The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-07-25
Line
OF TWO STATES
FORGET THE MAINE
Plea That the lis-Fated Hulk May Pass
From American MINDS.

from the St Paui
For more h six years the wreck
Of the Maine has incun,bered Havana's
harbor. Now a man who has taken a
contract with Cuban authorizes to re-
move the obstruction caused by the
presence of the remains OF the battle.
ship first asks Ii government il it
has any objections. And il is said the
reQuest creates ar embarrassment in
the State. Navy, and other Interested
departments. Why enlbarrassedr The
explanation given is that there is no
lost vessel OF Ehe navy. and, therefore.
nc assent can he sivea to abandon
ment.
We suspect That his thin reason
masks another and the real cause of
embarrassment. 1t is Very singular
that. during the four years OF our adj
ministration OF Cuba. when we We're
cleaning cities. sewering them. in
forcing sanitary regulations. clearing
the harbQl OF its accumulated filth. no
attempt a made to remove the dam
gerous remnant of the Maine from the
path OF navigation. We recall. that,
after the explosion. and when our gov
eminent was employing divers [ o de
terlutne whether the explosion was in
ternai or external. on which would
hinge SPANS culrability. the request
OF Spain to assist in the examination
was declined. When William e. Chan
der. chairman OF the claims commits
sion, created under the treaty to de-
eide what claims for damages arising
out of Spanish acts should be paid by |
our government, he stated that before
the commission could act Upon the
claims of heirs OF those lost on the
Maine it would be necessary to raise
the wreck to ascertain. from the conf
dition OF the plates. the source OF the
explosion. But no attempt was made
to determine that essential fact in dis
posing of those claims.
This hesitancy has given some
ground for ~suspecting that the explos-
ion was the result of carelessness of
some one on the Maine and tina the
charge that it was caused by a Spanish
mine or torpedo was unfounded. How
that may be, even il the suspi- /
cion be well founded, it would not at
this day do more thar to correct an
error of history. 1t would not restore
Cuba to Spain. hot swerve by a hairs
breadth the course of events. There
woul remain sufficient justification
for the action or the United States.
There is no cause for embarrassment
in the possible discovery that one of
the Names magazines blew up and de-
stroyed the ship.
Even if 1t would, we cannot see how
the removal of the wreck is any con-
of ours. Cuba has passed from
specified in the Plat stipulations.
is free and independent, mistress
Of her harbors. and with sovereign
right to remove from them any OBJ !
structions that hinder or endanger
commerce. To any objections III gov
rnment might interpose to removal
Of the wreckage Cuba might reply the :
principles of laches. We die. moth
ng to reclaim the property while in .
possession of 1T; we have asked nc per- !
to recover it since evacuation. .
far from recognizing the Maine as
save in sentiment, the navy
las officially acknowledged her del ,
Another Maine has taken :
Ter place, the e OF which was laid $
n the following ear of her loss. Let :
h wreck be rased, the truth estab- :
I'D ship forgotten, even if her story :
lever can be. :