The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-29
THE REPORT ON THE MAINE.

me report on the Maine disaster. so
I long and so anxiously awaited, has been
made, and today the whole world
knows what it is. 1t is as unimpas-
/ stoned and impartial as a report on
small arms would be. 1t is clear and
definite, while it's tone is so sincere.
so evident is it that only the truth was
sought, that it cannot fail to impress
all and to convince them that the find
irgs are the only one that compe-
tent and impartial board could find.
The report is so plain and simple. so
straightforward and with no attempt at
! effect, that child could read and I'M
derstand it. 1t shows that things on
the ship were as they should lie in all
respects on the fateful night of the 18th
of February; the discipline of the crew
was such as would be expected on
man-of-war. 1t describes the condition
of the wreck and gives full details
That in which the public is most inter
ested is the conclusion reached by the
court as to the cause of the wreck. In
the opinion of the court" so runs the
report, the Maine was destroyed by
! submarine mine, which caused the ex-
plosion of two or more of her forward
magazines" There is no attempt to fix
responsibility for the destruction of the
Maine.
In his message transmitting the re-
port to congress, the president gave a
history of the sending of the Maine to
Havana, but he had no recommended
lions to make. He assumes that Spain
was not responsible for the destruction
of the Maine, that is, so far as cogni-
zance of the cause is concerned, for he
says in his message: Il do not permit
myself to doubt that the sense of JUS
tice of the Spanish nation will dictate
a course of action suggested by honor
and the friendly relations of the two
governments. The report was not dis
cussed at all by congress, but was
promptly referred to the committee on
foreign relations in the house and SEN
ate. The reports of those committees
will now be anxiously awaited; what
they will be no one can say. When
they shall have been reported, then
the American people will speak. They
will want TO know how it is that the
Maine was anchored over a submarine
mine, for submarine mines are i'm
mense things and are not carried
around as concealed weapons are.
Spain may and probably will protest
that Havana harbor was not mined,
but the board of inquiry says that, in
it's opinion, the Maine was destroyed
by a submarine mine, and that mine
was in Havana harbor, and Spain was
and is responsible for the condition of
that harbor Havana is under military
rule, and the military authorities there
either knew that the Maine was an
chored over mine or they knew that
a mine was being prepared TO place
under her; there is no escaping the one
or the other of these conclusions. And
supposing that Spain refuses to take a
course of action suggested by honor
and the friendly relations of the two
governments, what course will the
president then pursue? That, too, is
matter of conjecture, but there is no
reason to believe that it viii be other
than that of an American patriot; the
active and extensive preparations for
war in the last few weeks indicate this.
This Maine question touches the honor
of the United States. and that honor
must and viii be preserved; so far as
the question of national honor is con-
cerned, in fact. it affects the country
a thousand times more than does the |
Cuban question.
It is still necessary to keep cool. but I,
the time is fast approaching when this :
Maine question must be definitely set
tied.