The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-17
WE FEAR YOU ARE TOO HASIY, MIR.
GRESHAM

The Times has already said that IT
is incumbent on this Government to
investigate the facts concerning the al
legged firing by a Spanish gunboat on an
American steamer, and If they turn out
to be what Captain Crossman has rep
| resented them, to demand an apology for
| il from Spain. But the case should
have been carefully inquired into be-
fore any demand on Spain was made.
| This Government should have been sure
! of its facts before it assumed that an
American ship had been fired on. We
fear that Mr.. Gresham has been too
hasty in making the demand that he
! has made. The commander of the Span
/ ish war ship has not been heard from
! yet, and when he is heard from he may
| insist that he had no intention to fire
| on our ship at all. lie may claim that
his shots were intended to be shots fired
across her bows to request her to stop
| for a parley only, and that he had no
intention whatever TO fire on her i'll case
she d!sregarded his call to her. 1t Is
not probable that Captain Crossman
could have been mistaken about the mat
ter. still the Spaniard was entitle, to
a hearing.
When A United states man-of-war halt
ed an English steamer, the Trent, in 1861,
and forcibly took from her Messrs. Sill
del! and Mason, commander in the
English navy was aboard the Trent and
witnessed the act, and both he and the
captain made a written report Of it TO
the English Government. The facts OF
this case were so glaring that the Eng
lish Government considered the report
OF the captain and the commander suii-
cient proof of them to found its demand
on this Government upon. There did not
seem a possibility that 'here could be
any dispute about the facts. The first
move of the English Government in the
case was accordingly a demand upon
this Government that Mason and Slidell
should be given up and placed in the
custody of the English Minister to this
country, and that an apology
should be made to England for
the act of seizure. But, as we have
said, there was no possibility of there
being any mistake about the facts. The
American ship had halted the English
ship, had sent an officer and con-
siderable body of marines aboard her, and
the seizure had been made in the pres
ence of an English naval officer, of many
passengers. and of the ships officers and
crew. Investigation could hardly add to
the fullness of the proof that the Govern
ment had.
The Spaniards are a gentle and polite
people. but they are a very brave and
a very proud one. A peremptory de-
mand of the sort that Mr.. Gresham has
made will inevitably wound their sensi- |
biities very deeply, and whilst IL should |
have been made without regard tn |
their feelings, If their Government had |
authorized any such trespass upon the
rights of our citizens, as Captain Cross
man reports, yet there should have been
no possibility of doubt that the offence
had really been given. before Spain was
arraigned in the peremptory fashion that
has been applied to her.
of course, this country has no fear
OF war with Spain. We mean that
there is as little probability that we shan
have one as there is to apprehend any
serious results to ourselves ii one should
occur. But we are 10th to consider the
case from this standpoint The Spanish
nation has always been friendly to us.
II is an antiquated, but fine old people,
ana we know OF nothing that would cause
The Times greater regret than TO see
this Government assume the part OF a
bully towards Spain. to wound the feel
'ngs OF her people. and to hurt her ma
tional pride.