Highland Park Public Library Local Newspapers Site

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 6 Apr 1898, p. 6

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Cuban waters In accustoming the people to the presence of our flag as the symbol of good will, and of ocj ships in the fulflilment of the mission of protection to American Intetfedft^'^tfeh Hhbtigh' ht> immediate need therefor' might exist "AccpPdlhgly, oh the 24th of January last, after coh#ereheev with the Spanish minister, in which the renewal of visits of our war vessels to Spanish waters was discussed and accepted, the peninsular authorities,-at Mad­ rid and Havana were, advised of the purpose of thWQOvernment to resume friendly naval Visits at Cuban ports, and that In that view the Maine would forthwith call at the port of Havana. <. • <(•«•> "Th^s aiinouneeincriti waa received by the Spanish Government with appreciation of the itfrtendly character of'the wisit of the Maine and with notification of intention to return tlie courtesy by sending Spanish ships to the principal ports of the United States. -."Thfe. MtUttC- continued in the harbor of Havana during the . three weeks following her arrival," No appreciable excitement at­ tended her stay; oh the contrary, a feeling of relief and confidence*followed the resump­ tion of the long-interrupted friendly inter­ course. So ncfticeable was this immediate effect of her visit that.'the consul general strongly • .urged that, the presence of our ships in Cuban waters should be kept up by retaining the Maine ht Havana, or. in the event of her recall, by sending another ves­ sel there to take her place." The President referred to the disaster on the night of Feb. 15. the rescue of the sur­ vivors and care of the :wbunded. Then he proceeded: "The appalling calamity fell upon the peo­ ple of our country with crushing force and for a brief time an intense excitement prc- i ailed, which ill? U community less Just and self-controlled than ours might have led to heavy acts of.blind resentment. "This spirit, however, sooii gave way to (lie calmer processes .of reason, and to re­ solve to investigate the facts and await ma­ terial proof before forming, a judgment as to the cause, the responsibility, and. If the facts warranted, the remedy due. This course necessarily recommended itself from the. outset to the Executive, for only in the light of a dispassionately ascertained certainty AN AFFLICTED MOTHER. From ilie Times. Paw Paw, III A resident-of this town who has lost two children'during the past six years by violent d^afhs has been utterly pros­ trated by thefthock, and seriously sick as a result of i£ One child (aged 9) was killed by a cyclone in '90 while at school; another, three years later, was run over by a Burlington It. R. 'train. That griefs and misfortunes may so prey on the mind as to lead to serious physical disorders has been well demonstrated in this case; As a result of them, her health was shat­ tered and she has been a constant sufferer since 1890. Her principal trouble has Resolutions Introduced by Ftya. Foraker and Rawlins. | Proof of Foul Treachery in Havana Harbor. Finding of Court of Inquiry Shows Conclu sively That the Warship Was Destroyed by the Explosion of a Mine. . f ** Two Senators Call for Belligerent Action Against Spain. Verdict of Court of Inquiry Says the Fact Is Clear. -J Upper House of Congress a Scene of Intense Excitement. A Lonstarit Sufferer. been lretrralgia of the stomach, which was very painful, and exhibited all the symp­ toms of ordinary neuralgia, nervousness and indigestion. Physicians did her no' good whatever. She was diseouragedl and abandoned all hope of getting well.; Finally, however, a certain well-known; pill was recommended (Dr. Williams" Pink. Pills for Pale People). She supplied herscVf with a quantity of them, and had »o<t taken thein two weeks when she noticed £ ntarked improvement in her condition. . NS£e continued taking the pills until seven or eight boxes had been consumed and she considered herself entirely cured. She es» now eat all kinds of food, which is something she has not fceei® able to do for years, and is not trou­ bled1 in the least with' nervousness. Iff amy one would lite to» hear more of the details of her suffering and relief gained by the use of E>r. Williams" Pink Pills for Pale People fli'ey may be obtain­ ed probably, by writitvg the lady direct. She is one of our well'-toowD residents. KLrs. Ellem A.. Oderkirkv Paw Paw, 111. SPANISH T.KGATIOSf, "WASHINGTON'. Kawllns of Utah Offers Resolution Recognizing the Independence of Cuba and Declaring War Against • i. Spain--Allen and Foraker Offer Res­ olutions Recognizing Cnban Iride- , pendence--Senator Mason Makes a -- Red-Hot Speech in Favor of War- Galleries Applaud Bellicose Senti­ ments. '• licly of the President's policy and thus indicated a willingness to stand up and be counted to enable this element to over­ ride the will of the Speaker, Wbote Matter Is Referred to Committee on Foreign Relations. flAlNE BOARD OF INQUIRY FOLLOWING is the full test of the report of the court of inquiry delegated to ascertain the cause of the Maine explosion: r- "United States Steamship Iowa, First Rate, Key West>Fla:, Monday, March 21, 2-898.--After full and mature consideration of all the testimony before it, the eowt finds as follows: *. '• \ '*•' "1. That the United States battleship Maine arived in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, on the 25th day of January, lS'JS, and was taken to buoy No. 4, in from five and One-half to six fathoms of water, by the regular Government pilot. "The United States consul general at Havana had notified the authorities at that place the previous evening of the intended arrival of the Maine. "The state of discipline on board the Maine was excellent, and all orders and regulations in regard to the care and safety of the ship were strictly carried out. All ammunition was stowed away in accordance with instructions, and proper care was taken whenever amunition was handled1. Nothing was stowed away in any one of the magazines or shellrooms which was not permitted to be stowed- there. The magazines and shell-rooms were always locked after having been opem- ed, and after the destruction of the Maine the keys were found in their proper place iq the Captain's cabin, everything having been reported secure that even>- ing at 8 o'clock. Usual Precautions Taken. "The temperature of the magazines and shell-rooms was taken daily and report- ed. The only magazine which had an undue amount of heat was the after 10" inch magazine, and that did not explode at the time the Maine was destroyed. "The torpedo war heads were all stowed in the after part of the ship under the- ward-room, and neither caused nor participated in the destruction of the Maine. "The dry gun cotton primers and detonators were stowed in the cabin aft and' remote from the sceue of the explosion. "The waste was carefully looked after on board the Maine to obviate danger; Special orders in regard to this had been given by the commanding officer. "Varnishers, dryers, alcohol and other combustibles of this nature were stowed' on or above the main deck, and could not have had anything to do with the de» straction of the Maine. "The medical stores were stowed aft under the wardroom and remote from' tHe- scene of the explosion. No dangerous stores of any kind were stowed below in> any of the other storerooms. "The coal bunkers were inspected. Of these bunkers adjoining the forward mag­ azines and shell-rooms, .four were empty, namely, B 3, B 4, B 5 and B 6. A 15 had' been in use that day. and A 1G was full of New River coal. This coal had been carefully inspected before receiving it on board. The bunker in which it was stowed was accessible on three sides at all times, and the fourth side at this time, on account of bunkers B 4 and B G being empty. This bunker, A 1G, had been' inspected that day by the engineer officer on duty. "The fire alarms in the bunkers were in working order, and there had never been a case of spontaneous combustion of coal on board the Maine. "The two after boilers of the ship were in use at the time of the disaster, but for auxiliary purposes only, with a comparatively low pressure of steam, and be­ ing tended by a refiable watch. These boilers could not have caused the explosion of the ship. The four forward boilers have since been found by the divers, and are in a fair condition. "On the night of the destruction of the Maine everything had been reported secure for the night at 8 o'clock by reliable persons, through the proper authori­ ties, to the commanding officer. At the time the Maine was destroyed the ship was quiet, and therefore least liable to accident caused by movements from those on board. "3. The destruction of the Maine occurred at fl:40 p. m. on the loth day of Feb­ ruary, 189S, in the harbor of Havana. Cuba, being at the time moored in the same buoy to which she had been taken upon her arrival. "There were two explosions of a distinctly different character, with a very short but distinct interval between them, and the forward part of the ship Was lift­ ed to a marked degree at the time of the first explosion. "The first explosion was more in the nature of a report like that, of a gun; while the second explosion was more open, prolonged and of greater volume. This second explosion was, in the opinion of the court, caused by the partial explosion >f two or more of the forward magazines of the Maine. Condit on of the Wreck. "4. The evidence bearing on this, b(?ing principally obtained from div­ ers, did not enable- the court to form a definite conclusion as to the condition of the wreck, although it was established that the after part of the ship was practically intact, and sank In that condition a very few minutes after the destruction of the forward part. "The following facts- in- regard to the forward part of the ship, are, however, established by the testimony: "That portion Of the port side of the protective deck, which extends from about frame 30 to about frame 41 was blown up aft and over to port. The main deck, from about frame 30' to- about frame 41 was blown up aft and slightly over to starboard, folding the forward part of the middle superstructure over and on top of the afteropart-; "This was. in the opinion of the court, caused by the partial explosion of two or more of the forward magazines of the Maine. "5, At frame 17, the outer shell of the ship, from a point eleven-'and- one-half feet from the middle line of the ship, and six from the middle line of the ship, and six feet above the keel, when in its normal position, lias been forced up so as to be now about four feet abovejthe surface of the water; therefore, about thirty-four feet above where tt would be- had the ship sunk uninjured. The outside bottom plating Is bent Into a re­ versed V shape, the after wing of which, about tifteen feet broad and thirty-two feet in length (from frame 17 to fram-e 2T>). is doubled back upon itself against the continuation ®f the same plating extending forward. "At frame 18 the vertical keel is broken in two, and the flat keel bent Into an angle similar to the a-ngle formed by the outside bottom plating. This break Is now about six feet below the surface of the water, and about thirty feet above its normal position." Caused by Submarine Mine. "•In the opinion of the court, this effect could have been produced only by the explosion of a mine situated under the bottom of the ship at about frame 18, and somewhat on the port side of the ship. "6. The conrt finds that the loss of the Maine, on the occasion named, was not In any respect d^ue to fault or negligence on the part of any of the officers or members of the erew of said vessel. "7. In the opinion of the court the Maine was destroyed by the explosion of a sub­ marine mine, which caused the partial explosion of two or more of her forward maga- xine«. "8. The court ha-s been nnnble to obtain evidence fixing the responsibility for the de­ struction of the Maine upon any person or persons. "W. T. SAMPSON. "A. MARIX,, Captain IT. S. N., President. "Lieutenant Commander U. S. N., Judge Advocate. "•M. SICAltD. "Reffr-Aflrofral. Commander-in-Chief of the United States Naval Force on the North Atlantic Station." SPAIN SAYS ACCIDENT. Madrid Experts Uiapwte Rvery Claisra of American Bioard. The conclusions reached: by the' Spanish naval commission which investigated the destruction of the battleship Maine are directly opposite to those in the report of the court of inquiry submitted to Con­ gress. The synopsis is as follows: The evidence of witnesses comparatively close to the Maine at the moment is- to- the1 effect that ouly one explosion occurred;, thfe-t no column of water was thrown Into the air: that no shock to the side of the nearest ves­ sel was felt, nor on land was any vlbratloni noticed, and that no dead flsli were foundl- The evidence of the senior pilot of the har­ bor states that there Is abundance of fish In; the harbor and this Is corroborated by other-' witnesses. The assistant engineer of works- states that after explosions made during the' execution of works in the harbor he has al­ ways found dead fish. The divers were unable to examine the- bottom of the Maine, which was buried In the mud, but a careful examination of the sides of the vessel, the rents and breaks In which all point outward, shows without a doubt that the explosion was from the ln- Reviews the Maine Affair, but Makes No Recommendations. Washington correspondence: The Senate plunged into the Cuban question Tuesday with a merciless disre­ gard for the President's peace plan. Two Republican members of the Foreign Rela­ tions Committee, Senators Foraker and Frye,. took the lead. Four resolutions1 on Cuba were introduced in rapid succession. Senator Frye off Maine, a conservative member of the Foreign Relations Commit­ tee, who by precedent of long service was entitled ft* the chairmanship of foreign relations, but yielded to Senator Davis, offered; a resolution calling upon the Pres­ ident to intervene at once by force to stop the war in Cuba. Senator Foraker's res- Vcrdict of the Naval Court Shows that the United States Battleship Was Sent to the Bottom of Havana Harbor by the Explosion of a Mine -- Board Does Not Definitely Fix Re­ sponsibility, but Suggests It--Presi­ dent McKinley Reviews the History of the Maine from the Time She Was Sent to Havana--Report as Sent to Congress. , AS NIGHT MEMORANDUM LAMP. ... r'V . ' '• " ' One of thie Varied Uses of tfee'Incdn*- descent Electric Light. - "Many of my best aatt£ valuable and moist merchantable tliaugMsr" said a man who-writes things* a living, "come to lue after ! have jsme- bo» bed at night, it is true that eares oppress me sometimes then and keep* me awake, but not often: thait is-- usually my time1 for building castles-iiv the air, ami for having people leave mo- fortunes,, and for conjuring up all manner of gootl luck; and in this joyous mental aitiuos- phere I often have happy ideas' that can be worked up and turned, to: accounts.. "Formerly, before I' went to bed,. I used to put my idea padi w'itli a pencil by it, on a shelf in the adjoiiling room near a gas jet, left burning low,, as I didn't want a light in my sleeping room. When an idea struck me 1 would get out of bed, go into the next room, tuna up the light, make a note of it, and go back to bed. But I didn't always do* this. I wasn't what you would call lazy, but if it was a very cold night or I was very tired I would say to my­ self that I thought I could remember that, and so I would take the chances,, and then every time I would forget it. I don't know how much money I iost ion this way, but a good deal. "But now! I have a little table at the head of the bed with the pad and pencil on that, and hanging down over it an incandescent electric light. I don't have to get out of bed at all. I have only t»> turn the key of the shaded light, pic It up the pad and jot down the idea; Then I put the pad down on the 'table agaia and turn off the light. "Now I lose nothing. I suppose T must lmve saved enough'the first weelt to pay for putting in the light, ami ev­ erything that I save in this way is just so much clear profit." „ Aurora Boreal is and Superstition. Conceive for a moment the glories of the aurora boreal is! We who live in; the senii-isomber atmosphere of this zonie may well forestall, by imagination;, the speechless wonder which would! seize us were we first to behold thac most dramatic phantasmagoria of sun; phases on sky and sun and ice. The- Teutons portrayed their emotions in their legends relating to their god LoM. In the story of his funeral pyre we de­ tect the imagery inspired by the splen­ dors of the aurora borealis. Laki is bin* god of evil--enemy of both gotte and men. Fire, at first dangerous, at last the friend of man, is the emblem of tihte dark god. He is surrounded by flame, through whose circumference man must pass to the place of eternal sleep, lie is pictured as seizing his faithful steeds and plunging into the sea of Ore- (the aurora borealis) and then disap­ pearing. Men, heroes and" god's follow him. Some return--some never. On, on to the dark icy regions- beyond the dismal itonwood,where-allis night--the Land of Shade--to the very house of Death,, where reigned King Death guarded:by his two dogs. We weed not penetrate much deeper into- the mythol­ ogy of antiquity to discover all the forms-around which gathered! the legen­ dary superstition of'medieval C^ri^Ktnr ily concerning hell. Indeed it w*ill be discovered by stu­ dents that the' Scandinavian legends are much responsible fur the dark, gloomy phases of: Christian theology-- especially concerning livll a.mt the devil. --Intelligence.. V r Something About Sleep. It has; been said that when we feci a constant need of sleep, the decay of the mental faculties has set in, and that when we are growing old we may know we are all right and our powers unim­ paired as long as we have the ability to stay awake. It is also declared from * the same soiy?ee <that the higher the in­ tellectual rank, the less sleep a man re- , quires, giving as example Goethe and Humboldt, who got along with only two or three hours of sleep a day. Cases where the health continues with so little sleep are very rare, for it is a well-kuowin fact that every healthy adult requires an average of eight hours of sleep out of twenty-four. Of all nat­ ural things, sleep is considered the best contributor to a refreshing of the body, to cheerfulness of mind, to nobleness of character and kindliness of spirit. Sleep is so needful, that if any deny themselves of it for an>* reason, it wiU filially overtake them in spite of them­ selves. All nature needs rest, and the human family is no exception, but their rest must be an unconscious state, which we call sleep, no other will suf­ fice--Weekly Bouquet. No man is free who cannot command 1 himself.-Pythogoras. Washington correspondence: At uoon Monday the findings of the na­ val board of inquiry as to the cause of the explosions that wrecked the Maine were sent to Congress by President Mc­ Kinley. In anticipation of the report be­ ing presented, the largest crowd which has attended a session of Congress in years was at the capitol. Not one-tenth «f tlie people who stormed the doors were able to gain admission. The members of the H«use awaited the report with the same feverish anxiety manifested by the puhlic. and there was scarcely a vacant seat on the floor. The verdict of the court and the mes­ sage from the White House accompany­ ing is brief. The report ns a whole is a for­ mal. dispassionate recital of facts, and bears the stamp of that strict officialism which marks uaval procedure. An ab- THE CONGRESSIONAL BATTERY IN ACTION, THE KING OF SPAIN. (From His Latest Photograph.) could it determine the nature and measure of its-full duty in the matter." "The usual procedure was followed, ns In all cases of casualty or disaster te> oational vessels of any maritime state. "A naval court of Inquiry was at once or­ ganized. composed of officers well qualified by rank and practical experience to dis­ charge the onerous duty imposed upon tliom. Aided by a strong force of wreckers and divers t'he conrt proceeded to make a thor­ ough Invostisation on the spot, employing every available means for the impartial and exact determination of the causes of the ex­ plosion. Its operations have been conduct­ ed with the utmost deliberation and: Judg­ ment, and. while Independently pursued, no source of information was neglected and the fullest, opportunity was allowed for a simul­ taneous Investigation by the Spanish author­ ities. "The finding of the conrt of inquiry was reached after twenty-three days of continu­ ous labor. <m the 21st of March, instant, and having been approved on the 22d by the com­ mander in chief of the United States naval force on the North Atlantic station was transmitted to the executive. It is here­ with laid l>efore the Congress, together with the voluminous testimony taken before tho court." The President then gave a brief synopsis of the board's report, with the conclusions- reached, and concluded his message as fol­ lows: "I have directed that the finding of the- court of inquiry and the views of this Gov­ ernment -thereon be communicated to the- Government of lier Majesty, the Queen Re­ gent, and I do not permit myself to doubt that the sense of justice of the Spanish na­ tion will dictate a course or action suggested by honor and the friendly relations of the' two governments. "It will be the duty of the Kxecntlve to advise the Congress of the result and' hi the meantime consideration is Invoked. When the rending of the document was completed the Senate agreed to the print­ ing of the message, report and testimony and the reference of the documents to the- Committee on Foreign Affairs. Both houses then adjourned. side. A mtauto examination of the bottom of the harbor around the vessel shows abso­ lutely no sign of the action of a torpedo and the fiscal (judge advocate) of the commission can find no precedent for the explosion of the storage magazines of a vessel by a tor­ pedo. • ; From the Front. Capt.. €'. I>. Slgsbee has been assigned to duty as aid to Secretary Long. Merchants of Barcelona have offered the Spanish Government $40,000,000 to be used in case- of a war. Spanish military engineers are starting for the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands are being fortified. Italy has decided to se!I the armored cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi of 6.S40 tons, and well armored,, to Spain.. The remains of Lient. F. W. Jenkins, of tine- Maine, were Interred at Pittsburg with military and civic honors. Secretary Long has detailed officers to com­ mand all the auxiliary torpedo boats recently added1 to the naval service. All the shipyards on the lakes may be start­ ed! to full blast In case the war with Spain lasts more than four months. The United States naval attaches at the various European centers are endeavoring tt. purchase more torpedo boats. The Navy Department has issued instruc­ tions to transfer twenty cadets from Ann­ apolis-to the battleship Indiana. There are over 2,000 men at work In the Brooklyn navy yard and operations continue without intermission day and night. The steamship Utsteln sailed from New Or­ leans for Matanzas, loaded with 600 tons of provisions for the starving recoucentrados. At Harvard College Dean Hodges, the uni­ versity preacher, read special prayers for the President of t-lie United States and Congress. Orders have been given to remove from all the war vessels lit the Key West harbor all surplus baggage and unnecessary parapher­ nalia. Fqrelgu bankers are evidently becoming alarmed for the safety of their funds In Havana branches and are withdrawing them to-New York. Gov. Black, of New York.^ent to the Leg­ islature an emergency message advising an immediate appropriation of $1,000,000 as a contingent war fund. The Madrid Pals says that orders have been Issued to mobilize all the Spanish war­ ships and that a second torpedo squadrjn is being prepared for sea at Cadiz. The Dupont powder mills have. received urgent orders from Washington to use every possible means to furnish the Government with smokeless powder without delay. The, life-saving crews of all Government stations on the Atlantic coast have been notified to hold themselves In readiness to enter the naval service at a moment's notice. The^work on the cannons now In process of completion at the Washington navy yard Is being pushed with all the haste possible. More than 500 men have been added to the force. Many.applications are being received at the War Department from small towns along the .coast for the erection of some means of de­ fense to withstand the assaults of foreign ships In the event of war. It was commonly reported In Havana that on a declaration of war on Spain being made by the United -States a wholesale murder of Americans In Havana would take place and Consul General Lee would be the first to be- s assassinated. The Government coal fleet. lx>und for the- Gulf, that tied up just below Louisville, w.isw ordered by the Secretary of the Navy to pro­ ceed at once, and at all hazards. The coal is. for the use of the United States navy at Key West. The fleet carries nearly 2,000,000) bushels of coal. The approach of the Spanish torpedo flo­ tilla caused the Government to make a tre­ mendous effort to secure all the available supply of searchlight mirrors In the world**. ' markets. The search light offers the most ; effective defense against these torpedo craft. , vvhlch are dangerous ouly when they cannot , be seen. ; The Ohio River Flood. olution recognized the independence of the Cuban republic. Ituwiins (Utah) offered one declaring a state of war between Spain and the United States.. A»lleu (Neb.) offered one recognizing independence and. Senator Foraker said he would insist up­ on early consideration of .his resolution.. Mason (111.) followed the introduction of the resolutions in the Senate with a vigorous war speech. He described viv­ idly the disaster to the Maine; He sai(d. | that if ninety of the victims-had been Sen­ ators or sons of Senators we would not have been forty days declaring war. Yet the lives of all Americans- were sacred alike under our law and equally entitled to consideration. Mr. Mason said the ca­ tastrophe should be replied: to* vigorously. He could not speak for others, but for himself he was for war. This declaration brought out a vigorous- outburst of ap­ plause from the galleries-. T^he. Illinois Senator declared there could be no peace so long as a European nation owns and butchers its slaves on this hemisphere. He said it was not nec­ essary for the Majno court to fix the re- sponsibilitayt1 The law. did that. If it was a torpedo or a mine it was a Spanish torpedo or a Spanish mine. Hence Spain must ansWef." He \vouId oppose any pro­ position looking-to indemnity, as he would oppose making a diplomatic incident of the catastrophe.- He would oppose any kind ,pf autonomy or any plan to- assist Spain^ but his demand was that the Span­ ish flag should be driven from the western hemisphere. Neither did he believe Cuba should ht» required to pay an indemnity to Spain. "We are told," he said, "we THINK SPAIN GUILTY, PRESIDENT M'KINLEY, Members of Congress Say the Verdict la a Moral Indictment. The consensus of opinion in the lower house of Congress is that Spain is under moral indictment for responsibility, in greater or lesser degree, in the Maine dis­ aster. The report of the naval court of inquiry and the President's message have evoked many public declaration^ in favoc of prompt and vigorous intervention in Cuba. and< the majority- rn the House shows impatience for further steps by President McKinley. Neither Speaker Reed, Mr. Dingley, the floor leader of the majority, nor .Mr., Bailey, the Democratic leader of the House, would make any com­ ment on the President's njfessage. Other members, however, were not so reticent. Their views follow: ! Warner (111.)--Wc should now act. Livingston (Ga.)---The message reads like an apology. Hopkins (UL)T--I think the next step should be armed intervention. Hull (Iowa)--I favor immediate interven­ tion in Cuba by this country. Babcoek (Wis.)--The President has been very conservative in his action. DOckery (Mo.)--I confess to a deep sense of disappointment at Its tenor. Cooper (Texas)--We cannnot afford to ac­ cept blood money for dead patriotic sailors. MeCleary (Mian.)--The report Is not full enough to warrsmt one In stating a final opin­ ion. Bell (Colo.)--The people should demand that Spain negative all responsibility or neg­ lect at once. Jett (111.)--Intervention Is wanted by the people, and nothing short of It will be satis­ factory to them. Quigg (N. Y.)--War Ss hideous ami should be resorted to only when no other course is possible In justice and self-respect. Landls (Ind.)--I am iu favor of ordering Spain out of the western hemisphere^ and if 1 she does not go I am in favor of putting her • out. ' i McMlllln (Tenn.)--The message Is thor- > oughly noncommittal, and does not acquaint Congress with the policy of the adminlstra- ". tlon. Sayers (Texas)--I will not vote for an ap­ propriation to furnish food for the suffering Cubans unless it be accompanied by armed Intervention. Ciimmlngs (N. Y.)--I have no comment to make. The American people will make their own comment, and make it so loud that even the deaf will hear them. Dolllver (Iowa)--Our duty to end the mis­ ery in Cuba by whatever means neces­ sary Is plain. I hope tlmt there will be no hesitation and little delay.' ...f Foss (111.)--The report fails to fix the re­ sponsibility, but It will be difficult to make the American people believe that Spain did not have something to do with It. Cnrtls (Kan.)--I think the time has come to recognize the independence of Cuba,- to notify Spain that its iuhuinan policy must cease at once or this government will inter­ vene. •- ltussell (Conn.)--Congress and the country ought to receive this message of the Presi­ dent and the report as the forerunner of some decisive action, delayed only for two or some time prior to the . visit of the reasons--first, to exhaust every effort to pre- le to Havana harbor, our consular rep- serve peace with honor to ourselves and Jus- Jtattves pointed out the advantages to tlce to Cuba, and, second, to prepare most from the visit of national ships to the effectively for ww. » llP:sV:' \ V•: ' ;:.'V stract of the eight parts of the report is here given: 1. At the time of the explosion the battleship Maine was lying in five and one-half to six fathoms of ! water. i 2. The discipline was excellent. Everything was stowed according 1 to orders, including ammunition, ' guns, and stores. The temperature of the magazines at 8 p. m. was nor­ mal, jexcept in the after 10-inch magazine, and that did not explode. 3. The explosion occurred at 9:40 o'clock in the evening of Feb. 15. There were two explosions, with a very short interval between them. The ship lifted on the first explo­ sion. 4. The court can form no defipite opinion of the condition of the wreck from the divers' evidence. 5. There are technical details of wreckage, from which the court de­ duces that a mine was exploded onder the ship on the port side. 6. The explosion was due to no fault of those on board. 7. In the opinion of the court the explosion of the mine caused the explosion of two magazines. 8. The court is unable to find evi­ dence to fix the responsibility. The report is unanimous and is signed by all the members of the court. It does not refer to the existence or nonexistence of the mine in the harbor of Havana, ex­ cept in the specific finding that a mine was exploded under the ship and the opinion that the explosion of the two magazines was caused by the explosion of a mine. This explains the remarkable destruction wrought. The explosion is thus shown to have combined the force of a mine with­ out and two magazines within. The two explosions which the court finds to have occurred, with a very short interval be­ tween them, is an additional detail show­ ing that two forces operated in causing I the destruction.. The feature of the report of deepest in­ terest to the navy is the complete exon­ eration of Captain Sigsbee "and all on board, contained in the second finding, setting forth the perfect order and discip­ line prevailing on the ship, and more di­ rectly stated in the sixth finding, which declares the disaster to be due to no fault of those on board. Message by McKinley. In sending the verdict of the naval court to Congress President McKinley accom­ panied it with a brief message. He re­ viewed the history of the Maine from the time she was sent to Havana, but made no recommendations to the assembled law­ makers. Iu his message the President RESENT RELIEF PLANS Spaniards "Will lntci-pret Their Execu­ tion as- Intervention. The Madrid Imparcial says that if the proposition attributed to the United States to send a warship with relief for the re- concentrados next week proves true, Spain will interpret the act as one of in­ tervention which would be intolerable. The Madrid correspondent of the Lon­ don Standard says that the following is the substance of Spain's reply to the note presented by Minister Woodford: "The Spanish reply, which is couched in firm language, stated that the Govern­ ment cannot agree to the conclusions the American Government has ijrawn from inaccurate information that does not tally with the recent activity and progress of military operations in Cuba, and the visi­ ble popularity and progress of the new colonial institutions, which have been loy­ ally accepted and supported, by even old adversaries of home rule. Spain cannot, naturally, admit the interference which is foreshadowed in the American note, and deprecates the sending of official relief and war vessels to Cuba as being the very elements that have retarded the progress of the Spanish rule in the island. "Spain reminds the United States of all the concessions she has made to preserve cordial relations and conciliate America, the last proof being her willingness to sub­ mit the conflicting commission reports to arbitration. In conclusion, the Spanish reply shows that the Government believes that it has reached the extreme limit of concessions compatible with the honor and dignity of Spain, and will not admit en­ croachments on her rights of sovereignty in the West Indies." SAGASTA RETAINS HIS POWER. LibeTdls Win in Spanish Parliament)"- ary Flections. The Spanish parliamentary elections that were held Sunday went by a large majority in favor of the Liberals, tho paa- ty now in power. Very little interest was manifested in' Madrid and the polling booths wore elinost deserted. Most all the candidates elected there are Liberals. Itiots are reported from many places, troubles being fomented by the socialists. This was especially the case in the prov­ inces of Biscay, Navarre, Catalonia and Valencia. At Durango, in the province of Biscay, oije man was killed. It is esti­ mated that the Government won 300 of the 432 seats in.-the Chamber of Deputies. Spain is said to have bought from Italy the armored cruiser Varese. A SPANISH TOKrEDO BOAT. must wait on the Spanish elections, but if Spanish. elections are as rotten as Span­ ish diplomacy we had better not wait. Let us awake," said Mr. Mason, in conclu­ sion, "to glorious war, as did our fathers-- a war that shall insure the honor and re­ spect of our flag all over the world." N- A storm has been gathering in Con­ gress. Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning before the cabinet met the Presi­ dent was given to understand by leaders in Congress that unless he intervened soon he would have the matter taken out of his hands by Congress, which body has the right to declare war. The President has considered every conceivable plan looking toward peace, but Congress will hear noth­ ing but intervention for Cuban indepen­ dence. A Senator who is conservative made the statement that the President would be compelled to iutervene for inde­ pendence whether he wished to or not. The revolt in tho House against further postponement of action on the Cuban issue culminated in a conference of Republican members whose ideas are in accordance with a positive course. About fifty repre­ sentatives attended, representing all sec­ tions. Representative Hopkins of Illinois, a member of the Ways and Means Coin- ^ mittee, presided, and Representative Joy IBfplV of Missouri was secretary. The meeting ~wf-^Mlir was called to take steps to secure imme- diate intervention in some form and the recognition of Cuban independence. d It was pointed out that while it was fit that the executive should be given, as he had been, a reasonable time within which • ^ to advise, it was exclusively the fuuc- tion of Congress to declare war, commence' -- hostilities or tak» action of that,,character. Scene in Fulton street, Cincinnati. Th^remarkfj mafle carried the view that where people are obliged to get about in « mere recognition of belligerency was boats. KEY WEST, FLORIDA.

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy