The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-25

a1lAfTS III I1&f6u1 Aat0 bCO1l III a very
critical state for some weeks past, one
serious outbreak has occurred and others
have been prevented only by putting the
city under martial law and holding the
troops loyal to the governor general in
readiness to suppress an uprising. Our
government has been fully aware OF THIS
state of things, and was SO alarmed ABOUT
it that a week ago orders were given
the Maine that If six hours passed WIFI
out news from Havana she should steam
as quickly as possible to that city With
out any special order from the war de-
partment. On Sunda7 a large fleet OF
our most powerful war ships arrived of
Key West, only five hours sail from
Havana, and ara in that locality still
All day Sunday rumors were in c1rcuIa-
tion at Key West and in Washington OF
trouble in Havana. A few days ago there
was fiery debate in the House of Re-
personalities, in which Spain was very
roughly handled, and interference py her
government earnestly and even fiercely
advocated. Reports from Madrid have
made it clear that the Spaniards were
very much troubled by the movements OF
our vessels and the utterances OF our
statesmen, and were very suspicious that
we were meditating armed Intervention.
( With matters in this condition, with
the atmosphere in this country and in
Cuba charged with intense feeling, with
great many circumstances surround
ing the case, we'll calculated, though they
may be purely accidental to cause sus-
pioion as to the friendliness of our pur-
pose, the present would seem to be 3 very
unfortunate time to select for sending
q war vessel to Havana purely on mis-
sion of peace and good will. That our
purpose should be misconstrued by the
excited people of Havana and Madrid,
no matter how strong our protestations
of an innocent motive is almost inevita-
BILE. Indeed. judging from the comments
of the members of the committee on for
eign affairs 1T has already been miscon-
strued in this country by gentlemen
who are very close to the administration.
If this act had been looked upon by them
as merely the resumption of friendly in
Ee1Tc0NrSe.
have expressed the hope that other war
ships would follow, nor would Senator
Teller have said that he would Ike to see
the harbor of Havana filed with Anne
rican ships. These gentlemen evidently
construed the ssending of the Maine as
something more than mere restoration
of the old order of things when our YES
sells were accustomed to touch at Cuban
ports.
1t certainly cannot be expected that
Spain will put more Innocent con-
struction upon this act than our own
Senators.and Representatives do.
Now the administration must have
been aware when it gave the order to the
Maine that the time was exceedingly in
opportune for the renewal OF purely
friendly intercourse, and had that been
the only reason the chances are that it
would have postponed the order until
there was less liability of it's being mis-
construed. Behind the avowed purpose,
we believe, is another more potent, which
is to protect A ricans IN case of an
outbreak. Probably the disquieting ru-
mors which have been in circulation at
Key West, though exaggerated, are not
without some foundation. What that
foundation is the administration doubt
less knows and regards it as sufficient to
justify the sending of q ship of war 70
the harbor of Havana. The movement
is not to be construed as an aggressive
one on our part; but only as precaution-
airy measure, and as such it will be gen
orally approved by the American people,
though many will share with the MEM
bsrs of the Senate committee On foreign
affairs the wish that more vessels had
been sent.