The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-17
Going to War a Doubtful Method Of
Protecting 1t.

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
With due Difference to editorial omnis-
cience, your correspondent humbly objects
and excerpts" as the lawyers say, to the
view Of national honor presented in an edi-
torial of Mondays issue, Not Case for
Arbitration" In brief, the view presented
is that, if the naval court of inquiry shall
report the Maine explosion due to outside
agency there would be no question which
our government could consent to arbitrate
without loss of national honor. There would
still remain the very important question
whether the Spanish government at Madrid
or Havana could be nationally charged
with any completely in the crime, whether
the atrocity was the act of officials, of
Spanish sympathizers or even of Spanish
subjects. The Journal thinks it would be
inconsistent with national honor for us to
permit any unbiased determination of
these vital issues or the measure of dam
ages we ought to require before presenting
an ultimatum based solely upon our own
view of the equities of the case.
The Journal need not be reminded that
when Italian subjects were brutality MUIR
dered in New Orleans solely because they
were Italians, our secretary of state, Mr..
Blaine, did not take this exalted view of
Itaiys rights in the premises. He not only
reserved to our government the exclusive
right to investigate the tragedy the oues-
ton of citizenship and the amount of in
demnity, but he declined even to admit the
proprlety OF an Italian protest against our
le1Surely methods of investigation The
Journals distinction that the Maine eS-
ploslon was not an act of mob violence sug-
gestS wish to avoid unpleasant compar-
lsons. as we can hardly deny having a ma
tlonal infrmity for mob conspiracies. Yet
what. difference is there between national
q Of V~io
citizens and the act of unknown assassins
who may have been sCubans? The Journal
has already printed the diplomatic opinion
OF our late minister to Great Britain, Mr.
Lincoln, to the effect that such an act of
private treachery as we must presume the
destruction of the Maine to have been in
the absence of reasonable evidence to the
contrary, would not even constitute an in
ternational claim for punitive damages.
one need not be a diplomat to feel very
sure that If such a catastrophe had oc-
CURED in one of our ports, our govern
ment would never have accepted the find
ing and award of a foreign power as pre-
Guiding its right to impartial arbitration.
The fact that we are dealing with weak
er power ought to be an added reason for
dealing with the Maine incident in the
most enlightened spirit. Our national honor
of which we are hearing so much is in no
Danger OF serious question because we de-
cine TO bully weaker neighbour With ma
lions, as with individuals, that sort of
braVado eXciteS more contempt than adj
Im illra,. Inc kind of patriotism most
likely to strengthen our government at
home and abroad is that which insists on
being as just and considerate to interiors
as to equals. war with Spain would be
such a INDUSTRIOUS absurdity that nothing
put the most unqueStioned necessity could
justify the folly of spending hundreds of
millions and risking thousands of lives in
q Quixotic attempt to right the wrongs of
foreigners. 1t is very little to our credit
as an enlightened nation that there is so
much light talk of war being inevitabIe
when we have far absolutely no pre-
text for war that could justify it's declara-
ton if we had everything to gain and moth
ing to lose instead of having everything to
lose and nothing to gain, except the con-
ferring upon Cuba the very dubious boon of
Spanish-American self-government
j. q. DONNELL
Kingston. Ind March Is