The evening times., 1899-03-04
THE MAINE WELL REMEMBERED
Her Valiant Crew Did Not Lose
Their Lives in Vain.
(From the Havana Independent

One year has rolled by since the world
was shocked and startled by the terrible
news Of the tragedy which had been en-
acted in the port of Havana. The United
States battleship Maine had been blown
up, and near 300 human beings, without
seconds warning, had been hurled into
the abyss of eternity. The gallant ship
which at O'Clock of the evening of Feb
ruary -, majestically represented the
power and the greatness of the nation
whose flag II bore, a few minutes later
was nothing but confused mass of twist
ed steel plates.
Was it crime or was it an accident?
The civilized world refused to believe that
IL was the former The act would be so
heinous, so atrocious. and so monstrous
that no one could conceive of the exist
ence of a man, and much less of a set of
men, so possessed by the widest instincts
of the savage. and so lost TO all feelings
| OF humanity, as 10 be capable of commit
! ting so dastardly a crime. Yet from the
| first moment, circumstances pointed In
! this direction: and as days went by. fact
after fact came to unravel the terrible
| truth, and TO show that not the blind
forces OF nature through an accident but
| through the malice and wickedness of
man had accomplished the fearful work
| Of destruction and death
The brave sailors of the Maine had been
the victims of villainous spite and coward
ly treachery. They had come TO Havana
on an errand of peace. They were friends,
not foes. AT that very moment their gov
ernment was earnestly trying to bring
about an understanding between the op-
pressor and the oppressed. whereby the
bloody war which had lasted three years
should come to an end. They came as the
harbingers OF better days, unsuspecting
and trustful; they were received with os-
tentatious hospitality. and they were con-
signed 10 an awful and atrocious death No
crime so great and SO infamous blackens
the pages of history. II had to be avenged
and it was avenged The nation in whose
| territory it was committed refused to take
steps to discover and punish the criminals,
/ and she received the punishment which she
| deserved. She lost her colonial possessions,
| and Cuba was redeemed from the CALLING
yoke of her tyrants. The brave sailors of
the Maine were sacrificed in order that a
whole people might be saved. They not
die In vain. Humanity has been benefited
! by their death for millions of human be-
| ings have been relieved of the horrors of
despotism and tyranny, and now live under
| the protection of the flag of the United
States. They have entered into a new life
| They have rights and they have liberty
and a bright future opens before them.
For us Cubans, the frightful event of the
Maine has peculiar and transcendent sig
MITIGATION. On that evening our freedom and
! our independence from the cruel Mother
Country were assured; we can never forget
| that they gave up their lives in order that
We might be free. May they enjoy in the
bosom of Eternity that everlasting and
| blissful peace which they so well deserve
| as a recompense for the peace which
through their sacrifice. they have secured
to us. We bless them, and bow TO their
memory with grateful and reverent hearts.