The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-17
"THE TRAITOR WITHIN THE
GATES

On one or two occasions The Herald
has called special attention to the
necessity of carefully watching all
persons suspected of being spies and
suggested that it would be a good idea
TO expel all Spaniards from the coun-
try. The Herald has pointed out what
the spies were doing and shown that in
all probability the blowing up of
powder mills in California and New
Jersey was their work. The subject is
an important one, one that attention
cannot be drawn to too much by the
press. The New York Tribune, under
the heading THE Traitor Within the
Gates" says:
Liberty has its penalties, and this
land of liberty is compelled to endure
them today. Open doors and extended
opportunities have brought cosmo
politan population hither. AS a rule,
the elements commingle, become as
simulated, and add to the strength of
the whole harmonious nation. But
some evil characters creep in, and on
occasions like the present some alien
sympathies become pernicious. In
that respect this country is at a de-
cided disadvantage compared with
Spain. There are not many persons
of Spanish nativity in the United
States. They are less numerous than
those from almost any other European
state. Yet they probably outnumber
Americans in Spain by more than a
hundred 10 one. OF course, no reflection
is to be cast upon them as a whole.
The majority of them are without
doubt loyal and devoted citizens of
this republic. Yet there is always the
possibility that among them are some
who turn from the new love back to
the bid and are ready to sacrifice the
interests of America to those of Spain.
Already several instances of traitor
Gus conduct have appeared. A woman
in California has written to the Span
ish prime minister a letter simply
crammed with treason of the grossest
kind. That precious missive has
happily been intercepted, and we shall
probably have no more trouble from
that source. A man has been detected
aboard one of our warships engaged in
sending secret information to Spanish
agents in Canada, and is now under
trial and bids fair to be convicted of
being a Spanish spy. And there are
others, whose designs have been de-
tected and baffled. Whether or not
they are all Spaniards by nativity does
not appear. They are Spaniards at
anu lilt iAbGi al Sy SlCiAl VI
this country they have been permitted
to live here and to enjoy the hospi-
tally, the protection and the prosperity
of the land against which they now
turn their treacherous hands. That is,
as we have said, a penalty which this
country has to bear and from which
Spain is exempt.
In the civil war in this country there
was some uncertainty as to the exact
definition of treason under the consti-
tuition. In the present case there can
be none. Spain is an enemy of the
United States, and adhering to her or
giving her aid and comfort is treason
to the United States. 1t is not to be
that there will be much
such villany, or that it will seriously
injure this nations cause. The chances
are that every traitor will be detected
and his treason baffled, and we are in
clined to think that in the present
of the nation he will not escape
the punishment due his crime.