The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-07
LEE TO MCKINLEY.
The Consul Generals Significant
.I'rivate Communications"

"Private Communications"
There Is not a stronger newspaper
friend of this Administration in the Unit
ed States than the St. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat Under date of March 3 its Washing
ton correspondent Walter B. Stevens,
writes as follows:
THE rumor that Consul General Lee
has written a letter to the President in
which he states his opinion that the
Maine was destroyed by an explosion
which occurred from the outside, and that
the element of accident had been elimi-
mated, has been confirmed by several men
who are in a position to know just what
the Consul General has been doing. This
letter, it is further stated went direct to
the President. 1t was not an official re-
port from the Consul General, but pri-
vate letter to the President, Just as one
citizen would write to another. For this
reason this letter will not be filed in the
State Department archives but it was
Immediately after its receipt that the So
called emergency measures. which Sena-
tor Hale, Representative Boutelle and
Speaker Reed have undertaken to OBJ
struct. were recommended by Assistant
Secretary Roosevelt, with the approval of
the President.
Many other letters of the same unof-
fetal nature have been received here in
Washington, though they have been writ
ten by persons holding high official posi-
tions in the Government of the United
States, and who could possibly have no
animus to eXaggerate their informa ton,
but rather to be cautious and conserva-
tive IN their statements
while it is very likely that the high
officials of the Administration have known
of the contents and reliability of these
letters they have confined themselves
strictly to the truth in their frequent
statements that no report had been re-
ceived from the Board of Inquiry or from
Capt. Sigsbee, because no such reports
have been received. As to Capt. Sigsbee,
he has never so much as expressed an
opinion, officially or unofficially, as to the
cause of the loss of his ship. He has
lived up to his own advice that judg-
ment should be suspended. In none of the
letters referred TO above has anything
been said of the finding of the Board of
Inquiry, but they were unquestionably
based upon a knowledge of the informa-
ton which it was known the investigat-
ing committee was sure to secure.
THE action of Gen. Lee in conveying
his opinion and the reasons therefor TO
the President by means of a private COM
munication are easy of explanation. He
doubtless realized the improprety of
making an official report on a matter
which was subject purely for naval in
vestigation and for which investigation a
naval court had been summoned. Desir-
ing, however, that the President should
have advantage of adj obtainable infor-
nation tending to show what the result
of the naval inquiry would be, he had pre-
ferred to send this information by means
of personal communication. Among the
facts mentioned in Gen. Lees letter is
that which was printed some time ago in
the Giobe-Democrats cable dispatches
from Havana, describing the recovery of
powder cans, indented and crushed from
the outside, but containing unexploded
powder thus proving that at least one of
the forward magazines had not eXpIod
ed -