The herald., 1898-02-27
TORPEDO TALK
Begins to Affect British
Readers
WAR is NOT PROBABLE
BUT STILL THERE rs ROOM FOR
APPREHENSION
PUBLIC OPINION IN SPAIN
PUBLIC OPINION IN SPAIN
The London County Council Election
Gives Rise to Very Hot
Political Campaign
Associated Press Special Wire

/ LONDON, Feb. 26.-(Copyright 1SsS.)-
Sensational dispatches. purporting to re-
port alarmist utterances of President Nc
Kinley, Secretary Long and other omcisis
are beginning to affect public opinioh on
1 this side of the Atlantic. and create the
impression that possibly there may De
| truth in the reports which ailege that the
| loss of the Maine was not due to an acci-
dent. as at first believed here. Although
war between the United States ana SPAN
is still regarded as improbable the dispo-
| sition in the city Is to regard the apprehen-
| sion respecting Cuba as altogether exas-
| gerated. The Statist points out that this
is a grave mistake, "as, apart from senti-
| ment the material losses inflicted upon
| Americans by the anarchy in CUBA must
not be belittled."
| The Statist believes, however tha'
President Mckinley is strong enough 10
resist the pressure. and congratuiates MN
upon the firm and sta,esmanlike quaiilies
which the immediate Responsibilities VI MS
position have developed" and upon the
honorable and noble principles which NJ
enunciated at Philadelphia when he quoted
Washington.
AT the same time" continues the sta
| tist, I'VE realize that the president canhol
afford 10 quarrel with his supporters II the
| latter press war.
The Saturday Review is OF the opli.loi'
| that the affair is gravely threatening
and comments upon the silence OF the court
| of inquiry into the loss of the Maine as be-
| ing ..ominous" as in the nervous anxiety
| of President Mckinley and his ministers to
avoid a rupture with Spain, they wouia
| obviously have hastened TO publish any
thing which would help to stop the moaths
of Senators Mason and Allen, who with the
assistance of certain newspapers. are
yelling for instant war in the pest Ilhgo
| style
| Proceedins the Saturday Review re-
marks: secretary Sherman having been
silence6 by the simple process OF not al
lowing him to know anything. the eXecu-
tive has lately kept secrets ADMIRABLY
bur II is shrewdly suspected that the pa
cffic position of President Mckinley is
largely owing to the reports CT his naval
| advisers to the effect thai America is not
in condition TO go 70 Wa WIN SPAIN WIN
any certainty of an immediate and over
wre,minC success The Spanish fleet is
not 10 be despised. and South American re-
publics have not displayed any love for
| their north e,n sisters But all this will
NOT prevent the jingoes forcing the presi-
dents hand If a scrap of evidence impli-
eating The Cuban authorities becomes pub
| lie"
| The Spectator is certain that the United
Ststcs government whether moved by in
| formation from Europe or being only de-
| sirous Of peace is anxious 10 avoid war"
| Still. apart from the loss of the Maine,
the Spectator thinks that the narrowing
consular reports from Cuba may so fire the
| Americans that they will insist upon their
government ending such miseries within
| American waters
| The Spectator then proceeds to repeat the
reported war preparations in the United
States. and concludes:
| But grave persons everywhere in the
Union are waiting for evidence, and are
not inclined for war, unless the honor and
policy of the country really require it,"
| The Pail Mall Gazette this afternoon
saws: I'm spite of all manner of reports,
we cannot for the life of US see any imme-
date prospec. of war between Spain and
the United States. There is absolutely
no evidence that anything but an accident
| occurred Even those who stick to the
| torpedo explosion explanation confidently
attribute il to a fiendish and irresponsible
fanatic. In that case Spain would instantly
right herself by making amends. There
is one thing essential for the American
administrat tion-to keep its head, and that
ii seems TO be doing"
THE SPANISH PRESS
Advices here from Madrid show that
while the revolutionary organs such as