Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-03-11
TALK is NOW LESS HOSTILE.
Verdict of the Naval Board is Pa.
tientlY Awaited.
Two Weeks May E1apse Before Official
Reports Are Made on the Maine
Observation-Disclosures congressman
Claim the Silence Is Ominous-Mcan-
time Uncle Sam Will Be Prepared
for War.

The naval court of inquiry in the case
of the Inflated battleship Maine is pro-
ceeding as a court martial and keeping its
proceedings to itself. The Secretary of
the Navy says that he has no informa-
ton not given to the public, that he knows |
nothing of the character of the evidence |
taken, or the opinions or conclusions of
the board of inquiry. What is more to
the point, Secretary Long intimatcs that
he does not expect to know anything |
about how the Maine was destroyed until
the board of inquiry makes its report.
which may be not for two or three weeks. |
With such positive assertions from Secre-
tary Long, there can be nothing but spec |
ulation in Washington as to what the ver-
dict will he. There is plenty of speculn-
ton and little of it is now in line with the
accident theory.
In the absence of exciting news from
Havana there has been n noticeable cessa-
ton of the war talk in Washington. The
conservative attitude of the President has
rejected i'll Congress, and members who
hrst would listen to nothing but war are
now disposed to wait patiently for the
actual decision by the court of inquiry.
Members of Congress, says Il Washington
correspondent, are gradually coming to
" HtL cNciltS ife moving 1lSU enough
without any assistance on their part, and
that if an outside explosion is proved and
an Indemnity demanded Spain would
nearly certainly refuse it and thus justify
the President in interfering actively to
preserve peace in Cuba. 1t is said at both
the State and Navy Departments that
there is no disposition to delay the publ
cation of the finding of the board, hut it
is moe than limited that in ali probability
the board will merely present the facts
and say that they are too vague to make
q positive declaration one way or the 9th
er.
mat contingency will produce new COM
pllcations. and it is probably this which
mas induced the President to say positive
~ that there is no immediate prospect of
any war between this country and Spain.
Tor IL the board of inquiry is not able to
reach a positive finding it will be exceed
ingly difficult for the State Department to
formulate any kind of Il demand upon
Spain. The President will not precipitate
the country in Il war unless the facts are
such as to Justify him in the eyes of an
overwhelming majority of the people. He
evidently realizes, however, the strained
relations between the two countries and
the active possibility il not probability of
a dispute arising which could only be set
tied by IL show of force on the part of this
country.
The Presidents desire for and belief in
peace has not intcrfered in any way with
the orders issued to the army and navy to
put the armed forces of the country into a
condition for active service. 1t is dis
tinctively announced that this is the ounce
of prevention rather than the pound of
cure and that the preparations will con-
tinue until all possibility of actual war
has been disposed of.
So far as the general public is concern.
ed the war scare has subsidized, for the
present at least. There may be more en-
element when the report of the court of
inquiry on the Maine disaster is received.
but it may not be easy to stir the country
up again. Besides, it is now pretty well