Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-03-07
Interesting Account of the Many
subterfuges Resorted to in Get.
ting Information.
A Consul's Experience Reads Like a
French Detective story-Tact
and Its Service.

| =
hey received credit for all they did
and blame for all they did not do as
| fast as events hannened IN ,,,,,ss s,iy-
| ring times an, .t,ara ,,.., - ,,..,.
80 ~,
: 7 - : =
; :, 'ii'oses'i't as tae aiiny ana
! navy pul whlch worked IN the back
! s9io,'iiu. ei4 ltlie Was Known on the
| i,iost sssitla"is part OF me service rem
| ue'eu W she state department. Its rep
iesehtatlNes paved Inc way Tor Inc
army anu navy. Wlthout some OF Tue
.ii'iiss ma We're done py the agents OF
! ,he state uePdrtment the army ana
navy Wotid nave maze many serious
/ iii'stak's ana would nave iailed many
4 TINES Where success ana glory We're
1 acilieNea, PRESIDENT MCKINNEY and MS
| eabinet recognized the Importance OF
! ehc CONSULAR service IN Inc spanish
possessions before the war, and only
\ the most experienced ana reliable men
| We're assigned to this service Along
4 With r'itzhugh Lee at havana and
Niiiiams at Manila, there was Hanna
al san Juan, in Porto Rico. and the
service ne performed before and during
the war was recognized by the admin
4 lslratton TO nave been OIL the nighese
value.
Philip G. Hanna, of Iowa. had served
as consul general at La Guayra, Vene-
Zuela. during the revolution therein
4 and had made a record Of ability to
deal with a trying diplomatic situa-
ton. He had shown good judgment in
1 that position and had successfully pro-
/ tected the American interests entrust-
Fed To his care. 1t Will be remembered
5|5tlat he was the man who compelled
i Dictator Mendoza To liberate large
/ number of foreign merchants who had
4 been imprisoned in the hope of secur-
II ing ransom for their release. In this
4 nervy undertaking he had the support
i of Capt. Eulate, who then commanded
a small Spanish sunboat in that har-
/ Dor who loaned Consul Hanna thirty
lmarines with which to back up his de-
mand for the release of the imprisoned
merchants. Consul Hanna had a chance
i to repay this kindness at the close of
!: the Spanish war. when he found Capt.
4 Eulate's family in San juan when his
! friend, then Spanish officer com
: manding the Nizcaya. was prisoner
of war Mr. Hanna made every pro-
: vision for the comfort OF the Spanish
woman.
q When 1t became evident to the adj
ministration that trouble with Spain
was unavoidable, Mr.. Hanna was
a transferred from quiet post IN the
British West Indies to san Juan and
made consul at that critical point. He
was not selected because he wanted the
job. but he was picked out as a man
who could safely be trusted to keep his
mouth shut and keep the state. depart
ment thoroughly informed Beyond q
few hints given To him at Washington
before he was transferred. he was not
told thar war vas coming, but he un-
= derstocd it Well enough TO know that
it was not his business to say 50. He
+. refrained even from wTiiing 70 his Wife
that any trouble might be expected
with Spain, because. he was determined
no letter of his should ever turn up e
embarrass the government. He real
lied that the department wanted him
ITO do many things which would be a
decided advantage TO the government
but which it could not possibly in
struct him to do al chat time.
ii WAS a splendid opportunity Tor Sc
curing newspaper notoriety, but MIR
Hanna resisted the temptation and de
termined TO make his record with the
state department and not in the news
papers. There We're times when one
foolish act or utterance would have
50 aroused Spanish feeling turnout tbs
island as TO have demanded the pres.
lence of war ships for the protection Of
American residents. He proceeded e
lind out all he could about affairs II
Porto Rico that would be advantageous
for the government to know. He saw
war coming and felt that he must be II
a position not only TO carry importan
information from the !slana. but TO havi
an organization perfected, so that whet
he should be compelled to Leave, n
would still be in daily touch with tn
military and political conditions of ev
cry part OF the Porto Rican islands. III
: went about his daily work as calml.
and good naturedly as tho convinced
that the fair dove of peace would re
main forever. The people generally
. both Spanish and American, We're quiet
/, ed on account of the confidence which
his coolness inspired within them TIL
excitement produced by the Oft repeated
!. ,umors of war upon the streets of tn
Porto Rican capital he often chased
: away by his hearty laugh or by som
Joke at the righteousness of such a sug
Igestion. The vizcaya visited New York