The leader., 1898-03-02
PENDING THE REPORT.
Absolutely No Light Shed Upon the Find
ings of the Board of inquiry at Havana.


Absolutely No Light Shed Upon the Find
ings of the Board of inquiry at Havana.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-In spite of
the stories that come from unofficial
| sources in Havana as to sensational de-
| velopments in connection with the
work of the divers in the Mainc's hull,
the administration remains firm in its
statement that there is no creditable
evidence one way or the other as to the
| cause of the disaster, and holds to its
purpose to await the conclusion of the
| investigation now making by the court
of inquiry.
The Spanish legation was equally in
the dark as to any of the discoveries
reported from sources that are not
cited, as was shown by the message
from Capt.-Gen. Blanco.
Secretary Long has been under a
heavy and almost constant strain ever
since he was awakened in the middle
of the night a week ago last Tuesday,
and now that matters are, at least for
the time being, in quieter state, has
withdrawn from the navy department
or gone away for few days rest, leav-
ing Assistant Secretary Roosevelt to
manage the department.
The latter has been thoroughly ad-
vised at every step of the secretary's
policy of treatment of the Maine af-
fair, so that there is nA likely to be
any change in that respect caused by
the temporary assumption of the duties
of secretary by Mr.. Roosevelt. Just
before the department closed he had
| word of the sailing of the cruiser Mont
gomery from Tampa for Key West.
Up to that time the vessel had been
given no orders, so that the date of her
departure for Havana, if she is to go at
all, is conjectural. The ship went to
Tampa, instead of Key West, on her re-
turn from San Domingo in order to
facilitate the speedy return to his du-
ties in Washington of Capt. Crownin-
shield, the chief of the navigation bu-
reau, who saved a full day by the
movement.
The Castine, the second of the United
States war ships on the south Atlantic
station, arrived yesterday at Barbados,
where she joined the Cincinnati. 1t
may be that the Castine will go to
Martinique to be locked. as she is in
peed of cleaning after her tropical
| service.
| Since so much depends on the report
of the court of inquiry it may be inter-
esting to note that so far Secretary
Long does not know when to expect
this important document, up to this
time having heard nothing from any
of the members on this point. He
rather expected that the court which
has complete power to work on it's own
lines, would wind up its work at Ha-
vana before leaving, so as to avoid the
necessity for return trip. One men,
Der of the cabinet had a more definite
opinion on the subject, expecting to re-
ceive the report from the court about
the middle of next week.
There is reason to believe that mean
time, and to prepare for the reception
of report that would show the disas-
ter to be other than the result of an
accident, some of the officials of the
administration have been looking up
the subject of indemnities, so as to lay
the foundation of case, in the event
it should be decided to resort to that
| melnOu OF Seutlemenu.
There are large number of prece-
dents which will aid the authorities in
shaping their action in this direction
when the facts are fully established.
| While none of the eases show the fear
full loss of life sustained by the Maine
explosion, yet they include many in
stances in which the United States has
adopted energetic measures to redress
the killing of American citizens in for
eign countries. In general way, these
methods of redress have included de-
mands for indemnity, proclamations
excluding the war ships of the offend
ing nation from our harbors, display of
force, non-intercourse, withdrawal of
our minister, reprisal and blockade
| The principle of m%ney indemnity
for the killing of foreigners has been
recognized in severalrecent cases in the
United States. One of those was the kill
ing of Italians at New Orleans by a
mob. In that case, while the United
States did not admit the responsibility
of the federal government for the act
of mob, yet indemnity was paid out
of the federal treasury as a matter of
international comfy and equity.
Similar action was taken in indem-
nifying China for her subjects killed at
Rock Springs. In the case of the Vir-
ginius large money indemnity was
paid.
Demands by the United States are
at resent pending against Turk ey for
the burning of American missionary
property in Turkey during the Armen-
ian outbreak. There are many indi-
vidual claims against Spain, including
the Ruiz case and that of DIR. Delgado,
now pending.
President Buchanan adopted the pro-
cedure of reprisal in 1889. This is a
measure just short of war. Mexico
was charged at that time with assent
ing to spoliation along the United
States border. President Buchanan
asked and secured authority to send a
military force to collect indemnity as
diplomatic negotiation had failed.