The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 3, 1898, Page 1

The Tall S VOLUME L SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1898. PRICE FIVE CENTS. RAVE FEARS OF TROUBLE FOR AMERICANS AT HAVANA WAS ALMOST A RIOT WHEN THE VIZCAYA STEAMED INTO PORT et ERENNNARREBRRVRENR, gzs BLAMES LEE. gg gg Copyright, lss%enbnyetl:.lm.. Gordon gg % MADRID, March 2.—The &3 g New York correspondent 238 s of “Correspondencia” 8 $t3s takes the responsibility 28 3 of cabling that General #& g Lee has telegraphed to 832 g the United States Gov- 8% %g ernment that the explo- $% 8% sion of the Maine. was &% #% intentional. The same correspondent adds: 2% “This confirms my s s statement that that offi- gs 5 gegs clal inspired the recent gsg ge5s campaign in the sensa- gg gegs tional press.” 8 BRIV RK The Spanish Cruiser Vizcaya Saluting Morro Castle as She Passed Into the Harbor of Havana. ADMINISTRATION POLICY PUZZLES THE CONGRESSMEN tFhey Do Not Know Whether to Prepare for War With Spain or to Look Call Office, Riggs House, + WASHINGTON, March 2. Congress is In a state of confusion on the subject of o making preparations for the possible contingency of war. The few men who are opposed to anythinig being done un- der any conditions are able to check all action, because the rest cannot get such an avowal from the administration as would warrant them in go- + ing shead. + The attitude of Secretary Long is cited as peculiarly perplexing, while some of his utterances are regarded as indisecreet and unnecessary. A considerable number of men in Con- gress who are opposed on general principles to any -increase of the military force, except for an emer- gency, are perfectly willing to vote whatever is- needed either to avert war or to prepare for it if it is threat- ened. Others; who strongly favor the needed increase of our defensive force, even if danger is not immi- nent, do not feel that they can jus- tify their insistence upon immediate emergency action if the administra- tion is not ‘prepared to sustain re- quests. that have been made by the departments. The policy of mystification is dis- arming those who want to do the patriotic thing and places them at the mercy of the smail but strong opposition. . The special legislation to provide for two additional artil- lery regiments and for authority for the Navy Department to enlist 1500 men necessary to man the vessels in reserve at League. Island could not be hung up as it is, it is claimed, if the administration would stand firmly by the proposition that the situation requires such action. It is not believed by those who oL + + + + 7 + PR R R R R S S S SRSy Ep A think preparation should be made | that it is necessary ror the adminis- tration to make any sensational ut- terance, but only that requests made by the departments should not be discredited by the heads of the de- partments themselves, as Secretary Long discredited his own department yesterday. Dignified silence on the part of members of the administra- tion on the subject of the Maine dis- aster and private assurance that the measures asked for are really needed and desired ‘would, it is believed, in- sure the administration all the as- sistanice required from Congress in preparation for an emergency. The belief is very generally held in Congress that steps should be taken promptly to man whatever l fo.r Peace. | guns and fortifications we have along the coast and to train the men to manipulate them. One of the Re- publican members of the House Mili- tary, Committee said to-day that the attitude of officers of the adminis- tration was absolutely bewildering, and he added that the declaration of Mr. Long with respect to the re- sponsibility of Spain for the Maine | explosion was uncalled for and un- wise. The chairman of this committee, who is in charge of the artillery bill, said he was going to try to get action on ihe measure as soon as the Loud bill was disposed of by the House, but in order to do so he would have to get the assistance of the Commit- tee on Rules, and that had not yet been secured. Representative J. Hamilton Lewis of Washington proposes to introduce | a resolution in the House disapprov- | ing of Mr. Long’s discussing with the public, in advance, the report of the Board of Inquiry. He will prob- ably not be able to get consideration for such a resolution, for, though members of the House of both parties | eriticize the Secretary, the general feeling is that it will not improve the situation for the House to agi- | tate the question. There has been some comment on the fact that members of the minor- ity who were formerly so active in their efforts to get recognition of Cuba are now silent and make no | effort to do anything to weaken the | hands of the administration in an- | ticipation of trouble. | leading Democrats who were asked | about the matter to-day said that | they did not think it proper for them | to add in any way to the statement | that they would be ready to do what- ever might be necessary for the de- fense of the honor and safety of the | Government, but that while the ad- ministration was awaiting the re- port of the Board of Inquiry, and until the President had had time to act, they did not feel they should take the initiative. Nor did they think that while the Maine question | was pending was a time to be agi- tating a belligerency resolution. To-day guns are being shipped from the Washington Navy Yard gun shops to New York, where they | are to be stored in readiness for the equipment of the auxiliary cruisers should it be necessary to take them from the merchant marine for naval service. Forty-eight6-inch gunsanda number of 5-inch were being loaded onto the cars for shipment this morn- Continued on Second Page, 3, A number of | THE THEORY OF INSIDE IS Small Doubt the EXPLOSION ABANDONED Higher Officials Believe an Outside Force Wrecked the Maine. NEW YORK, March 2— The Herald’s Washington cor- respondent telegraohs: . Though no’ official informa- tion has been received {rom the court of inquiry as to the char- acter of the evidence it has ob- tained, and though none is ex- pected until the final report is prepared, the belief in adminis- tration circles that the Maine was destroyed by an external ex- plosion continues to gain strength. The Herald's dispatch from Havana indicating that the Maine's back was broken by the explosion, the keel being found in two pieces, the nearest ends of which are separated by a distance of from two and a half to three feet, has tended to strengthen the conviction that the ship was not destroyed by an internal accident. No official information as to this dis- covery has yet been received, but when taken in connection with Ensign Pow- elson’s testimony as to the finding of the keel plates from the double bottoms on top of the wreckage it is regarded as the strongest evidence that the primary explosion -which destroyed the ship came from below her keel, though some of the powder in her magazines may have subsequently exploded and still further wrecked her. That the keel of the ship was driven upward by the disrupting force which was powerful enough to break the keel and force some of the plates through the ship with escaping gases of the explosion is looked upon as conclusive. Naval offi- cers generally believe that had the ex- plosion been wholly within the ship the gases, following the line of least resist- ance, would have gone upward: and that their downward force, being exert- ¢d from above the keel, could not have broken it this way and carried pieces of plates to the top of the wreck. That it is not regarded as certain that the ship was not destroyed by a mine is shown by the fact that the adminis- tration is investigating the question as to whether or not there were mines in Havana harbor. The Spanish Government sent large quantities of high explosives and other material for mines to Havana several months ago during the time General Weyler was in command. Whether these mines were actually put down and where they were placed. if at all, are questions which the authorities are much interested.in solving. Some excitement was caused here to- day by the persistent rumor that Con- sul-General Lee had cabled the State Department that he bad discovered in-i +| + + + + + + + 5 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 3 D R R D e T TR dubitable evidence that there was a plot to destroy the Maine. This rumor could not be confirmed. Assistant Secretary of State Day declared that he had re- ceived nothing whatever from Consul- General Lee on this subject. There is no doubt, as heretofore stated in the Herald, that Consul-Gen- eral Lee has informed the State Depart- ment that it is his opinion that the Maine was blown up by an exterior agency and that he has supported his belief by circumstantial evidence. The authorities here do not admit they have any idea that such evidence can be found. Official expressions of belief that the Maine incident can be settled by dip- lomatic means have tended to relieve the tension somewhat in Washington. but the administration is still preparing for war with all the resources at its command. It is not believed in official circles that these preparations tend to in- crease in any way the danger of hostili- ties. It is thought that they may serve, on the other hand, to make war less probable. Whether that be true or not. the ad- ministration considers the possibilities such as to make it an imperative duty to put the country in as thorough prep- aration as possible to meet any emer- gency that may arise, either on account of the Maine disaster or of some un- foreseen complication. President McKinley and his advisers are moving as quietly as possible in making their ~preparations, for the double purpose of not unduly alarming public opinion in the United States over the matter, which they hope to settle peaceably,and of notappearing to Spain to have prejudiced the case of the Maine without waiting for the result of the court of inquiry. —_—— SECRETARY LONG QUOTED IN HAVANA. Remark About the Complicity of the Spaniards Taken as the Voice of the Administration. Copyrighted, 1898, by James Gordon Bennett. HAVANA, March 2.—La Lucha and Marina this afternoon each contairs a Washington dispatch quoting Secretary Long as saying that Spain had no connection with the destruction of the Maine and that the affair cinnot involve the countries, as th: incident is now closed. Icalled Captain Sigsbe:’s attention to these interviews, and Continued on Becond Page. THE DANGER POINT IS NOT YET PASSED. With More Difficulty From Day to Day the Authorities Have Succeeded in Holding Hostile Feeling Against Americans in Check. Copyrighted, 1898, by James Gordon Benmett. HAVANA, March 2.— The situation in Havana has become decidedly more alarming during the last twenty-four hours. The ar- rival of the Vizcaya has aroused all the latent en- thusiasm, and last night the city was ready for an out- break of any kind. The officials at the palace were really more alarmed than the foreign residents, as they did not know what di- rection the demonstration that seemed imminent might take. There were a few cries of ‘“Muerte Blanco!” heard on the streets, but the chorus was ‘‘Viva Espana!” “Viva Weyler!” Orders were quickly is- sued to suppress demonstra- tions of any kind. Extra police had been ordered on duty early in the day, but when the great crowds gath- ered to greet the Vizcaya refused todisperse the police force was doubled, and at g o’clock still more were or- dered out. By taking these precau- tionary measures peace was maintained, several attempts | at parade were frustrated | and in one case the ac- tion of the police put a stop to riot. This occurred a couple of blocks from the cable office, and was begun by a number of sailors and a body of unarmed volun- teers. It was of little im- portance in itself, but in the present condition of affairs might easily have been the spark to fire the magazine of pent-up malignity. To- day the temper of the city is quiet, but sullen. 1 know positively that the authorities greatly fear the effect of the arrival of the Oquendo, which it is ex- pected will give the people, already anxious, an oppor- tunity to riot. La Marina, in a spirited editorial this morning dis- POPOPOPPPPVIPOPPPIVPOPPVPPVIVPVPPPPPPPPOVPOPPOCO OO OO PPOPOPPPPPPPVVOPPORIVPVPOPPPIVPPOOOPPOPROP PO O OO e x4 e L2 d = = > =] his parsonal sentiment and make time placed mines in the harbor in Cuba. of which caused the Maine explosio General Weyler said: “You my full authority and desire, that of Havana. none existing. lery in such a minner as seemed to ish for people to believe.” PPPOVVPOPPPPPPOOPV000000000000000600¢ POP00000PPP000000606060060060060000 POPPOCVPPPPOOPPROPOPOOPOQPQOCQPOOOGST EYLER HAS WASHED HIS - HANDS OF THE BLOOD OF SAILORS by James Gordon Bennott. 3 w75, —Notwithstanding the sharp criticism which the Herald Ras at'times found necessary to apply to him, and his keen an‘agonism to the present Government, General Weyler, be it said to his credit, was to-day man and patriot enough to throw aside peopl= of the Unit=d States, after hearing the nature of my mission, which was to ask him, on his honor as a soldier and for the sake of the credit of his country, whether it was true that he had at any had taken away any plans made out for such mines during his stay General Weyler returned this morning to Madrid and [ saw him at his house in the Calle de Zorrilla almost immediately after his ar- rival, which I have teen awaifing, as no one but he could authorita- tively answer the charges made that he had placed down mines, one being any foundation whatever for the reports published in the American press that | placed any mines or torpedoes. in the “harbor Nor did I withdraw any papers relating to such plans, It is totally absurd that any one knowing the Spanish miiitary organization should give credit to such a -foolish- idea. defensive preparations were confined to mounting large caliber artil- “Any other version of the mines and so forth is calumny too fool- st b a statement, through ' me, to the of Havana, and, also, whether he n. may cable, using my name with I deny most emphatically there My me fully toprotect-the harbor. 000000000000000000000000000000000000060660006066 (AR LR T RRR R TR R R R RR LR R R R R R R R R RORCRORCRCR R RORCR RCRCRCOR R Y ® @ k4 PRPPOVOVPPPPPPOVVVVPVVVIPRPRPPOOPOOOLOLOPODPS cussing the Vizcaya and Oquendo, says: ‘‘From all mouths, from all hearts, seemed to come forth the same cry: ‘At last we pursue the course. We have now remembered the great truth—during peace prepare for war.’ ‘“We do mnow what we should have done long ago. With the Vizcaya and the Oquendo here we can face the insolent enemy. Had it been done two years ago millions of meney, torrents of blood and much pride would have been saved. In a few days we will have the strongest fleet gathered in western waters.” Spanish divers began this afternoon to work on the wreck of the Maine. General Blanco to-day announces that a Spanish Board of Inquiry will immediately be appoint- ed to investigate the Maine explosion. This board will act along the lines laid down at Madrid and it is under- stood will be ready to report after a few sittings. No doubt it is intended to offset the effect of the findings of the American board. Palace officials who last week inspired the report that the American Board of In- quiry would surely report that the explosion was acci- dental have changed their course and now declare that the Maine was destroyed by an explosion from the out- side, in no way holding the Spanish Government re- sponsible. It is believed here that the Spanish in- quiry will attempt merely to . establish that. Captain Sigsbee continues to refuse to discuss anything connected with the disaster, but it is known he believes the court of inquiry will be ready to report as soon as it is convenient for the ad- ministration to receive the findings. Were this not the case he does not be- lieve permission would have been given for Spanish divers to commence work. The divers hope to clear away the debris of the wreck to-day so as to per- mit the more rapid recovery of the bodies. There arrived in the harbor this morning the wrecking tug I. J. Merritt, with the barge Sharp. The men at once attacked thé wreck of the Maine, re- moving much of the debris which is |2