The San Francisco call., 1898-01-25
SIGNIFICANCE OF
 SENDING THE MAINE
 TO HIyANA HARBOR.
While # IS Said the Visit IS Purely of q Friendly Nature Naval Officers
 Fear Clash.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24-Senator Davis. chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, had been fully ad- vised of the sailing of the Maine for Havana when reporter of The Call met him at the Capitol this afternoon. When asked as to the significance of the sudden change of policy on the part of the United States, relative to sending out warships into Havana, Senator Davis replied:
 Secretary Long tells us that the visit of the Maine Is purely of a friendly nature. Now, there may or may not be any special significance in the Maines movements, but it all de- bends upon the way Spain views 1t. It is not unusual for the warships of a friendly nation to cruise in the har- bors of their neighbors. I understand that the two German warships entered the harbor of Havana yesterday. There does not appear to have been any special importance attached to that action on the part of the German Government. Of course, I realize that while the relations between the United States and Spain are supposed to be friendly we have kept our ships out of the harbor of Havana for the past two or three years, and the sending of the Maine to Cuba now naturally ex- cites speculation. We might have sent our warships to Havana at the be- ginning of the present controversy with even greater propriety than now, and it would have occasioned little or no comment. AS I understand the situ- atiOn we refrained from sending our ships there out of a feeling of delicacy toward Spain, with whom we have friendly relations. It has been cus- tomary for our ships to run in and out of Havana at our own convenience until this last struggle for independ- ence commenced. Prior to that time there was no hostile significance at tached to the fact that one of our ships steamed into the harbor of Havana and remained there long enough to give the officers and crew time enough to witness a bull fight and buy a supply of cigars and attend to such other du- ties as might develop upon the ships company. When the present compli- cations arose it was deemed advisable on the part of the United States to keep our ships away from Havana for fear Spain might think we were trying to coerce her into a settlement of an internal revolution. l think we might have sent our ships there long before this and I believe the presence of our ships in the harbor of Havana would have had a good effect upon the situa- tion. It looks as though the end is ap- preaching and as a precautionary measure the administration has di- rected the Maine to proceed to Havana on a friendly cruise; but at the same time to be present in case of emer- gency to offer protection to American interests should they be threatened.
 'I am advised that peace and tram quillity prevail in Havana now and that there is no serious objection from any source to the visit of the Maine to Cuban waters. A I said in the begin ming, we will have to wait and see what construction the Spanish Govern ment puts upon our friendly action"
 Naval officers, generally, look upon the sending of the Maine to Havana as the right thing to do, under existing circumstances. Those who are in po- sitions to be familiar with all that has been said and done in connection with the movements of the North Atlantic squadron, since the complications in Cuba reached the serious stage, have advocated the presence of some of our warships in Cuban waters from the very beginning of the trouble.
 A well-knOwn naval officer, who is familiar with the subject remarked to- day that it was almost a miracle if there Is not some friction between the American sailors and the Spanish troops It is all right for the Maine to go to Havana and be there ready to give aid to Consul-General Lee and to guard American interests, but as a matter of fact. the Spaniards hate the sight of an American citizen and there Is bound to be mix-up if the Span ish troops offer our sailors any indig- nifty while they are in port. In view of the long absence from Cuban waters | of American warships the Spaniards may forget that we are still supposed to be on terms of friendly relations with them, and resent the entrance of our vessels into their karbor.