Semi=weekly graphic., 1898-03-30
Responsibility Could Not Be Placed
 Upon Anyone.
sSENT TO CONGRESS
 BY THE PRESIDENT.
No Recommendation Is Made of ths Matter, the President Relying Upon the Honor of Spain to Do
 What Is Justice In A.
 fairs of This Kind.

Washington, March 2a.-The presi- dent yesterdad sent the following mes sage to congress:
 To the congress of the United States: For some time prior to the visit of the Maine to Havana harbor our consular representative pointed out the advant- ages to flow from the visit of national ships to Cuban waters, in accustoming the people to the presence of our flag as a symbol of good will and our ships in fulfllment of the mission of the protec. ton to American interests even though no immediate need thereof might exist. Accordingly on the 24th day of Janu- ary last, after a conference with the Spanish minister in which renewal wis. ! its of our warships to Spanish waters & was discussed and accepted, the benin. sular authorities at Madrid and Havana were advised of the purpose of this gov. # enment to resume friendly naval visits # Cuban ports and that in that view 2 the Maine would forthwith call at the port of Havana. This announcement was received by the Spanish govern ment by appreeiating the friendly char aeter of the visit of the Maine and with the notification of the intention to re- turn the courtesy by sending Spanish ships to the principal ports of the United # States. In the meanwhile the Maine entered the port of Havana on the 25th 8 day of January, her arrival being mark d with no special incident, besides the Echange Of the customary salutes and nnewal visits.
 The Maine continued in the harbor of Havana during the three weeks follow ag her arrival. No appreciable excite lent attended her stay on the con- nary, feeling of relief and confidence aAowed the resumption of long inter- Qted friendly intercourse. So notice @e was this immediate effect of her FSt that the consul general strongly aged that the presence cf our ships in a1an waters should be kept up by re- lng them at Havana, or, in the event aer recall, by sending another vessel age to take her place.
 4O minutes past nine in the even. %d Feb. 15th. the Maine was destroy an explosion by which the entire I8ard part of the ship was utterly e'@Eed' In this catastrophe two off, ~ and 26O of her crew perished, those sr0~ere not killed outright by her ex- ~AOn being penned between decks by susled wreckage and drowned by the rIvalate sinking of the hull Prompt sance rendered by neigboring vessels suOred in the harbor, aid being espec-
 gwen by the boats of the Spanish gu0nse XII and the Ward line steam
 ny d Washington, which lay not 3Md Ade wounded were gener- cared for by the authorities of
 s'la' the hospitals being freely open !" them, while the earliest recovered Ss; as ol the dead were inferred by the
 slpality in the public cemetery of as " Tributes of grief and sym
 s were offered from officials of all
 srs of the island.
 lnss appalling calamity fell upon our :. 8lVh crushing force and for a
 hb le Intense excitement prevailed,
 nbon . community less just and self
 asa than ours might have led to
 "g's of blind resentment. This
 40@eyer, soon gave way tc
 reason, to resolve to investigate
 and await material proof before
 ag judgment as to the cause and
 'O'ilty, and if facts warranted,
 Am, due. This course necessarily
 asnded itself from the outset tc
 Nsai. 1''se' for only in the light oi