New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-19

THE PRESIDENT APPROVES HIS COURSE
IL THE ALLIANCA AFFAIR
STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS REFUSE TO SAY
WHETHER \ RELY HAS BEEN RECEIVED
FROM SrAlN-RyMoE OF ANOTHER
Ot.rg AGE TTSCEEpITED.


my TELEGRAPH 10 THE TElnUNEl
Washington March lN-Dlspatches from
Washington since Saturday in regard to the
Allanca incident have necessarily been based
on inforcuces AMI conjecturcs. because the OIL
Gals who know whether any reply has been
received by the Secretary o' State from Minis
ter Taylor at Madrid. and n 90 what are the
nature and terms OF the answer, arr mute when
ever the subject Is hroached. To Tribune cor
respondent this afternoon Secretary Gresham
SAID. Il cannot say a word about the matter
except that there IS nothing 10 be said for
publication. and. therefore. have said moth
INK" Mr. Gresham would neither confirm nor
deny the report that n reply had been received
from spain
Tho r.tc,ncc ~ tho Secretary of state docs
not surpass that OF his subordinatos 1t is
known that th. Secretary had conversation
with tho President IN regard 10 TN" matter to-
lay. and that he submitted for the Presidents
inspection an enlarged copy ~ the Official
chart on which tho course OF the Aiiianca WAS
traced and the ,latiy" positions Of the Am"ri-
can merchant steamer and tho Spanish gunhoat
when ,hc shots woro fred from tho latter were
clearly marked tn course taken 10y the Al
uanca was the sam. as that taken los all steam
merchantmen sailing between Caribbean sea-
ports and Atlantic ports of the United States.
and IN has been Tho regular highway OF that
commerce eyer since steamers superseded sail
INK vessels Prior TO that time. IL .s said vos-
sols pursued a more cast"rly cours" through IN"
Windward Channel course which carried
them farther away from Cap" Maysi. the east
crnmost point ~ cuba. which tho Alanca had
just passed when shc Was fired upon
There is good reason To- believe that the action
Of tho Secretary of State is fully approved By
the President. and that his approval Includes
the terms in which the demand upon Spain WIS
made as W,1 as the demand itself
Early this morning one II the confidential orh
c!als ~ tho state Department CAV" ont what wac
characterized As "an authoritative dcuLu ot the
report that the Spanish Government had made
answer 10 Mr Grcahdm'F protest ana demand Tor
an apology. After this denial had been made ana
before Secretary Gresham nal made his stale
mcnt. officials ~ tn" Dcpartme SAID ihht II was
not strange that No answer hal been received
from the Spanish government They explained
that the Department did n1t expect an answer 50
early. despite Mr.. Grcsham1 demand for
"prompt' redress. for the reason that II would
take some time L. ascertain the facts In the mat
ter from Spanish point of view
II was admitted that the Department had
structcd to present the protest Of this Govern
mcnt t. the Minister Il Foreign Affairs at Ma
drd. but II was stated that hc merely Informed
Mr. Gresham of the presentation and said that
the Spanish Government had made no answer.
The officials Of the Naval Intelligence once,
who cndcavor 10 keep track Of all foreign war
vessels have been entirely unable t. locate any
Spanish vessel named the Arcedo, or anything
Ike it, and 50 were unable Ia throw any lght ON
tn" story tclcgraphed from Key West that
Spanish gunboat of that name had sunk an
American schooner, with loss Of sixteen lives.