The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-01

There is little doubt now that the Spanish
fleet is and was not in the harbor OF San
tiago de Cuba. The news came by way OF
Madrid and the Associated Press and the
Navy Department swallowed the bait and
hook and carried the cork under Now,
after all this delay and all this fine work of
the board of strategy to bottle Cervera
up" the bottle is empty. Isn't the prospect
pleasing? Cuba has not been invaded The
Spanish fleet is no one knows where. 1t
may cause havoc along the Atlantic coast
while the fleets of Sampson and Schley, sent
away O II is "G about time e' for the United
States to assume an aggressive attitude.
The Spanish feet must be run down and de-
stroyed. If we wait for 1t to bottle itself up
we will wait a long time.
The foregoing was clipped from paper
which is Bryanite rather than Democratic.
1t was on the editorial page, while in poster
type on the first page was the announce
ment that Commodore Schley had certainly
found the Spanish fleet in Santiago The
name of the paper will not be given. because
it is quoted a sample of the ignorant and
vicious chatter which is found in the col
umns of large number of papers in this
State which call themselves Democratic. 1t
is stupid because every fairly intelligent
editor in the country knows, upon the dec
laration of the Navy Department, that the
board Of strategy does not direct admirals.
but collects, information for them. 1t is a
board of observation. Simply vicious, de-
sirous of but one thing-that the efforts
of the government to drive the Spanish out
of Cuba shall be abortive, to make the
people believe the, administration fee
BILE and cowardly-such so-called editors,
most of whom never ship or a bril-
gade of troops, set themselves TOT the task
of berating and slandering those who are
charged with the conduct of the war.
Cuba has not been invaded" remarks
this ignoramus, as if it We're some neglect
on the part of those who direct the move
ment of the army and navy. Who knows
better the time and circumstance to invade
Cuba, Generals Schofield, Miles. lifelong
soldiers and ex-soldiers like Ge eral Sickles
ard Howard, or the editor WI writes the
foregoing quotation? He does not know
that the Spanish have at least 10000 men be-
hind the Notifications of Havana and other
cities in Cuba. He should know that we have
not now more than half that force of we'll
drilled and hardened soldiers, and he should
know that hurting that force against more
than the same number behind Notifications
would result in terrible slaughter and disas-
ter Evidently he does not care; possibly,
yes, probably, he would be gratified at such
a result, because he imagines 1T would help
his party in the November election.
1.-THE Spanish fleet must be run down and
destroyed" declares this person, who never
saw a war ship, and who assumes that
Sampson and Schley have been derelct in
duty and need his demand to stimulate
them to action, ignoring the fact that both
these officers have been searching the
Caribbean sea for Cervera.
There are hundreds of patriotic and sensi-
tie Democrats in Indiana; why do they not
go to these little but malignant editors of
their organs and tell them they are putting
their party in a false attitude. or in some
way read the riot act to them?