The copper country evening news., 1898-04-25
CLEANING UP HAVANA.
Important Work to Be Done In
That Foul Harbor.
AS SOON AS SPANIARDS ARE OUT.

Maine VIII Probably BE Raised aud the
Mystery of Her Destruction soIved--A
Lingering Suspicion That the Explosion
Was Internal-Mc McKinley's Opinion.
WASHINGTON, April 25. II Special. l-One
important task which the United States
government has before it is the cleaning
up of Havana in a way that will put
stop GO the rayages Of yellow fever there.
Yellow fever at Havana is a constant men,
ace to the health Of the people of our coun
try. The best we have been able TO do In
the past is TO guard against importation
of germs by enforcing rigid inspection and
quarantine regulations. No serious efforts
have ever been made by the Spanish au
thorities To remove the source of danger
which beyond doubt is the inexpressibly
foul harbor of Havana. The Spanish have
been content TO let this stand and tester
year after year and decade after decade
If the matter were left To them alone, it
would doubtless remain as it is for CEN
turies more. But the United States is a
different sort of government, and within
"a few weeks IL is believed new policy
will have been instituted in Havana.
Home of Yellow Fever.
One of the first things our government
proposes to do in Havana is TO clean out
that harbor. Yellow fever must be extir-
pated as measure of protection TO the in
terests OF our own people, to say nothing
Of Havana and Cuba, and the soldiers wa
may find it necessary to keep In the island
for a long time TO come. Engineers say
the harbor can be cleansed. Some years
ago an English firm offered TO clean the
harbor If the Spanish government would
give them what they found in the bottom
of the bay for their reward. The govern
ment would not do IL, probably because it
believes the traditions that buried in the
mud of the barbor is vast wealth in gold
and precious stones and metals, lost there
during tho last three centuries. Besides
the Spanish could not see that much was
to be gained by going through such an ex-
pensive and troublesome process as clean
ing out a barbor
just how the harbor Is to be cleaned
does not as yet appear One suggestion
has been made that tho narrow entrance
between MORO and Punta forts be Golfer
damned and all the water within the har-
Dor proper be pumped out, enabling scows
and scavengers to literally sorape out the
rotten debris which now makes this pretty
bay the drtiest in the world. But to do
this, while perhaps possible as an engi
neering feat, would surely threaten Ha-
vana with epidemic of the most deadly
type during the progress of the work, be-
sides stopping business and navigation for
long time. The most likely method is
to dredge the harbor bottom thoroughly,
employing American energy and machin-
cry and sticking to it till the nasty hole
had been completely cleaned out.
Euture of Cuba
Aside from the question of war. many
of our public mel have been giving atten-
ton to the future of Cuba. They realize
that we have pretty large task before us
In that island. To get the Spaniards out
is, of course, the first thing, but after that
stable government must be set up, the
hundreds of thousands of destitute people
must be fed and put back upon their till
age acres so that they may recover their
lost farms and support themselves and
their families. There are railroads to re-
construct, bitches to dig, harbors to clean,
docks to repair, waterworks systems
to renovate, schools to build and all
manner of things to be done or to be
started going at least before 1t can be
fairly said the United States has performed
the full measure of its duty In Cuba. II
the United States sticks to its task in the
way in which 1t usually sticks to anything
It undertakes, in five years the Cubans
will not know their own country and will
bless the day the Yankees took hold Of 1t.
l should not be surprised II one result
of American occupation of Havana was q
recovery of the battleship Maine from the
ooze of the harbor in which 1t Is fast sink
ing. There Is In Washington still the most
intense desire to know all Of the truth
f.nlt &t..S
never shall know 1t until the Maine Is
raised bodily by means of immense Golfer
dams built around her distorted and dis
membered parts. To do this would cost a
great deal of money, and yet believe the
American congress would gladly vote the
appropriation with which to do 1t. The
destruction of the Maine burned and bored
it's impress deep into the hearts and minds
of the American people, and as long as
there is possibility of restoring the ship
to life believe congress will be disposed
to authorize the necessary expenditure.
The Maine Catastrophe.
Probably It is not generally known that
among naval experts there is still a linger-
ing suspicion that the Maine blew up in
ternally. 1t Is not popular to say SO, and
therefore one rarely hears this suspicion
voiced in any official circles here. But I
know IL to be fact that q considerable
number Of men whose training and expert
ence constitute them good judges of such
affairs are not satisfied Spanish crime de-
stroyed the ship. My own belief Is very
strong that Spanish officers, sympathizing
with Weyler and wanting to bring on u
row that would put an end to Sagasta and
to Blanco, committed the crime, and I
have so believed ever since the explosion.
But it is only fair to say that this opinion,
while general, though held by nine men
out of ten, is not universal. There are ex-
ceptions, and among these exceptions are
men whose Judgment and sincerity are
both entitled to respect.
The truth appears to be that the manner
In which the Maine met her fate Is one of
the mysteries of our times, and as n mys-
terry should be cleared up. In case 1t be-
comes necessary for tho United States to
clean out Havana harbor after taking pos
session of the city In tho name of freedom
and humanity, that would afford good
Onportunitv for solving onca for all the