The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-21
The impending Crisis.

The EplpcndinL: Crisis.
At last there is room for hope that (
the terrible suspense Of the past month .
may be relieved before the end Of an
other week, although some Admins /.
tration organs yesterday predicted that /
Mr. Mckinley would not send in the /
Maine report until some time later
than next Sunday. He is nearly Ger
tain to have the official document in
his hands today or tomorrow, as there
does not appear to be any reasonable
doubt that it left Key West Saturday
or yesterday.
We are inclined to believe that there
will not be much further delay The
recent hope that postponement and
non-action would be of advantage to
the peace with dishonor party, in Civ
ing Congress and the country chance
to cool down seems to have been
| abandoned. 1t is seen that the policy
of suppressing the truth and privately
( attempting TO coax or coerce senators
and members into compliance with the
wishes and plans of the Administra-
ton has not worked in the way it was
/ intended to. 1t has only served to Gre
ate suspicious of bad faith and to in
tensify the evaporation at the Capitol,
as well as throughout the country,
which has been growing steadily ever
since the massacre of Havana harbor.
This has become so apparent that the
Spanish and Administration press now
universally declare, that the President
I will lay the whole situation before
/ Congress and ask it to share with him
the burden Of handling both the Maine
question and that Of Cuba generally.
Probably that is his present intention,
but he may change his mind again, un-
der pressure from the influences which
so disgracefully beset his path. If he
lets light and Congress into the sub
ject, the hopes of the Spanish bond con-
spiracy would seem to be of small ne
gouable value.
That is plain from the statements
of leaders in both houses, few, If any,
Of whom express the least willingness
TO consider any arbitration scheme, or
to tolerate the forcing Of autonomy
upon the Cuban people against their
will This spirit, which is extremely
apparent in the utterances of such
statesmen as Mr.. Davis and others in
the Senate, and by Gen. Wheeler and
many other representative men in the
House is a sufficient reason the bond
sharks should exhaust every device be-
fore allowing Mr. Mckinley to throw
himself into the arms Of Congress and
the people.
: SO much publicity has been given to
the purposes Of the Administration, in
: its persistent efforts to uphold the SOW
ereignty of Spain in Cuba, that we can,
= not conceive of any plan that could
now be attempted which would be ca
pable of covering them. The peoplt
> at large are not interested in protect
: ing the debt incurred by Spain in try
ing to subjugate the Cuban patriots
and would not permit their representa-
tives to become parties to any design
to fasten it upon the infant republic
:, So. we may be sure that, if the Cubar
question is ever turned over to Con
gress for action, the result will be rec
y ognition Of independence at least. Anl
perhaps it may be coupled with al
order to Spain TO leave the islanC
forthwith.
(! What Congress will do about thu
: Maine may depend upon circum
stances. There is really little con
, nected with that crime which is not al
ready known to the country. The re
= spcnsibility of the Spanish government
!, is beyond reasonable question and tn
=. National Legislature Will insist tina
there shall be retributiOn.
- If sincere, the expressed wish Of TIN
: President to escape from a most un
- comfortable personal predicament, b!
doing what he ought to have don
months ago, is a matter for natona
y satisfaction. The people feel that
" however much Mr. Hanna may be tn
Administration, he is not the Who'll
Congress, and they will be much bette
pleased But, as we have remarked,
Z is not yet too late for Mr.. Mckinley t
: change his mind again. and TO swim
:. over to the kitchen cabinet view an
policy before the end Of the week.
. We have only to hope that he wi
- not do so, but for once in his life
stick