The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-12
The. d, LONE Incident.

| 1t would appear that both the United
| States and Spain are coming out Of the
De Lone incident without any special
credit. The affair has been ended by
| the resignation of the Spanish minister
/ and it's acceptance by the home gov
! eminent This removes De Lone from
| the diplomatic rank, makes him simply
| private citizen of Spain resident in
this country, relieves him of personal
and official embarrassment, and also
makes it unusual and improper for. our
government to take further cognizance
of the affair.
It is seldom in Our history that an
administration or it's executive head
| personal insult. Never has any such
incident been met with less vigor or
assertion of self-respect. From the
| time when it became known that the
| letter describing Mr. Mckinley as "a
| low politician" and accusing him of
catering to the rabble" was genuine,
not one moment should have been lost
i'll handing to it's abusive author his
passports, with a request to leave the
country at once. That opportunity hav-
ing been passed over, Spain finds a way
OF egress, slips through it easily and
leaves the world laughing at Ameri-
can diplomacy and the snubs and slurs
against which it is apparently unable
| to defend itself.
| The general attitude of the Spanish
! government and press toward the Unit
ed States is not, however. as offensive
as the universal chuckle with which it
welcomes the inf1iction of an insult
of resenting. 1t is no excuse for mac
ton or delay, as it is none for De LONE
himself, that these offensive express
stems were contained in a personal let
ter, which was not expected to find it's
way into print. Any man occupying
such post as this owes it to himself,
to the country which he represents and
to that to which he is accredited to re-
frain, in private as we'll as in public
! correspondence, from such language
and such reflections. It is due from
him as a gentleman and as a minister,
| and the moment that he forgets it he
has forfeited the consideration due to
either title.
The slow-moving authorities at
iylc OFT al
| more timorous than even they are sup
| posed to be about doing anything that
would pain the tender sensibilities of
the Spanish cabinet The act having
been committed and the minister hav-
ing retired in due form, it is not in or
| der for our state department to pursue
the subject further. We cannot expect
or compel from Spain any apology or
even acknowledgment of regret for
what now appears as the irresponsible
act of a person who has no longer any
official relations with US, and who re-
| tired after his fault became known, but
before it was properly dealt with.
If Spain gets little credit from the
episode, showing herself in the light of
a nation whose minister could afford
to be reckless of personal and official
propriety because he would meet no
censure at home, the United States suf-
fers no less in dignity and standing
by its failure to deal instantly and
forcibly with an offense so egregious.
The incident reflects no credit upon
either party connected with it; but
among the nations. who are mostly
either openly or covertly against us in
Our differences with Spain, there is a