The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-19
SECRETARY LONG.
Continued From Page 3.


president, 7 have no desire and no In
tention OF saying one word in regard to
the war that is raging i'm Cuba. No one
can detest the horrors enacted In that
island more thanI. No one desires more
than / 10 see the Spanish powers swept
from that island as IL has been from all
the states of South America, but, Mr..
President, that question is not here. We
are face TO face at this moment with a
great national calamity. The American
people have received the awful news of
the sinking Of the warship Maine with
splendid silence and self-restraint, both
in congress and throughout the country.
They are waiting sternly. quietly 10
know the truth, and the truth they will
have. This is not a question which in
wolves Cubans or Spaniards. This is a
question which involves brave American
seafnen gone to their death In foreign
port.
In the presence of that calamity what
we want is the truth. How are we to get
IL? BY the Investigations of a COM
mittee of congress which knows nothing.
which has no witnesses to summon,
which has no expert knowledge, which
IL miles from the place where the dis
aster occurred? There is only one way
To get at the truth of this matter, and
that is through the naval officers who
have been selected already to perform
that duty. Can anyone suppose that
the naval officers of the United States.
men upon whose career in the past and
whose conduct in the present there is not
and has never been a blemish would
70 N 20 on In
as this? l would rather trust this in
vestigation to the officers of the Ameri-
can navy than to any other men In. Ne
country. Does anyone suppose that the
captain of that ship, who, wounded,
stunned by the explosion, remained the
last upon the sinking vessel and. who
In the midst OF all that awful terror and
excitement. with every Cuty nobly done,
sent a dispatch To this country showing
a coolness and a nerve which are an
honor to the American name-does
anyone suppose that Captain Sigsbee.
capable of such splendid conduct, is
going TO lie about his ship? The secre-
tary of the navy is a man of distin-
guished ability. OF honor and patriotism
II anyone imagines that Secretary Long
will not tell the truth and insist upon the
whole of ii. he little knows the character
of the man who has the honor to fill that
great post at the head OF the navy; and
/ for one trust that congress will await
the action of the proper department
charged with this inquiry, and will not
attempt to do anything which could in
the least degree derogate from the at
titude which the American people and
congress should hold in the presence
of calamity so dire and so tragic as
that which befell the battleship Maine
] think those who know the Hon Theo-
dore Roosevelt, who is Mr. Longs right
hand would be slow 10 believe that he
would seek 10 conceal the truth in regard
to this disaster.
Mr.. President, / am sorry that any
debate has arisen on this question. 1t
seems TO me that the attitude of con-
sress ever since that awful news ar
rived has been in the highest degree
dienified and worthy-worthy OF itself
and worthy of the American people. We
have not shrieked Or talked. We have
waited in a silence of much deeper
meaning than any words. We want TO
know the truth. II it was an accident
which destroyed the Maine then let us
provide so far as human foresight can
against q recurrence. If IL was treach-
cry. then the righteous wrath OF the
American people will take a signal ven-
geance for the treachery which sent that
ship to the Bottom, and let no one think
TO stay it,
Mr. Mason, i'm making his reply, said
that misquotation and general spasm
would not drive him from the discussion
OF the question. He shared, he said, in
executive departments. He was only
sorry that while Mr.. Wolcott was giving
lecture about the navy department he
did not give the treasury department
some praise. Mr.. Mason endorsed all
that Mr.. Lodge had said about the head
OF the navy, whom he knew to be man
OF ability, of great head and warm heart:
but, he said. Mr.. Long could not himself
object TO an investigation, and ii was no
part of friendship to him TO try To shield
him from such an inquiry as was pro-
posed. He denied that his remarks
contained any reflection upon Mr. Longs
Integrity or honor, or the integrity or
honor of the officers of the navy. He
resented theintimation that he had gone
into the slums TO find words with which
10 characterize the navy department
Mr.. Hawley pointed out that the in
vestigation of the catastrophe could not
be made here in Washington. 1t would