The times., 1898-02-27
IN DEFENSE OF DE LONE.
An Apology for Spanish Insults
to America.
FROM Harper's Weekly. }

(Erom Harper's Weekly.)
| The De LONE incident could not have
| become subject of the excited contro-
| versy it aroused if there We're not in this
country persons who desire immediate
war with Spain. We say this notwith-
| standing a suspicion that is widely enter
| tanned, and which is reasonable, that
much of the jingo talk against Spain is
for home consumption. We are ourselves
inclined to believe that bitter malicious,
and untruthful speeches, like those of
Senator Mason and Senator Morgan. for
example, are directed rather 10 constitu-
ents than to the Senate or to the execu-
tive. There is some reason also for be-
lieying that there is a commercial spirit
underlying some of the lingo sentiment,
and that there are public men, as Well as
private citizens, who are quite ready to
see money made by gun building armor
construction, and in providing other war
material without regard to the safety or
welfare of the country. But, aside from
this, it is clear that there are many per
sons in the United States who ready
to go to war with Spain, and who are
seeking an occasion. There is no other
! Interpretation To- be put upon the attempt
to distort the meaning of the De LONE in
cident, and to misrs present the ministers $
letter TO Senor Canaleias, or upon the
effort involved in the Morgan and Will
Jams resolutions adopted by the Senate
and House. respectively. on Monday Feb
ruary II. These resolutions seek To make
public the opinions of our consular Off
GERS in Cuba, which are shrewdly sup
posed to be hostile TO Spain, and the ex
posure of which WILL therefore. still fur
ther intensity the feeling between the
two countries.
That letter was simply an expression OF
opinion by the Spanish minister as TO the
character of the politicians who are max
ing warlike and threatening speeches
against Spain, and of the President and
his Administration. with whom Spain
must reckon in its present emergency.
Probably there was no doubt in the mind
of anybody at Washington as to the
Spanish minister's private feeling toward
our public men. In view of the strained
relations between the two countries, il
would have been strange if his feeling
had been friendly either for the President.
who had severely criticised the WeyleT
administration in Cuba. or for the poliu-
clans who We're making use of Spain's
misfortune in aid of their personal inter-
ests. Minister De LONE wrote a private
letter, as he had a perfect right to do,
TO a public man of Spain who was in
America on special mission In that
contemptuously concerning President Nc
liinley. 1t may have been an error OF
judgment to write such letter. but if it
was, it was the kind Of error of which ev-
cry diplomat is often guilty When Min
lister De Lome's opinion of President Nc
Kinley was revealed, however, ii was i'm
possible for him to continue on friendly
relations with the government TO which
he was accredited. and he was forced to
go. Before our Government could demand
his recall he resigned. and his resignation
was accepted by the Spanish government
before il. In turn. knew that our Govern
ment had made its demand for his recall
Here the incident should have ended, be-
cause, as we believe both the Sagasta
and the Mckinley governments are
strongly in favor of maintaining the
peace between Spain and the United
States. and any one bent upon maintain
ing peace must have realized that the
sooner the incident closed the better.