The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE Proprietor. TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1898.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 328, 16 August 1898, Page 2

The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE Proprietor. TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1898.

THE most uninteresting war of modern times has come to an end. It has been uninteresting, in the first placo because the result was a foregone conclusion before the first shot was fired in Manila barbour, and it has been still more so from the fact that the Spanish forces never, succeeded in Gaining even a temporary advantage on cither sea or land. The Spaniards fought bravely, but bravery will not win naval battles unless the virtue is properly directed and the ships properly equipped ; neither will it gain victories on land aguinet forces equally bravo and more

numerous except by exceptional capacity on the part of the general directing the operations. In no instance throughout the war. on either land or sea, has Spain commanded any one of the above elements to success. Every day that the war lasted she became weaker, both physically and financially, and each day her ponderous enemy became stronger. The result has been that she has to accept the terms dictated by the axccutive of the Republic. She loses her two valuable possessions, Cuba and Puerto Rico, aud there is every probability that . the United States will annex tho Philippines. The American Press urges this stop, and now that the Republic has departed from the policy which has guided it for more than a century of its existence, it is improbable that there will be much hesitation to reap every possiblo advantage that a su:cessful war has placed within roach. An excuse for a war has always to be found, and America has had more than a plaufiible one in the fact that Spain had been proved incapable of governing Cuba by peaceful legislation, or of controlling by force the population which had revolted against her misrule and unfair treatment. Had this state of affairs not interfered with American commerce, and had there not been a strong party in the Republic who grudged Spain a valuable possession, it is more than improbable that the American people would have considered it any part ot their duty to interfere on behalf of a depressed population. The cable informs us that the war is estimated to have cost America some 150,000,000 dollars, and the Americans will look for the equivalent of this sum with interest on outlay and compensation for the lives sacrificed and will not be backward in exercising their arithmetical powers before the peace commission, when it meets in Paris. It is useless to look to Spain for monetary compensation, consequently cession "of territory must result. Judging by appearances the population of Cuba is likely to give America more trouble than was anticipated when the war was entered upon. They object to being controlled by tho Spaniards and have as little relish for control by the States. Their leaders nt any rate aspire to an independent Government and are not likely to rest satisfied with anything short of this. They will, however, require to be very circumspect as to how they go to work, otherwise their chance of ever being allowed to govern themselves will be highly problematical. They will, however, speedily find that Americans are not Spaniards, and that their bast policy is to behave themselves and accept with thanks the constitution tho American Government is willing to offer them and abide strictly by its terms. America naturally will only allow the country to be governed in a manner favourable to her interests, and her interests are closely interwoven with peace, order aud security. If the native population does not accept this view, their shrift will be a short one. There is. however, much trouble looming for the conquerors of Spain, both in Cuba and the Philippines. Further, the Republic, now that she has descended from her pillar of isolation and has adopted the role of the international policeman, is liable to be disturbed by European complications, -which hitherto she could contemplate with a calm vision and unshaken nerves.