The Boys of '98 Author:James Otis Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. THE PRELIMINARIES. WrAR between two nations does not begin suddenly. The respective governments are exceedingly ceremonious before opening the ... more »" game of death," and it is not to be supposed that the United States commenced hostilities immediately after the disaster to the Maine in the harbour of Havana. To tell the story of the war which ensued, without first giving in regular order the series of events which marked the preparations for host1lities, would be much like relating an adventure without explaining why the hero was brought int the situation. It is admitted that, as a rule, details, and especially those of a political nature, are dry reading; but once take into consideration the fact that they all aid in giving a clearer idea of how one nation begins hostilities with another, and much of the tediousness may be forgiven. chapter{Section 4Madrid Herald, Seflor Canalejas, who was his intimate friend, in which he made some uncomplimentary remarks regarding the President of the United States, and intimated that Spain was not sincere in certain commercial negotiations which were then being carried on between the two countries. By some means, not yet fully explained, certain Cubans got possession of this letter, and caused it to be published in the newspapers. Sefior de Lome did not deny having written the objectionable matter; but claimed that, since it was a private communication, it should not affect him officially. The Secretary of State instructed General Woodford, our minister at Madrid, to demand that the Spanish government immediately recall Minister de Lome, and to state that, if he was not relieved from duty within twenty-four hours, the President would issue to him his passports, which is but another way of ordering a foreign minister out...« less