterprising and cunning manager is apt to be the leader." And so the few active politicians in the respective political parties are apt to and very frequently do, gain control of the party machinery, and through it secure control of the administration. Each party in every neighborhood has its active politicians, neither numerous nor necessarily men of considerable influence or of high character, quite often the contrary, and generally are aspirants for some petty office within the gift or under the control of the party if successful. They are not men necessarily of high character, we repeat, or of importance in the community, but they have the one virtue of being active in politics. They will be in attendance at the primaries and will either secure the election of themselves or the men of their choosing to the county conventions, from which, in turn, the candidates favored by these active politicians will be sent to the state conventions, where will be nominated, not

776 IMPROVEMENT ERA. men always of the people's choice, but the choice of the politicians; for which the rank and file of the respective parties must either vote or do violence to their convictions by voting with the opposite party; or stay away from the polls. When such methods prevail, it is minority rule through the operation of party machinery, and not government by the people, only so far as it may be said that the people suffer it when they could have it otherwise. That such a state of affairs is undesirable goes without saying. To say that it should not be so, would be to utter a commonplace truism. When such methods obtain it becomes a traversty on the idea of "government by the people," and for such methods to prevail where it is within the power of the people to have it otherwise is a reproach to an intelligent community. The remedy for this evil, like the remedy for every other political evil, in a free republic, is in the hands of the people. It is clearly within their power to be in attendance at the party primaries, and to elect men of known probity of character to the county conventions; men who will in turn elect honorable men to the state conventions, where men worthy of the con- fidence and esteem of the people may be selected for the positions of trust to be filled. * * * In the years that are past, and before statehood was achieved we all had great anticipations respecting the course our state would pursue in political methods. Among those anticipations was that "government by the people" should be a reality; that government in the interests of the people should obtain; and that Utah's representatives in the national councils should forever be men of advanced intellectual at- tainments, and of high moral character. These anticipations are not beyond the possibility of attainment; they are quite within the lines of accomplishment; but if they are realized it must be by the constant interest of the whole people in the affairs of government, both in state and nation; by unremitting vigilance in every election; by prompt rebuke to every "boss" who presumes to dictate the management of political affairs or gain control of party machinery, or use the political lash to coerce the independence of the citizen. Thus, and thus only, may we hope for the best political conditions to pre- vail in the state and in the nation. And to the young men of our state, and throughout these inter- mountain states, we confidently turn in expectation that through their upright- ness, interest and determination the verity of "government of the people, for the people and by the people" will be achieved.