The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-17
Various Views.

Senator German, of Maryland: TT Is
a most appalling disaster, but no one
attempts, at this distance, and before
any more facts are given, to place the
responsibility"
Senator Morrill,: I'm my opinion the
occurrence is the result of an accident
I have no idea that any Spaniard had
anything whatever to do with it,
Representative Newlands, of Nevada,
member of the committee on foreign
affairs, said it would be very hard to
convince the American people that the
explosion was an accident. He would
not wish to express an opinion until
further information wa received.
Mr.. Cummings, of New York, men,
Der of the naval committee, unhesitat-
ingly gave it as his opinion that the
ship had been blown up by a floating
torpedo. TT would have been easy"
said he, for some one to have f1oated
a torpedo upon the ship as she lay at
anchor. The torpedo would explode as
it swung against the ship. 1 believe
the Maine was blown up"
Mr.. Cummings said it was more rea-
sonable to suppose that the Maine had
blown up than that for the first time
in our history one of our warshfps
had been blown up without external
agency. In speaking of the case. in
which a torpedo could have been plac-
ed under the Maine, he recalled the
occasion when Capt. Paul Boynton, as
a joke, swan alongside a British war
ship in New York harbor and attach
ed bogus torpedo to her projecting
netting.
Representative Cousins, of Iowa. a
member of the foreign affairs commit
tee, declared that If the Maine had
been torpedoed by outside agency that
investigation was bound to develop
that fact. The fragments could not
be destroyed" said he. Il understand
that no high explosive is allowed TO
enter the harboT of Havana except
that intended for the Spanish author
tiles, SO that If 1t developed that a
torpedo was used Spain Will have to
account for it,
Chairman Hit, Of the foregn affairs
committee; Chairman DingIey. OF tho
ways and means committee of thu
house, all said they preferred to await
fuller information before expressing
themselves. Mr.. Hit said it would
be well for the public to follow the cue
given by Capt. Sigsbee and suspend
judgment until the cause Of the disas
ter was ascertained.
Senator Platt, of Connecticut ex
pressed the opinion that the explosion
would be found to be the result Of
an accident from within. and he doubt
ed that any one could have planned
and carried out a plot to bring about
an explosion of the ship.
Ex-senator Butler, Of South Caro-
line. who was a member of the com
mittee on foreign relations in the SEN
ate during his service. said that Il was
decidedly strange that American yes
sells have visited every portion of the
world and no accident befallen them.
but as soon as a vessel visited Ha-
vana this great disaster should occur
Gen. Butler was of the opinion that
some bold man had gone aboard the
Maine and placed a grenade with a
slow match where it would explode the
magazine. 1t was probable, he
thought, that many people had been
permitted to visit the warship and that
some one of the visitors had carried a
grenade aboard
Hale's Opinion.
Senator Hale, chairman of the COM
IEittee on naval affairs and a member
of the committee on appropriations.
said he had just come from an inter
view with the secretary of the navy
and that he felt confident that the navy
department would institute thorough
Investigation.
There Is no OCCASION" said the SEN