New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-21
THE CRISIS APPROACHING.
BELIEF AMONG CONGREssMEN THAT
SUSPENSE WILL SOON BE ENDED.
A SPEEDY SOLUTION or TIE CUBAN DrFFTcUL-
TIES EXPEcTED-vIEwS OF CONGRESSMAN
GRoCr-HE EXERCISES his YANKEE
PRIVILEGE or GUESSING.
fBY TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBuNE.l


PRIVILEGE or GUESSING
fBY TELEGRAPH TO TRiDuSEl
! Washington. March 2O-With!n the last three
! days there has been visible and marked IN
crease Of earnestness and seriousness. not to say
| anxiety. among Congressmen in discussing the
! Cuban question and the relations between the
! United States and Spain. There Is Genera'
! feeling that matters are fast approaching d
crisis. which cannot be much longer postponed
or avertcd Whatever differences Of opinion
may exist respecting the significance of Senator
i'roctor's speech there is 10 room Cor doubt that
! it stimulated this feeling.
/ Despite his disclaimer. many members Of the
! House OF Representatives profess to believe thai
| the Senator spoke for the Administration. and
/ that his speech correctly Interpreted meant in
teryentiOn in order TO restore peace In Cuba and
! prevent the externinatlor Of it's non-cOmra tant
! population by disease and starvation There are
others who believe. and stoutly assert, that the
! speech delivered without any previous con-
sultaton with the Presiden. or members Of his
! Administration. and that 1t possessed no si"ni1-
| canoe whatever except an individ I'll ex:res-
sion. In fact, a prominen. NewYork repre-
! sentative IN conversation with a Tribune CORE
| spondent yesterday, asserted that nc .new this
to 30 the case.
But whatever diversities OF opinion exist IN
regard 20 the correct inte-rrs .ation OF Senator
Proctor's speech the proper dagree Of signifi
cance be ascrbcd 10 j., ell OF he many Con-
| Gressmen with whom the Tribune correspond
ent has conversed the subject In the last
two or three days. agree in the opinion that the
next few days or weeks at most, will end the
painful suspense and anxiety which now exist.
AS sufficient reason for this they point TO
the active military and naval preparations on
every hand; the large appropriations for Ma
tiona defence. and the extraordinary expendi-
lures for ships arms and munitions OF war and
| the increase oe the permanent force OF officers
and both in the Army and Navy and de-
clare that such preparations and appropria ,ions
and expenditures would not be recommended
and could not be justified except by the exist
ence ot emergency such has not yet been
publicly disclosed Moreover they say the
country will not be willing to have the scale OF
expenditures continued very long on a semi-war
basis unless the necessity is clearly shown.
As Mr.. Dingley observed: Spain has exhaust
cd her resources in fruitess efforts TO suppress
the Cuban insurrection, and II the United States
should be compelled TO intervene this fact
would be TO our advantage; but it would not
seem wise for us 10 enter upon process of self
exhaustion. or continue our expenditures long
sem-wa basis. without some tangible rea-
son or result. | think, therefore. that every
thing points toward speedy solution Of the
Cuban difficulties, so far the United States
| is concerned. Whether or not that solution is
to be a peaceful one is not for me to attempt to
predict. ! am content to leave II with the Presi-
dent, whose just attitude and wise course thus
far have won the confidence Of his own country
men and the admiration and respect Of foreign
statesmen"
II is noteworthy fact that as the day ap-
proaches when the report of the Maine Court Of
Inquiry is expected. and its findings to be
made public. there is n marked change OF senti-
ment in regard to it's probable immediate effect.
or course Congressman. a rule. continue to
assert that if the Court should find and report
that the Spanish authorities were criminally re-
sponsible for the destruction OF the warship a
declaration OF war against Spain would inev-
tably and Immediately follow, and that If the
report should show that the disaster was one
due to the culpable negligence Of those author-
ties It would be difficult If not impossible, to
avert war; and yet they appear somehow to
have become impressed with the belief that the
Maine incident" il has already begun TO be
STYLED will not otherwise figure a vital factor
In the solution of the Cuban troubles. so far
the United States Is concerned.
Nearly all of them now believe that the explo-
Havana Harbor was caused by an external
agency. but comparatively few Of them now
declare as nearly all Of them did only few
days ago, that that fact alone would mean war
or a demand for an indemnity" Reflection and
study have led them to conclusions which they
would then have pronounced false and absurd.
A few Congressman may be found who have
reached conclusions formed theories which
they are willing to explain one OF these IS
Colonel Grout. of Vermont who was one Of the
seventeen who voted against the Cuban beliger-
cnCy resolution in the last Congress
In conversation with 4 Tribune correspondent
Mr. C,rout said: "Of course. have no infOrma-
ton whatever in regard to the findings Of the
Court of Inquiry. or what course the President
may take. but [ exercise my inalienable
Yankee right of guessing | guess that the ex-
ploson which destroyed the Maine was due TO
external causes. I guess the Court OF Inquiry
will not report that the authorities Of Spain
were cr!minally responsible for the explosion.
or that II was due 20 culDable negligence on
their part; and, finally l guess the Court will
report that it has found itself unable 10 ascer-
tain the exact cause or fix the responsibility.
But suppose that culDable negligence on the
part OF the authorities should have been found.
and that Il demand for Indemnity should be
made on Spain, and denied on the ground that
the findings OF the Court Of Inquiry were not
warranted by the evidence or on any other
ground? The President might then inform
Spain that while the Maine incident was by
no mems regarded closed. further discussion
of il on the part Of the Government of the
United States would be postponed until n mo:e
convenient season. and pending the settlement
OF certain other Questions and he might thcn
proceed TO recognize the independence Of Cuba,
accompanying the recognition with a proclama-
ton Of strict neutrality between the belliSer-
ents Would that result In Q declaration Of war
not bu, if it should. Spain would not he en-.
titled to or receive the support or sympathy OF
other nations on account OF it,