St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-15
SPAIN REGRETS IT.
Without Doubt Reparation
Will Be Made in the Alli-
anca Affair."
UNCLE SAM INVESTIGATING.
No Demands viii Be Made I'm
til the Proofs Are Com
plete.
ABSURD TALK OF a BREAK.
Runop Rife That a Declara-
ton of War Has Been
Threatened.

WASHINGTON, March 1.-THE
of state is moving with /
elaboration in making up its case
against the Spanish government,
based on the firing by a Spanish
cruiser at the American steamship
Allanca, holding that in matters OF
such moment it is absolutely essen
tial our government should be IN
possession of the facts so as to avoid
the humiliation of retractlon
through making a demand that
could not be sustained by the evil
dence. So far no reply has been
received at the department in re
Spouse to the request made upon
Can't. CroSsman, of the Alliance, for
further particulars of the incident.
In the meantime the officials are in
dustriously looking up precedents
for their guidance, and Mr.. Uhl,Who
is still acting as secretary Of state
during the continued illness of Sec
rotary Gresham, is in frequent con-
sultation with his superior at his
rooms in his hotel. One Of the
precedents which has been I'M
earthed and brought to the atten-
ton of the acting secretary as hav-
ing a direct bearing upon the AL
lianca incident was found in the
proceedings of the Alabama claims
commission. In one Of the decisions
announced by Judge French the
court held that there was no au-
thority for the stoppage or deten-
ton of a mail steamer which is pur-
suing her usual route, even If that
route lay at places within the three
mile shore limit, and so within the
marine jurisdiction of the power
seeking to stop the ship. If this is
held to be sound doctrine, then, of
course, the Spanish government
WILL MAKE PREPARATION
for the action of it's cruiser, even
should it appar that the Alliance
was within three miles of Cape
Maysia, as the Spanish minister
here believes. On the other hand,
if this decision is not of effect, then
DRY of jurisdiction will proba bly, play
an important part in the adjustment
of the matter. According to the con-
tention of Great Britain in the For
tune bay fisheries case, in which
the United States has acquieSced,
the line of marine jurisdiction is
drawn three miles from a line run
ri, 70
land, in the case of q bay or a de-
preston in the general coast line.
The Spanish authorities evidently
take the position, at this time in the
absence of exact advices, that the
Alliance was within such line, and
so within their jurisdiction, although
the ship may have been actually
more than three miles from the
nearest shore. Probably based on
the Alabama decision above referred
to, a rumOr was in circulation today
to the effect that the state depart
ment had sent a sinister warning
to the Spanish government to the
effect that
DECLARATION OF WAR
| would follow repetition of the Al
| lianca affair. Acting Secretary Uhl
| said this afternoon that he had no
| further information to give to the
press than he had already given out,
| and, taking their cue from him. the
| other officials of the state depart
ment absolutely declined to say any
| thing about the Alliance. But, from
the fact that no intimation of any
such precipitate action in the absence
| of a knowledge of the facts has
| been communicated to the Spanish
minister here, which would certainly
be the case if usual diploma tic ameni
| ties were observed, even if such 6
message had been sent to the Spanish
| government directly through United
States Minister Taylor at Madrid thu
story failed to find much credence
Senior Muruga, the Spanish minister
| has not as yet received word from
| Cuba as to the gunboat which free
on the American ship, nor does h,
know the name of the warship The
delay is due to the fact that the gun
doat is cruising off the eastern coas
| of Cuba, 400 miles from Havana.
The minister pronounces as abse
lutely false the publication today il
the New York Herald that he had re
ceived private information of the fir
ing on the Alliance in advance of tn
ship at New York.
MORE FACTS WANTED.
NEW YORK, March 14-Followins
is the letter3feceived by Capt. Cross
man from the state department a
Washington:
To Capt. James Crossman, Com
mander of the Allianca-Sir: 1 hav
received your letter of March with
out date, which reached the depart
ment today, March IA, which report
the circumstances under which tn
| above-named steamship on her home
ward voyage from Colon, Colombia
to New York. off the north Cubal
coast, on the Sth inst, was fired upo
by a Spanish gunboat.
The department desires to receiv
from you a statement of fact in tn
form of an affidavit, accompanied,
possible, by a sketch-chart shown
the course of the Alliance in passin
Cape MayZi and the distance of tn
island OF G.. ba. The affidavit should b
explicit upon the two points.
Awaiting such, | am, sir, your ODE
dent servant. EDWIN F. UHL,
Acting Secretary.
Later in the day a dispatch was re
ceived from Secretary Gresham, ask
ing Capt. Crossman to send the stat
department exact data of the affai
The captain telegraphed that the re
port whould be sent at once.
Loss to the Revenue Service.
WASHINGTON March 14-Capt