Evening journal., 1898-04-01
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
THE STAGGERING AND BELLI-
COSE UTTERANCES OF A FEW
rIrSpTDCR. POIITTCT ANS

COSE UTrERANCES OF "A FEW
CUSPIDCR POLITICIANS.
10 the Editor Of the Evening Journal
Sir: Now that it is impossible for the
| United States to declare war against
Spain on the Maine question, owing to
the inability of the Court of Inquiry to
fix the responsibility of her loss upon
any person or persons, q few inham-
mable, suspidor politicians Of the For
aler- Mason stripe are doing their little
best to hamper and impede the presi-
dent in his laudable efforts to preserve
| harmonious relations between the two
| countries; and they are exerting their
| utmost TO rush this country into as
suming an active belligerent attitude
| towards the Spanish nation on the
spanish-Cuban complication These
| loud-mouthed personages are cha
grined at the temperate tone of the Of
hcial report concerning the Maine dis
aster, and are urging the plea of hui
manltaria lism as an excuse for Con-
gress to declare war, the latter body
having The power, independent of
! either the presidents signature of af-
hrmatiOn OF VetO so to act. We think
I that me "humanitarianism" dodge as
an excuse for war was practiced long
before the period when men of the For
AXE f-MasOn ilk became known as so
| me ny blatant and warlike quantities.
u I4umanitarianism" was the excuse for
ne English war of 1916. 'IIu-
/ manitarianism" was also the excuse
2 Tor the Crimean war of 1854. "Humani-
tarianism" played the same part in the
Franco-Prussian war of 1870. And the
plea of "humanitarianism' is to-day
being urged as a valid excuse for this
country to engage in a costly and ut
terly On-benehcial war with SPAIN In
short. whenever a nation desires to en-
gage in warfare and grab land, then
that nation riddles the peoples brains
= with the aforesaid "humanitarianism'
buncombe.
Hon e. J. Phelps, formerly United
States minister to England, in an
exceedingly logical and comprehensive
, resume of the Spanish-Cuban question,
has said: "WhO, then, are these insur-
] gents? They are a body Of un-
/ certain number, who keep out Of sight,
T. who have no capital, or abiding place
OF attempt at organized government
b. I (unless in a Junta in the city Of New
- York;, mere guerriAas and bandits who
? have been carrying on what they cal
] MaILdIt Nt Al4lnNn AA0L ANAAG tAAaNA as
, war in any civilized country; by de.
t stroying the homes and industries OF
. the people Of the island not in arms
until il has become a desolatlon; by
u blowing up with dynamite trains Whicl
o. contained only peaceable travellers
Il and numbering in cold blood a Span
ish officer bearing under a flag o
q truce the offer of autonomy, Thei
a force is made up of Cubans, negroes
- / renegades and adventures of all sort
: I from the United States and elsewhere
Is theirs the cause we are to take up
Can IL be claimed to be the office o
humanity to drive out the establishe
- government of the island, the only gov
| eminent there is there, and to tur
'e over the population to the tender mel
S. cies Of such a band as this? Spain
e q friendly nation, and always has beer
y The most Industrious agitatOr for wa
1t has been unable to hunt up in any his
j. tory, since under Spanish auspices thi
st / country was first opened to us by CO
r. | lumbus, any cause of quarrel betwee
t, | us. She has not attacked us, is nC
" | proposing to attack us, and is virtual
incapable of it, She has manifesto
every desire and made every effort
avoid hostilities. The attempt to int
is vene by force of arms, when the pro
of fer of mediation by one gOvernmel
as has been declined by another, is
in crime"
ch The above quoted remarks of M
ar / Phelps need no comment for no al
D., verse criticism can affect their veracit
sc We all know that in the event
IS. this country warning with Spai
ly neither nation would make an attem
ld to invade the other And it is far fro
Il being an absolute certainty that sue
a sea-combat would be carried on
such a manner that the boats Of q
one navy would directly attack u
" boats Of the other. In case Of war b
en- tween the United States and Spai
n, then the policy of the American na'
II. | would be to occupy Cuba. And q
n policy OF the Spanish navy would
ss' all probability be to lombard vulne
A. able points along the Atlantic cO2'
Id. Would the American navy-with {
ir- Spanish forts we'll fortified especial
". } Moro Castle. and the supposed su
marine mines of Havana harbOr-ii
the occupation of Cuba a walkOver,
re- altogether easy task? Perhaps not.
he the other hand, would the Spani
M navy-with the exposed and vulneral
ny points adjacent to the Atlantic coast
mt be successful in the bOmbardment
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