New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-21
THE MAINE INQUEST.

The work of searching the wreck of the
Maine for the bodies of the dead has been IN
progress for some time. This week it VIII De
continued and the examination of the nun 10
discover the cause Of the explosion will be be-
gun How long it will take is problematic. An
hour or two may be sufficient to disclose the
dreadful secret or many days may he required.
This is however. absolutely assured. that the
work will be done as expedtiously and as thor
oughly as possible, and the result Will have all
the authority of knowledge and sincerity. The
Government will and the people should await
that result with all the camness fortitude can
summon under the stress of pain and woe
Such il is 10 be believed, will be the attitude
Of the vast majority There are. of course a
few who know II all without investigation, and
who have known it all from the beginning
But allowances must be made for omniscience
There are others who pretend TO have exam
ned the wreck already. and who were printing
pictures of solar eclipses as photographs of
torpedo-hole found in the bottom of the hull
long before a single diver had gone down.
Such enterprise must also be deemed exempt
from the general law. But these extraordinary
folk are only a few. The common. everyday
Americans are willing to wait and find out
things before they know them.
The inquest is being entered upon in exactly
the proper way. The United States Govern
ment, through its Navy Department, is doing It,.
There was an attempt to undertake it by pr-
vate enterprise for the sake of gaining noto-
riety. The monstrous indecency thereof was
apparent to every right-thnkng man. and the
Government most properly forbade the making
Of private capital out of National bereave-
,1,o III
ties should do the work was also properly mega
lived. 1t is right that Spain should investigate
the case. and this Government will afford her
every facility for doing so. But the first right
is that of the United States. The ship belongs
To this country as much now as il ever did.
This country will take care Of the wreck, get
out the bodies Of the dead. discover tho cause Of
the disaster. and, if possible, raise the shat
tered hulk and repair It. and let it ride the
waves once more. There is no question that in
doing this TO the satisfaction Of America il will
do II TO the satisfaction of Spain as well. There
is no possible objection to this country's doing
the job that would not be more potent against
SPANS doing IL. But no objections will he
urged. Spain acquiesces in the action Of the
United States. and there is an end of the matter
1t may be well 10 bear in mind that these
next few days, while the inquest is in prog
ress. will be a regular haymaking time for the
inventor of sensations. Every hour will be
fruitful Of faxed reports like those that
abounded last week. Every scrap Of real news
about the inquest that does come out viii be
subject to distortion and misnterpretatoIr The
tales of torpedo-holes and councils Of war and
calling out OF militia and all the rest of the
fakirs stock In trade will be revampcd with
added luridness. Some lnjudlcious souls may
be deceived thereby. No one will be whose
memory is three days long. The truth will be
known in time, and in ample time for whatever
purpose is to be served by il. and It will not be
FASTENED one instant for all the hullabaloo that
may be raised In Bedlam.