The herald., 1898-02-20
The Maine at Havana
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BY ABBOT KINNEY

There can have been but two reasons fol
sending on American battleship into Ha
vana at this time: First. for show; or
second. to protect American interests.
The situation in Havana Is well known
The military force at that point is COM
posed of regulars and of volun-
teers. The volunteers and the whole
body of Spanish civil officials in
Cuba are treacherous, cruel and
corrupt They are notoriously violent and
are practically beyond the control of Gen.
Blanco They have stood very recently In
open revolt against him. Representatives
of the volunteers are found in all branches
of the Cuban-Spanish service.
The harbor of Havana was some time
ago planted by French engineers with
mines and torpedoes. To these Weyler
added others. All the wires for exploding
these mines and torpedoes are centercd in
Moro castle. so that any one of them can
be set off separately at will. The United
States government was informed of this.
The irresponsible character of the volun-
teers and their access to these wires made
their open threats to blow up any Ameri-
can ship entering Havana worthy of no.
tice. irrespective of the attitude of Gen.
Dlanco or the Spanish government
The American and Spanish governments
stand upon the ragged edge of war, with
extremists on both sides likely at any mo-
ment to start up the war flame beyond the
possibility of control
In this situation the politicians in Wash
ington send a gallant crew of American
sailors and a superb ship of war into the
torpedoed harbor. in part garrisoned by an
irresponsible military mob. imbued with a
hatred. all Spanish in its intensity, against
Americans.
Ii this was done for show, it was folly.
The presence of an American naval force
t,,c do thAs.- t,,, ,.l~ l,Nt,
could only fan the flames of hatred already
existing. and serve no true purpose, even of
show"
The captain. shortly after the arrival of
the Maine in Havana, had notified the gov
ernment of the extreme dangers of the
situation. and adjured the naval authorities
to send no more American vessels to Ha-
vana "for show" This was a polite but
clear statement that no American vessel
yes: for SHOW no.
If the Maine was sent to Havana to pro-
tect American interests. it was a gross
blunder from every point of view.
From II military point of view, the fleet
stationed at the Tortugas is at Havana. and
yet safe from treachery or a surprise
through Il sudden declaration of war, likely
to happen if any of the ships was in Ha-
vana
To send ships into Havana harbor, either
one or the entire fleet was only to place
every such vessel absolutely at the mercy
of the Spanards through their mines and
torpedoes. The entire American fleet, To-
Gated over mines in Havana harbor, could
protect nothing. not even themselves.
From Spanish military point of view.
and in the strained relations between the
United States and Spain. it was clearly
the military duty of the Spanish COM
mandant. when locating the anchorage Of
the powerful American war vessel 0ikely
at the flash of a telegram to be an enemy,
to select no safe place 1t was his military
duty to place such a vessel over one of his
mines and thus hold it at his mercy. No
sane military commandant would have
failed in this precaution.
1t stood to reason that the Maine was.
then. of no more use to American interests
in Havana harbor than a dead whale
would have been. 1t was, in fact, a threat
against those interests.
The cabal of Ohio politicians. in sending
the Maine to Havana, committed a political
and military crime. This folly of political
traders, headed by Hanna. has lost to us
a splendid warship, which gave us the pre-
ponderance of naval power over Spain.
Besides this. the stupid string -pullers sent
Il gallant crew to an unnecessary and prof
itless death. 1t was, in fact, as much their
murder of our brave officers and men as It
was the murder of these by the cowardly
crowd of Spanish volunteers whose cruel
ties have created the Cuban revolution and
all its horrors.
The same loss of American life occurred
at Valparaiso under Blaine. due to the
same military and strategic error. The
wonder was that we did not lose the Bal
timore at that time. The officers of the
navy have been in no way to blame for
these horrors. The loss of life was due in
both cases to inexcusable weakness. incom-
potency and laundering on the part of civil
leaders. made and controlled by the polit-
ical machine.
Every American is ready to stand by the
government in a wise and firm policy in
foreign affairs. II can be said of Cleveland
that he gave us such a policy, and without
any such neXcusablo risk of American life
as has resulted so disastrously in Havana.
The Venezuela case is an instance. There
was no excuse for sending the battleship
Maine to be anchored over Spanish tor
pedo In the harbor of Havana. 1t was. in
fact, a deliberate placing at risk of our
naval superiority. We have lost the ship.
lost our preponderance of naval power. and
lost the larger part of the trained crew.
What we can expect from our present lead
ers is A long-winded dicker. to end at the
most in a money payment. and probably in
NOT hing OF such is this kingdom of Hanna