The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-04-29
A SENSIBLE VIEW
or tho CoGhlan Affair = Difference
Between Private Speeches and Pub.
lie Policies = An Incident of no

or tho CoGhlan Affair = Difference
Between Private Speeches and Pub
lie Policies = An Incident of no
Special Moment.
New York Journal OF Commerce: Four
or five years ago Captain Concas, OF the
Spanish navy. who met his fate Off San.
tiago, July 3. and who came to this
country six gears ago with the Column
bus. caravals and visited the Worlds
Fair, made an address In Madrid which
was grossly offensive to the United
States, and Minister Taylor complained
10 the Spanish government, against It.
But there was no analogy between that
event and the conduct, undenIably' in
discreet under all the circumstances, of
Captain Coghlan at the Union League.
IL Captain Concas had limited himself
10 dcnouncins United States officials
with whom he came In contact Mr.. Tay-
lor would have taken no notice of his
remarks. But he grossly insulted our
government, he denounced us az peo-
pie. he told absurd and offensive lies
about the military academy and other
public Institutions, and the protest Of
the American minister was necessary.
SO far as=h his original remarks so, Capt.
Coghlan's3 indlscretioa, such as It was.
related TO Admiral Dewey rather than
TO the German commander. He did not
tell what the latter did, or repeat the
language OF the latter; he repeated
somthing that he heard Admiral Dewey
say, ard II he compromised anyone he
compromised his own commander. II
the navy department Is taking note OF
his SDpaHh 4, 10 haca,tca J,a Ia. lo1
the attitude OF his own government and
not because he has given offense TO
foreign power.
His repetition OF o satire at the Kaiser
Is different thing. 1t was an indiscre-
ton, but some OF our newspapers are
attaching an undue Importance to Il.
The occasion was entirely unofficial, and
governments are not compromised by
after-dinner speeches at private CLUB,
even when made By persons In the
public service. Consider for q moment
that the tables were turned Assume
thnt the German war vessel Fa!ke re-
turns TO Bremen. that the captain and
his officers are invited to dinner at
clubhouse. and that the captain COM
plains of the aggressivenesS OF Admiral
kautz and repeats defiant message
that he or the German consul sent to
the American commander. Does anyone
suppose that such an Incident would put
any strain upon the relations between
Germany aTI the United States? Wing.
German newspapers and members of
the re!chstac are using offensive Ian
SuaGe ABOUT us now, and tho members
Of the reichstas are not even called to
order by the presiding officer for insult
ing friendly people but the most
Sta61spf IN, ffip nj ,,Caa r.A,
that the friendly relations. between the
two governments. or between the two
peoples, are endangered thereby.
Suppose, farther. that after the cap
tain of the Fake had repeated the de-
liant message he or the German consul
m2%'he supposed to have sent, aud had
been vociferous!y chcered. he had been
induced 10 rccitc some lines current in
anti-Amerlcon circles In the Pacific nd
icp.!ng the President Of tho United
States. American newspapers general
l. would have made angry comments
upon his bad taste. and possibly AM
bassador White would have sent note
TO the minister of foreign affairs, In con-
sequence OF which the captain OF the
Fake would have been admonlshsd to
be more considerate 81 American SEN
sihIli;ies: but no one inpCinpE thu; the
ltihl'Hs hl tne TWO governments WOULD |
he affected at all by the captains free
don In an after-dinner speech on pri-
va,e occasion.
Some OF our fellow citizens are unduly
aaprehens!ve that the fate Of the United |
States may be bound up by treaty with |
that ot Great Britain, nation that |
they particularly dislike. There Is no &C.
caSloH for German-Amer!cans or IRISH |
Americans to hold public meetings for |
the purpose OF arerting anything of this |
sort. No alliance has ever been SER |
ions!y entertained. But the commercial '
Interests Of the American people In the 1,
Far East are substantially those OF |
Great Britain, and Of Germany also, |
and general cooperation for CONNER
cial freedom is rs much for the interest |
of commandments and Of Irish |
Americans as II is for Americans who |
have no hyphenatcd PREFIX. We have no |
Idea that any Americans desire to sac
rlilcc The national interests In order 70 |
Crafty animoaltieS thnt they br3uah, !
with them from the Old World. The
United States will not make an often
sive and defensive alliance with any
nation. and il cannot be desired that it
should neglect Its own interests on ac-
count o. foreign animosities.