The age-herald., 1898-02-13
IN THE DE LONE INCIDENT
Mckinley Should Have Treated the Letter
 With Contempt.
SPECTATOR THINKS IT FIRST STEP
Towaid Uncle Sam Intervening in Behalf of the Insurgents Suppressed Excite ment Was Created by Affair
 Among Madrid Officials.

London, Feb. 12-The DeLome incident
 has excited little interest in England. but
 the opinions expressed almost unanimously
 indorse the position of the United States.
 The daily newspapers, with the exception
 of the Morning Post, had adopted the view that the administration took the right course. The Sackville-West incident nat urally has been much discussed, but It
 must be added that 1t has always been in
 the most friendly terms towards the United
 States.
 What the Times calls "well-informed
 correspondent" which probably means
 some one in the foreign office, writes to
 that newspaper today that In response to
 the cabled request from the United States
 for Lord Sackvilie- Vests recall Great Brit
 ain answered that no action could be taken
 until the receipt of the language that It
 was charged Lord Sackvile-West had used. When this answer was received 1t appears that Secretary Bayard handed Lord Sack ville-West his passports.
 Policy of Contempt
 The weekly newspapers express the opin- ion that President Mckinley would have done better to ignore Dupuy DeLome, and the Statist opines "that a man better qual- flied to conduct the foreign affairs of the United States than MT. Sherman would re- fuse to notice DeLome," and every one
 participating in the affair, adding "a gov
 ernment based on popular suffrage has to
 expect free criticism
 Continuing the Statist says It does not
 see why President Mckinley, "who is ac-
 customed to the rough as well as to the
 smooth of politics." shows susceptibility
 and "objects to allowing foreigners the
 freedom he admits in the case of his fei-
 low citizens" 2 N si si
 The Spectator. thinks the practical ex-
 pulsion of 'DeEome will produce fresh diff
 faculties between Spain and America"
 Continuing, the Spectator says:1If Pres
 ident Mckinley were wise he would nave
 promptly declared he would not pay any
 attention whatever to the purloined priv
 ate. letter, however genuine. President
 Mckinley should have publicly called on DeI.ome and informed him that he does not need his assurance that his letter was a forgery, the bad taste and the vuigarity | of the language being ample proof of the language bgeing ample proof Of tue fact' | If he had had the nerve or wisdom to do l that he would have immensely raised his prestige both abroad and in his own coun- try. At the same time, one cannot be sur prised that the United States failed to treat the letter with the contempt 1t merited. We do not for a moment suggest that the executive failed to ignore 1t because he was ignorant of diplomatic usage, or be- cause he was not sufficiently good man. nered to be self-restrained under provoca- tiOn.
 Throwing Bouquets
 .'The Americans are as good-mannered l as other people, and their politicians are perfectly aware of how Lord Salisbury or M Hanotaux would have disposed of | similar letter, and can guess accurately how President Lincoln would have treated it. It is not lack of manners or of tra- ditions which made the United States gov | ernment take the incident too seriously, but rather tho want of firmness and savoir | faire which has been shown by the present administration throughout its term of of- fice"
 The Spectator is not sorry the "moment may be approaching when the United | States will intervene to help the agonies of Cuba" adding: ''Their only hope Is 1 in the United States sternly declaring that | the Spanish troops must leave and that | the Cubans be allowed to settle their own | fate. That the United States will be mor- l ally justified in saying that the war must | end, and that Cuba be given peace there | is no doubt"
 Undercurrent of Bitterness | Madrid advices show that the DeLome affair created much suppressed excitement | there The public comments of the diplo- mats and the current press were generally unobjectionable, but there was an under current of bitterness all sides. Even some days before the incident became | known there had been a particularly rer- vous feeling in regard to the relations with l the United States, as evidenced by the l unusual precautiohs taken to guard the residence of the United States minister, MT. Woodford. Any srumor, however ab- l surd was taken as gospel in the alarmist | circles, even though repetition of news which was stale weeks ago. For instance, quite a ferment was caused by reference l to the fact that sixteen United States war ships were off the Dry Tortugas, and 1t was taken as evidence that the blockade | of Cuba had already begun. The advent | of the French cruiser Du Bourden at Ha- vana was hailed with delight by the Mad l rid press and much was made of the po- | lite remarks addressed by the French ad- miral to the government officials. These remarks were said to have. been most fattering in regard to thesesfablish- ment of a new regime, and were,t 1t is said, accompanied by hearty wishes that neaca would soon return from the estab