The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-03-15
Two PHASES OF
CUBAN QUESTION
Shall Maine Inquiry Become DipIO-
matte Incident.
THE sPANIARDs INDIFFERENT
SitSstion 10 caba II Ons Of rsfsl, sis e.
Trying to Feed the Stsning-con-
sois Affected.

New York. March IA Tribune dis
patch from Havana says
J Two distinct phases Of the Cuban ques-
. ton are nov before the American people.
/ One h whether the Maine inquiry shall
become "a diplomatic Incident between
the two governments subject 10 the usual
course when an international dispute
arises over facts. the other phase Is the
military and pohlical condition Of the
island with reference 10 Intervention.
Captain Sampson and hls associates. by
prolonging the Investigation Tor weeks
must nnd much further cumulative evi-
dcncr 0f an external explosion. The COM
{ rarltiyely narrow space In which the d.
I vers are now working continues 10 fur
nlsh proofs Of an explosion from without
but this leading fact was established two
weeks ago. The clearing away Of the de-
bris added little 90 the knowledge nrst
obtained. The belief that the Maine was
Blown up by a torpedo Is held By experts
who have watched the progress Of the
Inquiry. This brings the naval court 10
the most dlfiicult part Of lts task. Under
Admiral Slcard's instructions the board
IS TO report what persons, not connected
with the navy. are responsible for the
loss ~ the Maine. With what is conclu-
slye evidence to the minds Of the members
that the loss was due 10 foul play. they
are siill without conclusive proof OF the
Identity OF the conspirators. That the ex-
Ilosion was not the work OF a single IA
matte Is well established Beyond this the
board may not be able to go, because the
cooperation OF the Spanish government
cannot be had so long as Spain holds to
the theory OF accident.
Since Captain Peral. the president Of
the Spanish board gave out his interview
that Is accepted as the Spanish official
view. no help can be expected from the
authorities In discovering the conspirator.
while they are claiming that there could
have been no conspiracy because the
Maine explosion WAS due to a mysterious
accident.
An analysis OF Captain Perals theory
need not be given here. IL is enough that
II his scheme Of raising the huh by means |
OF the floating dock was feasible. months |
would pass before the final report could |
be made, The mud at the bottom has not !
prevented the American divers from maxi |
lug an examination OF portions of the |
wreck which the board thought neces- |
sary The perfunctory labors OF the Span
ish divers have not prevented them from !
finding uneXplodcd ammunition In parts |
OF the ship which an internal explosion
could have hardly left ii intact They
have also discovered that the turret was
blown from port TO starboard along with
other incidental evidence of an external
explosion. Nevertheless no admission OF
the possibility OF foul play will come from
the Spanish board. The matter as now
presented is that the American court,
while probably not feeling justified in at
tributing suspicion as to the parties to the
conspiracy, has sifted the evidence which
its members are ready to submit to the
world in support OF the claim that the
Maine was destroyed by foul play.
When that evidence shall be made pub
lie 1t can be judged better In Washington
than In Havana.
General Blanco's autonomist govern
mont, so far as an autonomist govern
ment exists, is rejecting the Instructions
from Madrid Encouraging resistance 10
American Intervention on the grounds
laid down in the presidents message.
Abstracts OF Minister Morets speech are
published here and all classes are ex-
horted to unite No result follows. be-
raus, while Spain might be deceived by
he colonial minister's pretenscns, the
people Of Cuba cannot be misled. The
lain that the Spanish arms are making
progress only draws attention to the fail c
IRE OF the military operations and to the ,
lnowledse that In what little lighting is I
going on the Insurgents are generally :
successful, Senator Proctor carried back
,ome clear ideas regarding the military
They nay I've useful to the ad-
and to his colleagues In the
enate. Two months ago the decision of :
he conservative party to take part in s
he elections might have had influence. r
low II is of little consequence, because I
while at that time the prospects existed I
hat autonomy might last till after the I
lection Of Cuban congress, its possi- I
illty no longer exists. The government 4
proposition was that it should have two $
birds of the congress and the conserva-
ives one third. Notwithstanding the ac- a
ion of their central committee, the mass Il
+ the intransigeants bitterly resent the n
cheme and eXhort one another to re-
use all participation in the government
o long as autonomy is not repudiated,
hey denounoe Apezteguia and his follow
rs as traitors to the Spanish governments n
he intransigeant newspapers complain u
( the press censorship and ask General II
'lanco to modify 1t so that the questions $
imposed to be at issue in the elections p
nay be freely discussed They will not "
e gratihed, AZ
The political and military condition of :
panlsh sovereignty in cuba today is de- y
crlbed In a single word. 1t is a condition
paralysis and the United States is
ceiling against the United States as u
dge of the desperate situation apparent
? is nerving the official classes to excite -
ceiling gaalnst the United States as
leans of covering up their internal weak
ess. The presence OF the Spanish war
hips serves tins purpose. 81
The bah at the casino in honor of the 81
Ulcers of the oquendo and Vizcaya gives t,
n opportunity for an exhibition of 10y a.
lty fully as intense as that shown by Il
he populace when the ships arrived. The Il
ress censorship does not interfere with Of
he writer and other papers exhorting &C