The San Francisco call., 1898-05-06
THE EXPLANATORY MAGUlRE.

to office and reaching for another, he affects to believe that critisism of him as member of Con gross IS caused by his candidacy for the governor ship. He attributes all such criticism to the rail- | road' and presents himself martyr to the oc- topus.
 Now, are not concerned about Magulres can didacy for the governorship and will admit that as ant-rairoad person he is fully up to the stan dard of his daily organ, the Examiner. What does concern Is his expression and conduct as mem Der of Congress from California and citizen of the United States.
 After the Spanish Minister demanded his passports and left the country under instructions from his Gov ernment and after the American Minister at Madrid had been handed his and he had been hooted and stoned across the Spanish frontier, navy, with Key West base seized as prizes Spanish mer- chant ships, of them on their way to Havana and others bound to other ports.
 In an idle moment Judge Mcguire said that taking these prizes piracy, and therefore naval off cers became pirates, though they may have been pre- venting the victualing and arming of Havana.
 It easy for the Judge say this, but hard for him to see 1t in print When he said it his weekly organ here, the Star, which IS the faithful mir that reflects him in all his phases, said: Repre- sentative Magure regards the seizure of the Buena Ventura and some five or six other Spanish vessels
 
 O. piracy as to which he is probably correct"
 Maguire's readiness to criticize his Govern ment, to the extent of chasing our naval off, with pirates met ready and approving response therefore, from his leading supporter here The only interest in his opinion arises from the fact that he IS member of Congress, and such voted for the most extreme propositions, including recognition Of the Cuban insurgent government and vaidatlon of its bonds and blanket mortgage on the island Under such circumstances his denunciaton of prize taking piracy to attract attention, and when it did he forwarded to his daily organ, the Examiner, what he intended denial of the presson which his weekly organ had indorsed.
 It being charged that he said the seizure of Span ish merchantmen prior to April 25 piracy, he re- plies in the Examiner to this effect:
 My attention has been called to alleged state ment by me concerning the seizure of the Spanish merchant ship Buena Ventura by our navy fol- lows: ' consider this act and ths other sagwss I'D to tht tims nothirg more than buaep.
 Observe now that "up to this time up to April 25. The explanation continues:
 ''I made no speech the subject at all, and made ITO saeh sfatsnsnt either publicly privately, and entertained snoh obiatoa. 1 passed crti- csm whatever upon the action of the naval author- ties the administration in seizing and detaining Spanish merchant ships"
 That is positive denial He says: T made no such statement and entertained such opinion Then follows his own version of what he did say and of the opinion he did entertain:
 Believing that as our Government is not bound by international law except in far chooses to observe 1t, and the retroactive clause in the act in question would put Government in the position of passing law for the purpose of conscatng ships and their cargoes I said that such an act would +Lo o1, of which we were conducting the war and would place our country before the world in the position of sstging and confscating fen meyehant ships under conditions condemned by the treaty of Paris batter than biracp."
 We submit that the most rabd ''railroad' paper in California could place him in any worse po- sition than he puts himself in
 He was accused of saying that the seizures were nothing more than puaey''; he denies saying "any sneh fng' and admits that he said they were ''no better than puaey." It is hardly the difference be- tween How you, Gallagher" and Gallagher, how you?
 Judge Mcguire IS either ignorant of the force of language or thinks others he would not play such an obvious 1uke Let 1t be put so plainly that the most obtuse can see it-he denies saying the seizures were nothing than piracy, and ad- mits saying that they mo better than" piracy. In the denied form our naval officers would be nothing more than pirates; in the admitted form they would be mo better than pirates
 These are Red Cross days, and perhaps in spirit of mercy we should leave Judge Mcguire to the oblivion into which he has talked himself But may we not suggest that he is not always aware of the force and meaning of terms?
 In his speech at the Henry George memorial ices in this city last year he sad Great problems affecting mankind had remained unsolved before the coming of Henry George. Before his day professors, philosophers and publicsts had proposed to cut the Gordian knot with pools of blood"
 The habit of expression which cut things with pools of blood and probably whet them first bar of soft soap, IS all that be pleaded for his latest performance. It Is important merely as the unconscious betrayal of mood of mind ininlca to the purposes of his country.
 Three police officers are to explain to the commis-