Cuba :: essays research papers

The weeks that save elapsed since that fatal event ofFebruary 15th have been making history in a mannerhighly creditable to the American government and toour citizenship. maestro Sigsbee, the commander of theMaine, had promptly telegraphed his desire that judicial decision should be suspended until probe hadbeen made. The investigation was started at once, and75 million Americans have accordingly suspendedjudgment in the face of a great provocation. For itmust be remembered that to suppose the remainder ofthe Maine an ordinary accident and not due to anyexternal theatrical performance or hostile intent was, under exclusively thecircumstances, to set completely at defiance the lawof probabilities. It is not true that battleships are in the utilisation ofblowing themselves up. When all the environing factswere taken into consideration, it was just about asprobable that the Maine had been blown up by someaccident where no hostile motive was involved, as thatthe reported assassin ation of President Barrios ofGuatemala, a few days previously, had really been asuicide. . . . It has been known perfectly well that Spanish hatredmight at any time manifest itself by attempts upon thelife of the American representative at capital of Cuba, ConsulGeneral Fitzhugh Lee. This danger was felt especiallyat the time of the Havana riots in January, and itseems to have had something to do with the sending ofthe Maine to Havana Harbor. The Spaniards themselves,however, looked upon the sending of the Maine as afurther aggravation of the long series of their justgrievances against the United States. They regardedthe straw man of the Maine at Havana as a menace toSpanish sovereignty in the island and as anencouragement to the insurgents. A powerful Americanfleet displace at Key West and the Dry Tortugas, with steamup ready to bind the Maine to the harbor of Havanaat a few hours notice. All this was intensely hatefulto the Spaniards, and particularly to the Armyofficers at Hav ana who had sympathized with GeneralWeylers policy and who the right way regarded GeneralWeylers recall to Spain as due to the demand ofPresident McKinley. The American pretense that theMaine was making a visit of courtesy seemed to theseSpaniards a further ideal of Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy. That this intense bitterness against the presence ofthe Maine was felt among the military and decreedclass in Havana was perfectly well known to CaptainSigsbee, his staff, and all his crew and they werenot unaware of the rumors and threats that means wouldbe found to annihilate the American ship. It was,furthermore, very generally supposed that the SpanishCuba essays research papers The weeks that have elapsed since that fatal event ofFebruary 15th have been making history in a mannerhighly creditable to the American government and toour citizenship. Captain Sigsbee, the commander of theMaine, had promptly telegraphed his desire thatjudgment should be suspended until investigation hadbeen ma de. The investigation was started at once, and75 million Americans have accordingly suspendedjudgment in the face of a great provocation. For itmust be remembered that to suppose the destruction ofthe Maine an ordinary accident and not due to anyexternal agency or hostile intent was, under all thecircumstances, to set completely at defiance the lawof probabilities. It is not true that battleships are in the habit ofblowing themselves up. When all the environing factswere taken into consideration, it was just about asprobable that the Maine had been blown up by someaccident where no hostile motive was involved, as thatthe reported assassination of President Barrios ofGuatemala, a few days previously, had really been asuicide. . . . It has been known perfectly well that Spanish hatredmight at any time manifest itself by attempts upon thelife of the American representative at Havana, ConsulGeneral Fitzhugh Lee. This danger was felt especiallyat the time of the Havana riots in January, and itseems to have had something to do with the sending ofthe Maine to Havana Harbor. The Spaniards themselves,however, looked upon the sending of the Maine as afurther aggravation of the long series of their justgrievances against the United States. They regardedthe presence of the Maine at Havana as a menace toSpanish sovereignty in the island and as anencouragement to the insurgents. A powerful Americanfleet lay at Key West and the Dry Tortugas, with steamup ready to follow the Maine to the harbor of Havanaat a few hours notice. All this was intensely hatefulto the Spaniards, and particularly to the Armyofficers at Havana who had sympathized with GeneralWeylers policy and who justly regarded GeneralWeylers recall to Spain as due to the demand ofPresident McKinley. The American pretense that theMaine was making a visit of courtesy seemed to theseSpaniards a further example of Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy. That this intense bitterness against the presence ofthe Maine was felt among the m ilitary and officialclass in Havana was perfectly well known to CaptainSigsbee, his staff, and all his crew and they werenot unaware of the rumors and threats that means wouldbe found to destroy the American ship. It was,furthermore, very generally supposed that the Spanish