The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-02-25
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Mckinney Does Not Expect Hos
tillties With Spain, But lie
Is Preparing.
Says lie Would Be Negligent Not
to B" Ready For Any
Emergency.
Secretary Long Denies That His
Department Has Suppressed
the News.

CHICAGO, Feb. 25.--The Tribune has
the following from Washington:
II do not propose to do anything at
all to precipitate war with Spain. Up
to the present l do not think war is
either necessary or inevitable. Iwould
be lax IN my duty, however. If did not
prepare for the future. The situation
is grave. and the policy of the admins.
tration will be determined almost en-.
tlrely by the course Of events from
time to time. There is no necessity of
alarming the people. but congress must
be ready to assist the administration
without making too many inquiries as
to the course Of current events.
Said by the President.
To senator who called upon him in
order to ask some serious questions as
to the policy of the administration,
President Mckinley, with the utmost
frankness, uttered the above words.
There is now no doubt Of the fact that
the government of the United States is
actually preparing for war with Spain.
1t does not follow that war will come.
but the activity in both the war and
navy departments is too unmistakeabie
to be concealed The president and his
cabinet unite in the belief, still in spite
Of all the evidence to the contrary, that
the explosion Of the Maine was the re-.
suit of an unfortunate accident, but
they recognize the fact that the con.
trary may prove true, at almost auy
hour, and that if it is shown even in.
ferentially that Spain had q hand in
the catastrophe, there will be but one
thing to do, and that will be to seize
the island Of Cuba by forco Of arms.
At no time since the war Of the rebel.
lion has the military branch OF the gov
ernment been SO active as it is today.
Change Of Opinion.
1t is a significant fact that within
the last two days there has been re-.
markable change OF opinion III the
navy department in regard to the ex.
plosion of the Maine. When the first
news arrived here last week, experts at
the department were nearly evenly
divided as between an accident aud de-.
sign. But now, after studying the
1utcA AopOAtS, nAN CSpSSAAAy NAO pAOlOe
graphs sent from Havana, nine out Of
ten of the officers at the depart
ment express the belief that the Maine
was anchored over q submarine mine.
The only difference Of opinion seems
to be as to whether that mine was
exploded by Spanish officers acting
uader orders, or by some enthusiast.
The latter opinion is generally held,
but it is said that this does not lessen
in any great degree the responsibility
of Spain for the horrible catastrophe.
If the Spanish officers allowed the war.
ship to be moored to buoy which was
attached to the submarine mine, it
thereby became responsible for the re.
suit, whether the mine was exploded
by official orders or not. The placing
of the Maine in an exposed place in the
harbor, il 1t was done at all, was done
by Spanish officers, aud if the mine was
exploded by anybody at all. they were
directly responsible, and will SO be held
by President McKinley's admins.
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