Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-03-14
THE PRESIDENTS COURSE
Fully Mapped Out and He Will Act al
Proper Time.

Washington, ID. c., March l3-Graye-
~ apprehensive over the impending
crisis in our relations with Spain, Pres
ident Mckinley is cody and delberat-
~ weighing every phase of the situa-
ton before making any move or any
public declarations a. TO his Intentions.
That his action, when taken, may
meet with the approval of the nation
and Of the world. the President desires
to be relieved of any suspicion of pre-
| maturely forming a decision While
| there is ample evidence of an unofficial
| character already in the hands of the
| authorities to make it conclusive in
| their minds that the Maine was blown
up from the outside, the President Will
refrain from making any public state
| ment as to the cause until all the pa
| pers are before him. This is in con-
trast TO the course of Captain Peral.
the chairman of the Spanish court of
inquiry, who. in an authorized inter-
view published, this morning, goes in
to great detail Ia show that the Maine
was blown up from the inside. and in
doing this, he anticipates the finding
of the court over which he presides
There has been much comment here
on the extraordinary character of Cap
tain Peral's action in making a public
declaration in advance of the official
report of the court. The appearance Of
hits interview simultaneously with the
publication of the speech made by
Senior Moret in Madrid and the inter
view given out by Minister Polo in
| Washington. last night, is believed in
some quarters here to signify deliber
ate effort on the part of the Spanish
authorities to influence public opinion
in favor of the accident theory of the
explosion in advance of the publication
of the report of the American court of
inquiry.
At the same time Senior Polo is protest.
ing that Spain does not want war and
Senior Moret is declaring that Spain will
never submit 10 the loss of an inch of
territory. Captain Peral gives out an in
terview tending to show that the official
examination of the wreck of the Maine
by the Spanish authorities has demon
strated that she was destroyed from some
interior cause under the control OF Cap
tain Sigsbee and not by an external
agency for which the Spanish govern
ment could be held responsible directly
or indirectly.
There is no doubt that the report of the
American court will be directly contrary
to that which Captain Peral has fore
will introduce Il serious element of dan
ger into the situation No weight what
ever will be attached to the Spanish re-
port by this government, and when Pres
ident Mckinley bases his demand upon
Spain upon the report of the American
court the Spanish government i'll all PROB
ability will reply that the report of their
court shows an entirely different state of
affairs from that reported by the Ameri-
can court.
No one here believes the Spanish court
has made anything like as thorough an
investigation as that made by the Ameri-
can court. This belief will tend TO still
further discredit the report of the Span
ish court in this country. The TWO al
verse reports viii bring the two countries
| face to face with each other upon very
| ugly question, involving national honor
| on both sides, and will have to be handled
| very delicately if a clash is, to be avoided
| The exact course the President will pur-
| sue in submitting his demands upon
| Spain when the report of the court OF m
| quiry has been received will, OF course
depend upon new conditions arising from
| day to day. The most that can be said
| now is that the blowing up of the Maine
| and the general Cuban question are 10 De
| treated as kindred subjects. President
| Mckinley has kept his head up TO the
present time. and in spite of all clainor
| he will handle the matter in a cooi de-
| liberate way. He believes that it is his
| duty to treat the Maine disaster not as q
reason for making war if it can he avoid
! ed with honor, but as reason for prlhs'
| ing about peace in Cuba.
| He does not at present contemplate
| forcible Intervention in cuban AFFAIRS ana
! will not unless the attitude of SPAN
| makes such action necessary. He Is tuiiy
determined that the independence of CUBA
| CONTINUED on page 81