The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-03-01
That Is the Present Stand Of
the President and His
Advisers.
Demands to Be Made Upon Spain for In
demnity to Depend Upon the Report
Of the Court of Inquiry.

NEW YORK, Feb. 2s.-The Herald's
Washington correspondent telegraphs:
President Mckinley and his advisers
are still taking steps to put the coun-
try in as thorough condition of de-
Tense as the resources put at their
command by Congress will admit; but
they are talking more hopefully of
diplomatic settlement of the Maine af-
fair than at any time since the Her
AIDS dispatches convinced them that
the vessel had been destroyed by some
outside agency.
This does not imply that there is any
disposition on the part of the admin
istration to lessen in any way its de-
mands upon Spain if the report of the
court of inquiry should fix any re-
sponsibility upon that Government. 1t
is rather due to the growing belief that
Spain will comply with such demands
| rather than resist them to the point of
forcing the two nations into war. In
timations have been received here that
the Sagasta Ministry is willing to go
further in the direction of preserving
peace than had been generally ex-
pecleu, anu SnOulQ the report OI the
court of inquiry justify the conclusion
that the ship was destroyed by any
thing short of military appliance in the
control of the Spanish Government
there is reason to believe that there
will be little difficulty in arriving at
a diplomatic settlement. Should the
report, on the other hand, show beyond
a reasonable doubt that the vessel was
! destroyed by such an appliance a set
| tlement will be more difficult In the
! latter case the administration would
! demand larger indemnity, a disa-
! vowal and the punishment of the guilty
person or persons.
Spain would be sure to resist such a
demand and dispute the conclusions of
| the court. With such a question pend
ing and the people of both countries in
| famed against each other diplomatic
settlement might be very difficult. Both
| the President and Secretary Long in
conversation with Senators and Repre-
Sentatives to-day assured them that
| they were more hopeful of a peaceful
| solution Secretary Long told me to-
day that the situation appeared to be
more favora BILE. Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt also declared that the de-
partment had no reason to anticipate
trouble, but it had no intention to be
unprepared in the event it should come.
l understand the President and Secre-
tary Long have received a letter writ
ten to an officer on duty in the Navy
Department by a naval officer in Ha-
vana in which the writer speaks of the
difficulty of definitely determining the
cause of the catastrophe, and states that
on account of the muddy condition of
the water divers have to depend for the
information they get about the condi-
ton of the hulk not on their sense of
sight but on their sense of touch. This
officer is most anxious that the Maine
should be raised as soon as possible.
He says she is sinking deeper in the
mud and the longer she remains the
more difficult it will be to save her.
The court of inquiry is evidently anx-
ious TO learn about the appearance of
the wreck. The department was in
formed by telegraph that the court of
inquiry would commence session at
Key West to-day. They must resume
at Havana to obtain evidence of divers
after further work upon the wreck.
1t is expected by the department that
the court will have TO remain at Key
West until the latter part of the week
and will then return to Havana to
hear testimony to be given by divers.
The divers of the Right Arm the
wrecking vessel, are at work and they
will be joined by force which has just
left New York on board the Under
writer The progress made by the
court up to February % IS told in this
letter from Captain w. T. Sampson,
president of the court, dated Havana,
which was given out for publication by
Secretary Long to-day:
February 49, 1898.
Sir: The court has taken the testimony
of all the officers of the Maine still here.
Tomorrow we will take such testimony
as the divers have accumulated. The
and reported to Captain Sigsbee, accord
ing to orders. 1 trust some wrecking COM
pany will be given the entire job, as no
other plan will be feasible. There are
two citizens in the harbor who have sig
nified their willingness to testify, al
though they have nothing important.
After taking this evidence and that of
the divers l propose to return to Key
West and take the evidence of the officers
and men there. 1t may be necessary. to
return here after further progress has
been made by the divers. Very respect
fully, W II. SAMPSON.
Captain United States Navy.
Evidence of much Importance in en-
abling the court in understanding the
details of the structure of the Maine
will be obtained from Naval Construc-
tor Hoover and Carpenter Helm, who
were associates OF Naval Constructor
Fernal in building the late battle
ship.
The court telegraphed to Secretary
Long, asking that the officers who su-
perintended the construction of the ship
be directed to appear before it. The
orders were at once sent to Hoover and
Helm in accordance with the courts re-