Arizona republican., 1898-02-24
QUITE SATISFACTORY A General Confidence in PriCsS
 is Prevalent THE HAVANA EXPLOSlON
Only Slightly Jared Figures
 Last Wednesday
Foreign Buyers are Becoming Rati1- CT More Aggressive Cince the Late Improvement in the Situation in the Far East

New Yorl-, Feb 23.-(SpeciaL)-I Taking the past week as a whole, it has been sufficiently influenced by ex- perimental selling operations to hold in check the improving tendency due to opposite factors. There is still limited class who think the present range of prices admits of a further decline, but they make only transient successes in their attempts to force it. Apart from the general bullish feeling of outside operators, the foreign mar ket is showing decidedly more disposi- tion to buy since the improvement in the China situation, which is factor now daily felt on the market.
 The chief element of disturbance has been the Maine disaster. The sudden ness and gravity of the occurrence pro- street, and all the more so from it's appalling mystery. The existing deli cate position of our relations with Spain and the public feeling excited by the De Lome incident and the un- certainty whether the Spanish govern ment might make due amende in that case, furnished material enough for suSpecting that some hot headed Span ish or Cuban partisans might be eith- CT seeking revenge or hoping to p e. o;n ioI, cfr ly appealed to the patriotic sentiment of all classes. This was a strong test of the stock market, under which prices declined as first about one point Succeeding this first impulse, came series of reports and official opin ;ons which preponderated largely in favor of the probability that the sad disas- ter was due to some uneXplainable ac- cident, rather than any wicked de- sign; and, since Wednesday, the pub lie temper has settled into a willing ness to hold judgment in suspense until divers have examined the ves- sel, and the nature and cause of it's destruction have been passed upon
  however, still reservation on account of the possibility that the official in- spection may suggest or reveal malic- ious causes of the disaster; and this unsolved doubt is likely to hang over the market until it is disposed of by an official report.
 Apart from this event, Wall street again begins to show some uneasiness on the Cuban question. Another dry, or military, season is now approach tonomy may prove a failure; the Span ish forces have accomplished but in- adequate results as yet towards the subjugation of the insurgents; and thus another year has passed without the accomplishment of the extinction i of the rebellion. Meanwhile our gov ernment continues subject to a heavy expense in the maintenance of its neutral obligations and our people suf- fer from heavy loss of trade with l the island, while the sufferings of the | Cubans continue to appeal to our hu- mane sympathies. The uncertainties | as to the outcome about Cuba may suffice to produce a more or less un- settled feeling in Wall street until 1 further light is thrown on the pros 1 pect and until after the Maine inves- 1 tigation and the complete settlement of the De Lome incident and the recip- rocity negotiations
 1 Instead of the disaster to the war ship Maine bringing on war between this country and Spain, it is more like. ly to have contrary effect, as it will be the means of causing reflection or l the part of our jingo members of con- gress and making them more rational It will serve to show them what wal 1 means in the destruction of life anG property. This shocking disaster wipes out $6,500,O0O of property and sends to eternity 273 human beings 1T an instant. If it should be found tha, the cause of this disaster was tor. pedo, it goes to show, in the event o
 actual war with Spain, what thou sands of infuriated men could accom- plish as measured by the act Of one
 man who fired the torpedo at the Maine. We can no more contrast for
 mer conflicts on land or sea with con
 fiicts hereafter, in their annihilation O.
 life and property, than we can com
 pare night and day. Is it desirable
 then for this country to be plunged in
 to war with Spain, even though wt
 should get the best of it in the end It is true we could levy an indemnity but what would that be worth agains
 a bankrupt nation, and victory over