Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-04-15

4
to guide the eventual settlement. Tho
! grounds for such intervention may he
. briefly summarized as follows:
= First-In the cause of humanity
and to put an end To the barbarities,
! bloodshed, starvation and horrible
miScrles now existing there, and which
, the parties to the conflict are each I'M
; able or unwilling to stop or mitigate.
, 1t is no answer to say this is all in an
, other country, belonging to another
nation, and is therefore none of our
business. 1t is expressly or duty, for
it is right ut our door.
', Sccond-We owe it to our citizens
in Cuba to afford them that protection
=. and indemnity for life and property
which no government there can or will
f afford, and to that end terminate the
conditions that deprive them Of legal
protection.
Third-The right to intervene may
be justified by the very serious injury
to commerce. the business of our peo-
, pie, and by the wanton destruction Of
property and devastation of the island.
Fourth, and most important-The
present condition of affairs in Cuba is
IA constant menace to our peace, and
entails upon this government enormous
expense. With such conflict waged
for years in an island so near to us and
which our people have such trade and
business relations, where the lives and
liberty of our citizens are in constant
menace, endangering our peace, their
property destroyed and they them
selves ruined when our trading vessels
are liable to seizure at our very door
by warships of foreign nation; the ex-
petitions of iilibustering that we are
powerless to prevent altogether and
the irritating questions and entangle-
ments thus arising all these and
others are a constant menace to our
peace, and compel us to keep on
semi-war footing with that nation
with which we are ut peace.
DESTRUCTION OF THE MAINE.
These elements of danger and dis
order already pointed out have been
strikingly illustrated by a tragic event
which has deeply and justly moved
the American people. l have trans
mitted to Congress the report of the
naval court of inquiry on the dcstruc-
ton of the battleship Maine in the
harbor of Havana during the night of
the 18th of February. The destruc.
ton of that noble vessel has filled the
national heart with inexpressible
horror. Two hundred and sixty-six
brave sailors and marines and two
officers of our navy reposing in
the fancied security of friendly har-
Dor have been hurled to death, grief
and want brought to their homes and
sorrow to the nation.
The naval court of inquiry which, it
is needless to say, commands the UNI
qualified confidence of the government,
was unanimous in its conclusion that
the destruction of the Maine was
caused by an exterior explosion, that
of n submarine mine. 1t did not as
sumo to place the responsibility. That
remains to be fixed.
In any event, the destruction Of the
Maine, by whatever exterior cause, is
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 security to a
vessel OF the American navy in the
harbOr of Havana on mission Of
peace and rightfully there.
Further referring in this connection
to recent diplomatic correspondence,
dispatch from our minister to Spain |
Of the 26th nit, contained the state
ment that the Spanish minister for |
foreign affairs assured him positively |
that the Spanish will do all that the |
highest honor and justice required in
the matter of the Maine. The reply |
above referred to Of the 3lst ult., also !
contained an expression of the readi-
ness of Spain to submit to arbitration
OF all the differences which can arise in |
this matter which is subsequently ex-
planned by the note of the Spanish |
minister at Washington of the 10th |
inst. rs follows:
las the question of fact which springs |
from the diversified views of the Ameri- |
can and the Spanish boards. Spain prf
impartial investigation by experts, which |
decision Spain accepted In advance"
To this have made no reply.
GRANT FOREsAw THE END.
President Grant, in 1875, in dis
cussing the purposes of the contest as
it then appeared and its hopelessness
and apparent indefinite prolongation,
said:
lin such event, am of the opinion |
that other nations will be compelled to
Is sumo the responsibility which deyOlves |
uTOn them and TO seriously consider the |
only remaining measures possible, media |
ton and intervention. Owing. perhaps, |
to the large expanse of water separating |
the island from the peninsula, the con.
tending parties appear to have within |
themselves no depository of common |
confidence to suggest wisdom when |
| passion and excitement have their sway, |
and thus assume the part of peace
maker"
In this view, in the early days of |
the contest, the good offices of the
United States as mediator were |
rendered in good faith, without any
selfish purpose, in the interest of
humanity and sincere friendship for |
both parties, but were at the time de.
clined by Spain, with the declaration,
nevertheless, that at a future time !
they would be indispensable. No in
timation has been received that in the |
opinion of Spain that time has been
reached, yet the strife continues with |
all its dread horrors and its injuries to
the United States and other nations. |
Each party seems quite capable OF
working great injury and damage the
other, as we'll Us to all the relations
and interests dependent on the ex-
istence of peace in the island but
they seem incapable of reaching any
adjustment and both have thus far
failed of achieving any success where
by one party shall possess and con-
troll the island to the exclusion OF the |
other. Under the circumstances, the
agency of others. either by mediation
or by Intervention, seems to be the