When America went to war with Germany she was in her typical state of
unpreparedness. In spite of her handicaps, the world admits that she
did her tremendous job efficiently.
The same state of confusion and unpreparedness existed when America
went to war with Spain. The thing that saved the day in both cases was
the latent fighting strength of the nation. At the beginning of the
Spanish war, just as at the beginning of the war with Germany, the
young men thronged the enlistment centers. Regiments and ships were
besieged with applicants. Men who had deserted in peace times returned,
begging for a chance to fight.