“REMEMBER THE MAINE!”

Waipukurau Press, Issue 298, 20 August 1908, Page 7

“REMEMBER THE MAINE!”

We have “ remembered the Maine ” long enough; it is time to dismember it, if we cannot raise and restore it. When the Maine was blown np in Havanna Harbour it was the general belief that some Spanish miscreants, presumably military men, had planted a mine under it and destroyed with it the lives of 254 men. “ Remember the Maine” was the angry cry ; and while it did not cause the war with Spain for that was inevitable —it did hasten it. • Spain would not have yielded, nor would we. Spain had no fear of the result of war, nor had we. But the blowing up of the Maine united our people and hastened the result. The war followed quick, and quickly was the Spanish fleet swept from the seas, and the United States made sure haste to divest Spain of all her colonies. It was a good thing for Spain ; whether it was also a good thing for the United States has been a question with many. ,It was certainly a good thing for Cuba and Porto Pico and the Phil-

lipines. The hulk of the Maine remained in the entrance of the harbour of Havana, visible to all. Congress appropriated 200,000 dollars to raise and remove it, but the money was not expended. Why not ? We fear the reason was a lurking suspicion that we were in error when we charged her destruction on! Spanish malice. Since then several vessels belonging to' the different navies have been blown up by spontaneous explosion of the new powder. After awhile it decomposes with heat, and explodes. Many believe, and some of our own officers, that the destruction of the Maine was an accident for which no Spaniard was in the least to blame. It looks very much as if some people, were unwilling that the truth should be settled beyond doubt. It seems as if some would prefer that the accusation should stand, and continue to stand, whether justified or not. But that is cowardly. We have now no ill-will against Spain; she is a friendly country. We are at peace with her, and we ought to wish her well. Further than that, if we have, perchance, done her wrong these ten years we ought to know it and own it. That we

should delay and still refuse As neither decent nor brave. We can afford to know and admit the truth. It is a great wrong to hold a long grudge against a nation, and that for no evil done by the nation itself, but at worst by some of its hotheaded citizens. It is an even worse wrong to maintain that grudge when it may be that no offence whatever had been committed. Raise the wreck and forget the Maine !—“New York Independent.”