The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

XII OfSGEI IdE MAlNEE Kh44
seems to be the revised watch
word OF our navy department. On
February Is flowers will be placed on
the ship whose stark and unburisd
bones have projected Obscenely from
the waters of Havana harbor for 10
years. This is the eleventh anniver-
sary of the sinking Of the historic
cruiser.
The war brought on by the disaster
has been fought and forgotten. and the
cry. Remember the MaineP' has ceased
to be even a topic for vaudeville pun
sterS. The harbOr IN which the dere-
lict lies. too low for beauty and toe
high for oblivion has been under our
control for 10 years.
The retirement of Governor Magoon
on January 2S marks the second evao-
uatiOn OF Cuba by the United States
Many valuable properties have been
brought away but the Maine Is left IN
the mud. This is not for any lack OF
efforts to induce those in authority to
give her a decent burial Even a dime
museum show man tried to buy her and
bring her home. Even he was refused.
Why is the Maine not raised7
Echo answers, Why2 Patriotism an
swers, Why?
Suspicion sneers. Why?
The day after the ship was sunk you
could hardly have found an American
who did not believe that she had been
foully done to death by a treacherous
enemy. Today you can hardly find an
American who believes Spain had any
thing to do with it, On the grounds
of the most cynical common sense this
feeling finds its strongest basis.
Such an act of perfdy would have
been insanity at a time when Spain.
unable to conquer the rebeliOus Gu
bans, was confronted with the menace
doing more than her historic pride
permitted to aDpease. A Spanish man
of war was most active in rescuing the
wounded. and Spanish officers immed-
lately visited the wreck with offers OF
help, sympathy and regret, and their
behavior. as Captain Sigsbee himself
recorded, was marked with exquisite
tact" The first bodies recovered were
buried with military hOnors in a plat
donated by the Spanish government.
Almost before the war was started
the belief that Spaniards sank the
Maine was discarded for elaborate and
complicated theories to the effect that
the Cubans sank her in order to drive
the United States 20 action. These
theories are a little to ingenious to
be convincing.
The Spanish and the Americans sent
commissions and divers to examine the
wreck. The Spanish commission re-
nal explosion. Such an explosion has
occurred on many warships in ours and
other navies. 1t was only recently that
the Japanese had such a disaster in
the case Of the cruiser Matsushima.
which sank herself by internal ex-
plosion, with loss OF 107 lives.
The American beard of inquiry
which was given every freedom and
facility by the Spanish officers, came
TO the conclusion:
That the ship was destroyed by the
explosion OF a submarine mine. which
caused the explosion OF two or more
OF her forward magazines" and that
no evidence has been Obtainable fixing
the responsibility for the destruction
of the Maine upon any person or
persons"
This finding, admitting as 1t did. that
part OF the damage was done by the
Names own magazines. was accepted
as sufficient IN this country in spite OF
Spanish protests and the incredunty OF
foreign naval experts President Nc
Kin1ey ordered Spain to get out OF Cuba
at once
There is a story that an important
dispatch from Spain was withheld. as
an important dispatch from France
was garbled by Bismarck on the eve
OF the Franco-Prussian conflict. In any
case, war was declared April 25 and
post-dated April 21, 1898.
IhtS was II years ago, and th8
Maine still lies in the Ooze in a foreign
harbor. an eyesore. a heartache. a blot
on the 'scutcheon. Most OF the bodies
OF the sailors were brought home to
sheir native soil after some agitation.
But SO bodies were left in the wreck
and have remained to add the last
touch Of fmpiety and shame to the
scandal. Every conceivable reason
urges that the ship also be given hon
orable burial Efforts were made TO
raise and bring home some OF the Span
ish wrecks after the naval massacre
of Santiago But no step has been
taken to bring the carcass Of the Maine
to the light Of day. Every crusade in
this behalf has been squelched by the
authorities. People are growing i'm
patient. patriots indignant. skeptics
intolerable and the reiterated Why?
Why? Why? is beginning to have the
weight of argument.
More people than would confess it
have come quietly to this -befef:-"They
won't raise the Maine because they are
afraid 10. There are facts which oNSS
the muddy harbor OF Havana can
conceal"
Is this true?
II 1t Is. there IS more reason for
raising the ship
Is the nation itself to play the hypo-
critic, the coward and the liar?
Shall Uncle Sam both fear and con-
cea1 the truth?
THE MAINE MUST BE RAISED
from the mud
God said Let there be light"