Cuba :: essays research papers

The weeks that gestate 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 made. The investigation was started at once, and75 million Americans have therefore suspendedjudgment in the face of a great provocation. For it essential be remembered that to suppose the destruction ofthe Maine an ordinary accident and not due to eitherexternal agency or hateful intent was, under whole thecircumstances, to set completely at defiance the lawof probabilities. It is not true that battleships be in the habit ofblowing themselves up. When all the environing factswere taken into consideration, it was hardly 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 a some(prenominal) days previously, had really been asuicide. . . . It has been known perfectly wellhead that Spanish hatredmight at any time manifest itself by attempts upon the purport of the American representative at capital of Cuba, ConsulGeneral Fitzhugh Lee. This danger was tangle especiallyat the time of the capital of Cuba 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 queer toSpanish sovereignty in the island and as anencouragement to the insurgents. A powerful Americanfleet lay at Key West and the Dry Tortugas, with goup 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 Armyoff icers at Havana who had sympathized with GeneralWeylers policy and who justly regarded GeneralWeylers recall to Spain as due to the essential ofPresident McKinley. The American pretense that theMaine was making a visit of dexterity seemed to theseSpaniards a further example of Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy. That this intense bitterness against the presence ofthe Maine was felt among the military 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 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 had been 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 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 Ja nuary, 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 amon g the military 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