322 VENEZUELA AND AFTER 



giving their sympathy and moral support to 

 the Americans. The evidence was not always 

 of so clear and precise a character as to pass 

 in a court of law. Rumor and gossip and cal 

 culated lying played the part that is usual in 

 times of stress and excitement. There was no 

 room for serious doubt, however, that British 

 opinion was running strongly with the United 

 States that an aggressive war for the acquisi 

 tion of Cuba and other desirable West Indian 

 islands that Great Britain had always been 

 supposed to covet, was actually applauded by 

 all the leading elements of English sentiment. 

 Before the war was ended, numerous and highly 

 significant incidents confirmed the trend of 

 British feeling. Members of the cabinet, in 

 cluding even Lord Salisbury himself, publicly 

 praised the Americans and their mission in the 

 war. The leaders of the press, with a few 

 permanent exceptions of the ancient Tory type, 

 valiantly sustained the cause of the United 

 States against the generally violent assaults 

 of the Continental editors. At Manila, after 

 Dewey s victory suddenly raised far-reaching 

 problems as to the future of the Philippines, the 

 harassed American commander received demon 

 strative moral support from the British naval 



