The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-03-01

Approves Of the Self-COntrOl OF
the President and His
Advisers.
Solemn Requiem Mass for the Repose
of the Souls of the Martyred
Sean1en.
Special Dispatch Il The Cali.

BALTIMORE, Feb. 2S.-A solemn
requiem mass for the repose of the
souls of those who lost their lives
through the destruction of the battle
ship Maine in Havana was celebrated
at the cathedral to-day. Cardinal Glib
bons made an address and read the
services for the dead A number of
naval and military officers were pres
ent The vocal music was furnished
by a quartet from the Bride Elect
Opera Company. The cardinal said:
TOO much praise cannot be bestowed
on the President and on the members
of his cabinet, and particularly on the
Secretary of the Navy and his able
assistant, as we'll as on the houses of
Congress, for the calmness and tran
guilty. the self-control and the self
possession which they have exhibited
during the fearful ordeal through which
the country has been passing in the
last few days. 1t needed only a spark
to kindle a great conflagration, and
the patient and dignified bearing of
the executive and legislative bodies are
all tie more commendable in view of
the mischievous and Incorporate ut
terances of some sensational newspa-
pers.
This nation is too brave, too strong,
too powerful and too just to engage In
an unrighteous or precipitate war. Let
us remember that the eyes of the world
are upon US, whose judgment we can
not despise and that we will gain more
applause and credit for ourselves ny
calm deliberation and mastery mac
tivity than by recourse to arms.
Il hope and believe, for the honor of
humanity, that the destruction of the
Maine was caused by an accident, and
in that case Spain cannot be RESPONSE
BILE. But suppose some fiendish Cuban
had occasioned this fearful loss of life
in order to embroil our nation in a war
with his mother country. In that case
Spain should not be held responsible.
And even had some fanatical Spaniard
perpetrated this atrocious crime, there
would be no necessity for a recourse
to the arbitrament of the sword.
The only circumstance that would
warrant active hostilities would be evil
dence that the Spanish Government
connived at the placing of torpedoes
or explosives in the harbor of Havana
to destroy our vessel. But 1 do not be-
lieve, and no sane man can believe, that
a chivalric nation would be guilty of
such inhumanity.
pointed by the Government to inves-
tigate the cause of the disaster. Let
us calmly and dispassionately await
the result of their verdict and not an
ticipate their judgment. One thing is
certain: This country knows how, in
any emergency to defend her honor
and protect her interests.
These brave men did not die, indeed,
on the deck of the ship, with weapons
in their hands. Nevertheless, we must
regard them as heroes or martyrs to
this country, who died at the post to
which the call to duty assigned them 1
earnestly hope that the day is not far
off when a grateful nation will show
her appreciation of the services of
those brave and faithful public ser
wants by erecting to their memory a
suitable monument "a monument
which will not only commemorate the
dead, but which will be an incentive Of
patriotism to the living by keeping be-
fore them the sentiment so we'll ex-
pressed by the Roman poet: Dulce ct
decorum est pro patria mort cit is
sweet and glorious to die for ones