Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1898-02-03
THE SITUATION In CUBA.

AS the Atlanta Journal says,
the public excitement in the I'm
tied States and in Spain owe the
presence of the United States bat
tleship Maine in Cuban waters
does not seem to have communi-
Gated itself to the populace of Ha-
vana.
Press dispatches tell of the cour-
teous if not friendly greeting given
to the officers of the American
warship, and Consul-G General Lee
has cabled that call is WE'LL"
The administration strenuously
seeks to show that the dispatching
of the Maine to HAVANA has no
hostile significance. That her pres
ence is due solely to the maratime
custom which has always prevail
ed among nations, and that 1t is
more in consonance with friendship
than hostility.
Be this as it may, the Ameri~
can people prefer to believe. and
in SO doing their opinion of the
present administration is some
what heightened, that the Maine
is now in Havana Earbor because
American lives and American
property may at any moment be
put in jeopardy by the %excitable,
headless mobs of Havana which
have recently given evidence Of
their power, or rather the lack of
power of the present Captain-Gen-
eral Blanco, to put them down.
The Journal recently had on the
island a reliable and enterprising
correspondent. He showed very
strikingly the unsettled condition
of affairs in. Havana, and while
he truthfully pointed out that not
one anti-American move was
made during the recent disturbance,
it is easy to suppose that the next
time the mob moves its fury will he
directed against the people of that
nation considered by the Spanish,
especially the Spanish soldiery, as
being most implacable in their ha-
tired and detestation Of them.
From any point of view, the
sending of the Maine to Havana
was a wise thing to do, and one
which should be commended by all
the people of this country.
Taken in connection with Pres
Ment McKinley's references to
Cuba in his last message and the
recent speech of Chairman HIT,
of the foreign affairs committee,
some are apt to regard the United
States and Spain as being on the
verge of war.
This does not seem to be a reas
enable conclusion, at least not one
justified by the facts OF the situa-
ton.
Spain, it must be remembered,
is now n of the most helpless of
the European nations. Her treas
ury is empty, her navy Is in bad
shape and her army a d%isorgan-
lied rabble. The present govern
ment is contending with hostile
factions at home, and its foreign
possessions are held by a slender
thread.
Under such conditions the
Spaniards feel that it Is not safe to
provoke us. Their minister at
Washington DISCUSSES his real sen
timents, and the high officials of
his government pretend that the
Maine is a welcome visitor at Ha-
vana. Under the surface, how
ever, the old Spanish hatred Of the
American blazes as fercely as
ever, and if Spain could command
the support of one first class Eu-
ropean power she would give Us
trouble.
n AS it is, Uncle Sam is too for
midable to trife with, and when
the NEEDLES with Cuban affairs
he naughty dons make the best
of the situation, and profess them
selves ready to swear eternal
friendship.
AS long as Spain has posses
sion Of Cuba-according to the
diplomatic usage of the world
the probability of American ins
tetventien or interference is re-
HOW To FIND OUT.