Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1898-04-15
for it is right at our door.

government there can or will oeraSn
to that end terminate the conditionur, ~
deprive them of legal protection uS
Third-The right to intervene
Justlneu by the very serious injury IN
commerce., trade n business of on
pie and by the wanton destruction ~ "
erty and devastation of the island rf
Fourth-And which ls of fore,nou
portance, the condition of affairs in NJ
is a constant menace to our neaca "
entails upon this government enormor. az
pense. With such a conflict wa gad y
years in an island so near us and with nil.
our people have such trade and hrs,n'
relations-when the lives and libertv ],
our citizens are In constant danger
property destroyed and themselves rnin oai'
when our trading vessels are liable IN ~.
ure and are seized at our very door bv ~.
ships of a foreign nation, the expeditio.,
of flibustering that we are power,es. .
prevent altogether, and the Irritating an,
lions and entanglements thus arlsinp-,n
these and others are a constant menace ~
our peace and tend to keep us on a VA.
footing with that nation with which we a.
at peace.
The Maine Incident.
These elements of danger and disori,,
already pointed out have been strIkjnev
Illustrated by a tragic event which Ia,
deeply and justly moved the America
people' 7 have already transmitted in cor' /.
gress the reDort, of the naval court of N.
quiry on the destruction of the battle-shh
Maine in the harbor of Havana during tbs
night of the 18th of February, The d.
struction of that nobl vessel has fila
the national heart with inexpressible hor.
ror; 25S brave sailors and marines and
ohicers of our navy, repos!ng in the fan.
cied security of a friendly harhor hav.
hneD hnrlal IN death Criof ,rJ ,..-.
brought to their homes and sorrow to the
nation.
The naval court of inquiry, which, II d
needless to say, commands the unuualifei
confidence of the government, was unaD.
imous in its conclusion that the destruc.
ton of the Maine was caused by an ey.
terror explosion, and also by a submariD
mine. 1t did not assume to place the re.
sponsibility. That remains to be fixed. In
any event, the destruction of the Maine
by whatever exterior cause, is a patent and
impressive proof of a state of things in
Cuba that is intolerable. That condition
is thus shown to be such that the Spanish
government cannot assure safety and Sc
curly to a vessel of the American navy
IN the harbor of Havana on a mission of
peace, and rightfully reference in this con.
nection is made to recent diplomatic cor.
respondence.
A dispatch from u minister to Spain
of the Goth ultimo contained that the
Spanish minister for foreign affairs as
sured him positively that Spain will do all
that the highest honor and Justice re-
quire In the matter of the Maine.
The reply also referred to of the 3lst
ultimo also contained an expression OF
the readiness of Spain to submit to arbl-
tratinD all the 1iffarap,o, y,lf,l 49,. ,ui,o
IN this matter, which is subsequently ex-
planned by the note of the Spanish minis
ter at Washington of the 10th inst, as
follows:
A to the question of fact which
springs from the diversified views between
representatives of the American and the
Spanish boards, Spain proposes thai the
TACT be ascertained by an impartial in
v~estigation by experts, which decision
spain accepts in advance. To this l have
made no reply"
Another Precedent.
President Grant, in 1875, in discussing the
purposes of the Cuban contest as it then
appeared, and the hopeless and apparent
indefinite prolongation of such event, said:
1 am OF the opinion that other nations
VIII be compelled to assume the RESPONSE
oility which devolves Upon them, and to
seriously consider the only remaining
measures INSTRUMENTATION and inter-
Vention. Owing, perhaps, to the large ex-
panse of water separating the island from
the peninsula, the contending parties APP
pear TO nave within themselves no depos-
ltory of common confidence to suggest
wisdom when passion and excitement
nave their sway, and thus assume the
of peacemaker."
IN THIS view in the early days of the con-
test the good offices of the United States
as the mediator were rendered in good
ialth without any selfish purpose in the
interest of humanity and sincere friend
snip for both parties, but were at the time
declined by Spain with the declaration,
nevertheless, that at a future time they
would De indispensable. No intimation has
oeen received that in the opinion of Spain
ina mat tipe has been eached yet the
stF!le continues with all its dread horrors
and Its injuries to the United States and
otner nations. Each party seems quite.
capap.e or working great injury and dam
age TO the other as well as to all the rela-
lions ana interests dependent on the exist.
ence of peace in the island; but they
seem incapable of reaching any agreement.
ana poth have thus far failed of achieving
and success whereby one party shall pos
sess and control the island to the exclu-
sion of the other.
NN iSuliiSldllC6S the agency OF
others, either by mediation or by inter-
Vention, seems to be the only alternative
which must sooner or later be involved
Tor the termination of the strife.
In the last annual message of my i'm
heulate predecessor during the pending
struggle, it was said:
"When the inability of Spain to deal
successfully with the Instruction has be-
come manifest, and if demonstrated that
her sovereignty is extinct In Cuba, for all
of its rightful existence, and
when a hopeless struggle for its re-estab-
lishment has degenerated into the strife
which means nothing more than the use
less sacrifice of human life and the utter
destruction of the very subject-matter of
me conflict, a situation will be presented in
MHtch our ooiigations to the sovereignty
of Spain will be superseded by higher OBJ