Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-02-12
What Is 1t That Is Incompatible
with Public Interest" Which
Prevents Action by CongressP
SULZER BILL LONG HELD UP.
Lawmakers May Move at Last to
Bring Wreck and Bodies to
the Surface.
Washington correspondence

What is it hat is mcOlhlallple i.
the public interests and that prevents
the raising of the Maine No one can
be found who can or Will answer TINS
question explicitly. The Maine lies IN
its bed of mud at the bottom or fia-
yana Harbor Sentiment demands that
the vessel be raised and that the deau
be recovered from her hold, but some
thing strongcr than sentiment seems 10
be in the way.
Recently the report Of Charles ~.
Magoou, provisional Governor OF CUBA
was made public. Mr.. Magoon, attet
referring to navigation, wrote: 'Even
more important is the fact that MS
wreck, although it contains the Dod'es
of sixty-three American Gamer or
what is left of them, apparently IS
abandoned and forgotten by the govern
ment and the people of the Chl'eu
States. 4 IT, " 1t has become Il ma
tional reproach and an international
scandal"
REPRESENTATIVE William Suffers bill
asking for m appropriation TO orlns
tha wreck TO the surface%nd to remove
the bodies therein to Arlington Gene
terry. is in the keeping of the House
Committee on Naval Affairs, where 1t
has been for nearly ten months. Sew
eral of the committee members are in
favor of reporting the bill favoraDly'
but the majority seems to be held BACK
by some shadowy thing of which no
one has or seems to have my substan-
tial knowledge.
On the tenth anniversary Of the de-
struction Of the Maine, Feb. 10, 19oS,
Representative Sulzer introduced a res
olution asking that the Secretary OF
the Navy be requested to send TO the
House as early as possible "all letters
and data as to the cost and legal status
under which Congress may take imme-
date or future action for the removal
of the wreck Of the United States bat
tie ship Maine and provide burial Tor
the dead lying with the hulk in the
harbor of Havana"
An amendment to the resolution was
suggested. 1t provided for the inser-
ton of the clause "if not Incompatible
with the public interests" after the re-
quest for information. Perhaps there
is nothing incompatible with the public
interest in the voting of an appropria-
ton for the work of bringing the wreck
to the surface, but that there is such a
reason and that it is holding back the
authorities is the theory which it Is
difficult to drive from the mind Of
Washington.
Appropriation Was Not Used.
The Secretary of the Navy sent to
Congress, in response to he resolution,
certain facts concerning the raising OF
priated 100000, but the work was
stopped after a comparatively small
amount had been expended, and the
balance was returned to the surplus
fund.
In Cuba the Spanish contingent at
tributes the failure to remove the
wreck to fear, as Governor Magoon
points out, hat the work twill disclose
the incorrectness Of the popular belief
that the Maine was destroyed by a tor
pedo or mine. instead of an interior
explosion" Certain Americans believe
with the Spanish sympathizers In Cuba
that the government is afraid to act
because an examination Of the broken
hulk might show that the Maine de-
stroyed herself and that the S%paniards
had nothing to do with it.
A board Of competent men settled to
the satisfaction of most people that an
Exterior explosion sent the vessel to
the bottom. No one in the service or
out of it probably believes that the re-
port OF the officers vas not accurate,
and least Of all that a wrong report
was turned in Intentionally to lift
blame from the shoulders of the Off
GERS of the ship. Apparently one must
Leave the question Of the cause of the
disaster When seeking the reason, If
there be one, why it is not compatible
with public interests to bring the ship
n its dead to the surface.
The records of the Navy Department
show that 231 men were killed when
the Maine was destroyed that twenty
four bodies were recovered immediate
II and buried at Key West, Fla. that
IA bodies were recovered afterward
and buried in Havana. but later
brought home for interment in the ma
tional cemetery at Arlington. The bod
les Of sixty-three sailors of the Maine
never were recovered or accounted for,
and 1t Is supposed that they are EN-
tombed with the wreck in the mud OF
Havana harbor.