US Navy's Two Navy Bill

[Archangel Michael]

The 1892 presidential elections were a complete surprise to everyone, including the winner. The American Populist Party's presidential candidate, Kames B. Weaver, won the presidencey. In 1893, he took the oath of office, and began to reform the United States military (including the Army and Navy). The most important place in the United States Navy, the Secreatry of the Navy, was filled by Alfred Thayer Mahan, writer of The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783. He began to rebuild the navy quickly.

The first thing he did was ordered the developememnt of US Naval bases the US Navy herself. The first thing he did was lease Hong Kong from the Chinesse, and also began to construct Naval bases all across the globe, including Liberia in Africa. He began to re-build the US Navy, including new battleships and armored cruisers.

My question is, how would something like this affect the American-Spanish War?

[Landshark]

Britain annexed Hong Kong in about 1850 IIRC it was only the New Territories that were leased for 99 years.

[DuQuense]

?Whould the Populist enlarge the Milatary? I belevive the populist were domastic oreinted. [Why spend money on space when there are so many problems here on earth, kill the moon program] The populists would have had the same mindset about the military, and would have decreased it, No Great White Fleet.