Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-04-01
WASHINGTON LETTER
Trom our regular Correspondent

officially that the Maine was blown
up oy enemies, and while the re
port does not specifically name
those enemies, itplaces the response.
biIity, in the eyes af every Amcri
can, upon Spain. Leading men Of
all parties promised the President
before the report was sent to Con
gress that they would cndoayor to
prevent Congress taking any action
herton unlil he had been given an
opportunity to make a last diplO
IN tic attempt to settle the whole
Cuban question with Spain, hut it
is 10y no mean certain that this
en- leayor will be successful, Con
gress, as a whole. believes that war
is bound 10 come, and may con-
scquently get away from the
leaders at any moment and take
action that will bring on wal
atonce. Nothing short of a mira
Gle can now prevent war, and
miracles are not Of frequent occur
renee in these days. 1t would be a
miracle for Spain to propose to
retire from Cuba and rocongize its
Independence, fit failed to restore
peace in a given period,as one re
port says it Intends to do; and it
would be a miracle for Span to
meet this country halr way in any
peaceable effort to settle the Cuban
question, Notwithstanding Mr.. Nc
Kinlcy's expression OF the belief
that it would do 30
The President has not asked in
demrliy from Spain for the loss Of
the Maine, because Of his unwilling
ness to give Spain the shadow of' a
right to ask that the matter be
ariitrated. There smoothing to be
larlitratcd. The alleged report Of
Spanish Naval officers, claiming
That the Maine was destroyed by
an il t.rnal explosion, will be ig
nored by this government. The
President has lorwasded a copy OF
the rerort of our Court to the
Spanish government, and it is ex
rccted to make a reply. Upon the
nature of that reply the next move
of this government will depend.
provided it is promptly made. But
regardless OF that reply, the Prcsi
dent has fully determined that it Is
a duty this government owes to
humanity to put an end to present
conditions in Cuba, peacefully i''
necessary. In accordance W 18th
that determination, he will ask
Congress to appropriate the money
to feed and clothc the poverty
stricken Cubans of all classes, and
Congress will promptly do it, and
the distribution will at once be
made by L. $. officials. In other
words, the Intervention that the
entpromised in his message
! to Congress, last December, i the
conditions then existing in Cuba
were not bettered-they have
steadily grown wOrse-is about To
become an accomplished fact. If
Spain rsscnts that Intervention, so
much the worse for spain, and it is
the general belief in Washington
that it will resent it and thereby
start the war.
Not a few persons, especially
among naval officers, believe that
the spanish hotiIla of torpedo
boats and torpedo boat dcstroyers.
now making its way from the
Canary Islanis to Porto Rico, is
being sent to American waters for
hostile purpose, although the
government of Spain has declared
to the contrary. This government
has. there is reason to believe,
notified SpaIu that if this aotilla
makes a start from Porto Rico to
Cuba it Will be destroyed by our |
warships, as there could be no
other reason for such a government
than tomake an nttack upon us |
The situation is now so strained
that it cannot possibly continue
for many days. Peace is posi-
BILE, but war is muck more prob
able.
In a speech commencing tn.
valOr of American sailors when
our Navy was much less formidable
than it is today, and predicting
greater deeds OF valor for them in
the future, Representative Foss, of
Ills, gave some interesting figures
of the cost of our Navy. He said I
we have expended nearly 1878,
100000 Tor the Naval establishment e