The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-10
HAVE WE A CASUS BELL?

HRfE VT ~ ONSOO JILL
Those newspapers that regard the
blowing up Of the Maine IA trivial Incl.
dent" and those who feel that we have
no duty to the starving Cuhans. are
fond of telling us that the talk of war
has been worked up 10y the yellow
Journals" and that as matter of fact
no cause of war exists between This
country and Spain, This Is serious in
dictment of Presidents Cleveland and
Mckinley, who both notified Spain two
and one year ago respectively that unless
order was restored in Cuba we would be
forced to intervene in the interest OF
civilization and humanity. Since then
Spain has been guilty of an overt act OF
wharf.-the blowing up of the Maine on
the 10Th day of February. That act, ii
perpetrated in the administration of An
drew Jackson, would have been avenged
within rs hours.
In contrast to the opinion of those who
feel that we have no casus belli, We give
below two opinions. The Army and
Navy Register says:
The crime of February 15-and il
stands forth as the gigantic crime of the
century which is closing-is the issue
which concerns this country first and
foremost in its dealings with the Span
ish government. 1t oyertops all else; II
10 4
penccnce of any of SPANS colonies, than
any charity-ladcn policy i'll behalf of the
victims of Spanish cruelty aud cow
ardice. Any attempt to shelYe 1t Is
lasting disgrace, and further effort to
deal with the subject in terms which ap'
peal TO Spanish honesty and justice and
conscience is criminal folly.
1--WE have no right to resort TO armed
intervention in Cuba; we have no right
to set Cubans free; we have no right to
intercept Spanish fleets and flotillas; we
have no right TO war with Spain to aid
her colonists and feed her starving kin
until the diabolical outrage of February
Is is avenged. The attitude of Spain
shows that diplomacy in such time IS
pastime, and experience should have
taught the administration that any
trucking to Spanish sensibilities would
only exhibit this country in deplorablC
light.
There may be reason to avoid war
with any country at any time or on any
account, but there is never any reason
to shirll the issue or eyade the RESPONSE
bilities of such Il condition as that aris-
ing from the destruction of the Maine
and the murder of 266 officers and men.
War over the relief of the suffering re-
concentrates or war over the freedom of
| colonists who are yet without Il we'll
| defined government would be an outrage,
| a sacrifice of American life, of which
we cannot believe the President capable
War over the destruction of an Ameri-
can battleshp and the wanton taking OF
American life-if all other serious and
severe methods failed-would glorify the
government which waged it,
Col. Jed Hotchkiss, of Staunton.
Va, who was on Stonewall Jackson's
staff, and who participated in Oner hun
dred battles, takes the ground that the
crueltics in Cuba afford ample ground
for war. lie says:
WAR is n pretty serious proposition
and not to be undertaken lightly. but
| think we have reached point where il
| is incumbent on us as II nation to make
| Spain cease its atrocities. Did we not
| all of us, cry out aloud because the Eu
ropean powers permitted the horrible Ar
menian and Grecian outrages? Did we
not with seyerest censure blame England
| Germany. Russia, and the rest for per
hitting those barbarities? Now, the
matter is brought home to us. and if we
call ourselves humane people we mus
put IL stop TO the inhuman devltry Of
| Spain.
I'VE have ample justification for wa
and will wage it, but / do not think the
clash will come. for the Spanish govern
ment too we'll understands its infcriority
| 1t may make semblance of fight III or
der TO appease the home rabble, but witt
the absolute certainty of being crushed
it will speedily bow TO the inevitable"