The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-03-03
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

temptation TO 40 HUE spread eagle
posing by catering, in talk at least, to
the unmistakable fighting sentiment
of the country. Whether he has been
tempted to dose, l cannot say, but that
he has not done so is known to all the
world, and it reflects great credit
upon him as a man and as an official
and has, beyond a doubt, increased
the respect felt for the United States
by all civilized nations. Not line
officially indicating what the verdict
of the naval court of inquiry will be,
has been received by either the Pres
ident or Secretary Long, but that
very fact has tended to convince the
public that the investigation has
already shown the court that the
explosion which wrecked the Maine
was not accidental and that it did not
occur inside the vessel; whether it
has convinced the President and Cab
met, their active preparations for war
show better than anything said for
publication by any of them. Prepar-
ations are for the purpose of putting
the country in a condition to hold
Spain to strict accountability, if the
verdict of the court shall be that the
Maine was blown up from the outside,
as nearly every body expects it will
be. Holding Spain responsible is
likely to cause war, and although not
one warlike word has been uttered,
either by the President or any mem
her of his cabinet, this country is
quite well prepared for war.
Our country is equal to that of
Spain in guns and armament, and as
superior to it in fighting qualities as
an American is to a Spaniard; and the
following remarks made by a War
Department official will give some idea
of our coast defenses: From Port
land, Me-, to the southernmost point
on the Atlantic coast, big guns and
mortar batteries have been planted,
and, in case of war, an invading force
could not land on Uncle Sans soil,
without suffering severely. The Pa
citic coast has not been neglected by
any means, and a hostile fleet seeking
an entrance to a harbor anywhere
along that coast line would find VIC
lent opposition. One good result of the
present critical times, if it only
amounts to a scare, is that there will
be less opposition to appropriation
for cast defenses and for needs of the
army and navy.
Justice Harlan, of the U. S. Supreme
Court made the following reference
to the loss of the Maine, in a lecture
to the law students of Columbian Uni
versity: at is idle for any man to
say he knows how the calamity oc-
CURED, and any man bellies his ma
ture and lowers himself in the esti-
nation of his. fellowmen when he ex-
presses the anxiety that it will turn
out that it was not an accident, but
that it was treachery rather than an
accident. Brave, generous men do
not want to think SO badly of their
fello"men. We don't want to think
that that was an act of treachery and
duplicity; we hope it will turn out
otherwise. And we ought all to
have this feeling that if it turns
out to be accidental, we should rejoice;
if it turns out not to be accidental,
we will not hear any more of North,
South, East or West, no more of re-
publicans, democrats or populists.
We will hear only of Americans"
The President and the Secretary of
the Navy believe that it would be
both fitting and patriotic for Con-
gress to authorize the building of a
new war ship, to be as good as it
can be made, to be named Maine, but
they also regard as wise the opinion
of the men in Congress who have stud
led this subject, that it will be best to
wait until full particulars of the loss
of the Maine can be carefully studied
before deciding whether it would be
advisable to build any more vessels
of the battleship type.
Representative Pearson, of N. c.,
Indignantly resents the imputation,
made in some quarters, that the fight
made by the republicans of the House
to secure modification of the'civil ser
vice law and rules, in which he has
been CONSPICUOUS among the leaders,
is a sham, and says he intends, if
within his power, and he thinks it is,
to see that every member of the House
is put on record on this question be-
fore the close of the present session.
There is reason for the belief that
President Mckinley would have is
sued an order materially modifyin g
the civil service rules before this had
not his attention been fully taken up
with matters following upon the de
LONE letter and the destruction of
the Maine.