The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-25


hesitate to admit the gravity of the sit
uatiOn. The President frankly ackn2wl-
| edges that he believes the report of the
Board of Inquiry will find that the
Maine was blown I'M from the outside.
Ills program mas been definitely decided.
1T is his purpose to treat The blowing
up of the Maine as an incident. The
report of the board will Je sent to Con-
gress on Monday with ve"y brief mtS-
sage, relating the events leading up 10
that point and Informing Congress that
the facts contained in the report have
been cabled to- Madrid to be land before
TING Spanish government by Minister
W0OdfOrd. No demand will he made
upon Spain but the laying of the facts
before the Spanish government will he
equivalent to calling upon Spain for an
explanation and such action as he may
deem proper. 1t is the purpose OF the
House leaders to refer the report ana
message to the Committee on FOreigi,
Affairs without debate and TO this puI-
pose it is believed the Democrats of tho
House have acquiesced, reserving the
right TO demand action is a report from
the committee is too long delayed.
Much will then depend upon Spain's
the President who believe that from the
time the report is sent to Congress it
will drop out as a factor in the situa.
ton. The second part of the Presidents
program reaches the Maine question and
involves intervention on humanitarian
grounds within a week or ten days afier
the report of the board goes to Con
gresS. 1t will he Intervention to re,icve
the starvation in CUba and upon Spain's
acquieScence in or objection to this act
viii depend peace or war. A prominent
member of the House said to-day that
in bis opinion the next two weeks would
determine which it would be.
Such information as exists here leads
those close to the President 20 hciicve
that the Spanish government will 20 10
any length it dares to preserve peace.
The Queen Regent is especially anxious
TO prevent war and it is believed the
ministry Will go just as far as it can
without ieopardiZing it's own existence
and the survival of the present Spanish
dynasty.
With the report in Washington to-
night, ii will be laid before the Cabinet
at the regular meeting at IL O'Clock to-
morrow. and at that time the President
and his advisers will begin the grave
work of weighing the conclusions reached
and determining the action that is to be
taken. The formal plan of its trans
mission ID Congress next Monday is al
ready arranged. hnt with the report
and evidence before them. the Presi-
FIent and his advisers for the first time
win be in position to outline the char
acter of the message which is to ac-
ha atrb irn ~ 20 IN
Congress. and to arrange definite plans
of detailed procedure. which as yet has
not been worked out.
The Navy Department was advised of
the sailing Of the monitor Terror from
New York for Key West; the arrival of
the Texas mt Hampton Roads, the Moni-
tors Puritan at Newport News and
MonadnOck and Monterey at San Fran
cisco. The battleship Texas came up
from Key West. making an exceptional
quick run for vessel of her class.
The Spanish authorities here have
been informed that some time ago Cap
tain Sigsbee asked permission TO use
dynamite in the destruction of the
wreck of the Maine.
This was refused by Captain General
BlancO. for the reason, it is officially
explained, that as there are evil dis
pCsed persons who insist that the Maine
was blown up from external causes,
the Spanish authorities do not want the
wreck destroyed, as it affords all the
evidence Obtainable as to the actual
cause of the disaster.
REPORT GUARDED BY PISTOLS.
washington. d. c., March 24.-The
IL or1 Of ipU in
TO the Maine disaster was received in
Washington at 9:35 tonight. The four
Naval officers who have guarded it since
its departure from Key West were nus
tied at once into a carriage by an at
tache of the Navy Department and drlV-
en- to the Ebbitt House. The party CON
sisted of Lieutenant Commander Mark,
Lieutenant John Hood, Lieutenant Carl
Jungen. Passed Assistant Engineer Bow
ers, A. T. Mark, a nephew of the Judge
Advocate and Ships Carpenter Helms,
of the Names Inflated crew. There was
an immense crowd awaiting at the de-
pot when the train pulled in. The Nav
al contingent avoided the crush of citi-
zens by alighting at the upper end of the
platform and going out across the tracks.
The party was met by Lieutenant
Ward. OF the NAVY uJeIbdEIiDpnL, WHO
was the sole representative of Secretary
Long. He informed Commander Mark
that the Secretary would not receive the
report tonight.
Lieutenant Hood carried the bulky
document in white canvas bag slung
under his arm. 1t must have weighed
10 or 20 pounds. without it's carrying
case. That the whole party carrying the
report was armed was demonstrated in a
rather theatrical way just as they were
about to get into the carriage. Some
one ran against the end of the mystic
rious canvas bag in which the report
was concealed. Quick as a flash Lieu
tenant Hoods hand went back to his
hip and Lieutenant Jungen laid his hand
on the butt of revolver that was stick
ing from his side pocket. The move
ments were sufficient to prevent further
jostling..
The report. in due process of law, mst
FIRST be delivered to the Secretary of the
NAVY and this according to all prece-
dents will be at the Navy Department.
II will then he submitted to President
Mckinley upon whose decision its future
migrations will depend.
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