The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-02-24
THE MORAL OF THE MAINE DISAS-
TER.

The Atlanta Constitution is not Of
those who believe the blowing up OF
the battleship Maine in Havana har-
Dor the result of an accident. 1t
says:
There is every reason TO believe hai
the annihila,ion ofthe battleship Maine
and the deplorable loss Of life result
ing the,efrom are the direct outcome
of Spanish treachery. No dlrt CT
charge Of that nature has yet heen
made but discoveries have been made
which 60 far toward justifying the su5-
picions which the American people
naturally entertain.
But whatever discovery has been
or may be hereafter made with respect
to the destruction Of the Maine, there
can be no doubt in honest men s
minds that the Republican adminis'Fa-
ton, with its temporizlng, half-hear'ei
and wholly unrepresentative Spanish
policy, IS directly responsible for the
loss Of the Maine, and fox the ftr
more deplorable loss Of life which &C
companied the disaster. Il is need
less to mince words in this matter.
Whether the loss Of the Maine, with
two hundred and hfty-three men, Is
due to Spanish treachery, or to some
inexplicable accident, the adninis''a
ton is morally responsible for it.
IF the desires Of the American pen-
pie had been carried out-if even the
pledges Of Mr. McKinley's party mad
been fulfilled, tie Maine would NJ,
have been destroyed by accident -
,reachery, the lives that have been los:
would not have been sacrificed, thouS-
ands Of other lives would have been
saved, and the civilized world would
have been spared the horror of hear
ing of the results of Spanish brutality
in Cuba. For the struggle would have
been ended months ago, and there
| would have been no necessity of ex
posing the Maine and the men VINO
| manned her TO the results of Spanish
| treachery.
Does the Republican administration
propose to continue to disgrace Amer
lean manhood by perpe,ua,ing the
temporiz.ng policy to which it ha:
been committed by the foreign bank
ing Interests which control the golc
and bondholding syndicate? Is not the
shock which shook Havana and sen
two hundred and fifty Americans to
eternity sufficient to wake the McKin
ley administration to its duty?
Millions Of American property hav
been ruth(essly destroyed; many o
| American citizens have been murdered
Spanish diabolism has been permitted
to astonish the Christian world; I;
brave people have been struggling 70
political liberty under circumstance
calculated to arouse the sympathy anc
invite the aid ofevery American worth,
Of the name; the people Of this coun
try, without regard to party, in mas
meetings and in political convention
have demanded that our government
intervene in behalf Of humanity ane
Cuban freedom.
But all to no purpose. Two presi
dents-neither Democrat-botht tax
ing their cue from the greed of ths
holders Of Spanish bonds, have de:
liberately closed their eyes to the de
sires of the American people and tc
the demands OF humanity, and have
permitted Spanish brutality to have
its way. The butchery and spoilatior
and the accompanying calamity O
starvation have alike been futile tc
conquer the Cuban patriots, who have
made sacrifices in behalf of liberty a.
great as any that our forefathers eve
made; but still the bondholders whis
per to Mr.. Mckinley, "Give the Span
lards more time and Mr.. Mckinley
prompt to take the cue, cries out il
his message, "Give the Spaniards NOR.
time"
1t is for these reasons we say tina
the administration, controlled as it il
| by the men VINO made Hanna thei
representative, is directly responsible
for The sickening scenes in Cuba among
those whom the Spaniards have selec,
ed 10 be the victims of starva,ion; di
rectly responsible for the loss Of life
and property that has occurred il
Cuba since the 4th Of last March; di
rectly responsible for the destruction
of American Interests on the island
and responsible for the loss of TIT
Maine and the sacrifice of the live
of the men who went down in tn,
wreck.
Why was the Maine sent to Havana
Not to aid the Cubans, not to menace
the Spaniards, but to aid the Spanist
authorities in their work Of putin,
down Spanish revolt against Sagasta'
bogus autonomy.
VIII the destruction Of the Main
arouse the administration to the ne
cessity of putting an end to a useles
war against the Cuban patriots. war i
which the American people have spen
more money and lost more men thai
if the administration had intervene,
to put an end TO it more than te,
months ago?
It is to be feared not. To the bond
holders who are apparently in control
the destruction of American vessel
and the treachery that has caused tn
destruction Of the lives of 50 man
Americans in Havana harbor, is @
secondary consideration to the grave
demand that Spain shall remain il
a condition to pay both interes. ant
principal on It's bonded indebted
ness.