The true northerner., 1896-04-22
H0PE FOR THE CUBANS.
Our Government as a Friendly
Mediator.
AN OLIVE BRANCH SUGGESTED
Indications That Spain Will Accept Our
Friendly Suggestions = Mediation May
Not He Satisfactory to the Insurgents
The Cuban Patriots.


Friendly Suggestions - Mediation May
Not He Satisfactory to the Insurgents.
The Cuban Patriots.
WASHINGTON. April 22.-[Special. ]-As
has been frequently foreshadowed In these
dispatches, President Cleveland has at last
taken action concerning the rebellion In
Cuba. While he has not acted with as
much positiveness as IL was some time ago
believed he would act 1t Is generally un-
derstood this is only the first step. The
president, after making a number of in.
formal efforts to induce Spain to accept
our good offices, has addressed formal
proposition Of that nature to the Spanish
government through their minister In this
city, Senior Dupuy de LONE. The presi-
dent proposes TO exert the good offices of
the United States in an effort to bring
about peace between Spain and her colony
in the interests of humanity and because
the commerce of the United States and the
rights and property Of many American cit
liens are adversely affected by the war
now going on in the unhappy island.
Proposals of Settlement.
This proposal was made in friendly
spirit and after several conferences be-
tween Secretary Olney and the Spanish
minister, In which the whole ground was
carefully gone over. The president and
his secretary of state while sympathizing
personally with the Cuban struggle for in
dependence, have from the first taken care
to act in such manner officially as to win
the confidence of Spain and her minister's
with view to the emergency which has
now arisen. The president has wished to
have the Spanish government and people
understand that when he should propose
to act the part of peacemaker, as he has
finally proposed, he does so as much the
friend of Spain as of Cuba, and that he
acts from motives wholly disinterested
The indications are that the president has
succeeded in this purpose and that Spain
will accept our mediation. In doing SO
her statesmen believe they have everything
to gain and nothing to lose, for they will
attach certain conditions to their accept
ance, If accept they do, and the most i'm
portant of these Is that while there may
be reforms in the government of the island
of Cuba, the independence thereof can
never be granted or form the basis of any
negotiations.
There is very little prospect that media
tion will be acceptable to the insurgents
in fact, every representative of Cuba who
has expressed himself on the subject de-
clares most emphatically that nothing but
independence will be considered. The pa
triots of the island set out for independ-
ence, and independence they will have or
they will have nothing This Is the way
all the leading men talk. They point,
moreover, TO that clause of their constitu-
tion to which / called attention in re-
cent dispatch, which absolutely forbids
any negotiations with Spain to be under
taken by any officer of the republic on any
other basis than that of independence.
They further declare that an order has
been issued which provides for the court
martialing of any officer of the republic
who undertakes such negotiations.
Cuban Feeling.
The representatives of Cuba at this capi-
tai are confident they will yet win their
independence by force of arms. They cal
culate that during the summer, when the
rainy season makes effective military oper-
ations impossible, their troops will be able
TO keep up a sharp warfare upon the Span
ish outposts, while the Spanish armies
will be struggling with fevers and ennui.
All this time the expense of maintaining
the enormous military establishment
which Spain has in the island will con-
tinue just rs great as in the winter season,
when something can be done. For six
months, therefore. the Spanish people will
have TO foot the bills while their armies
are doing nothing. When fall comes, the
insurgent leaders figure that their own
troops will be in better condition, while
the enemy will be worse off than he is at
the present time. 1t Is also serious ques-
tion whether or not the Spanish credit is
strong enough TO enable her to carry on
the war another year. When fall comes,
she may be in such sorry plight finan-
cially that she will be willing to accept
the best terms she can get.
1t is an open secret here that the in
surgents have been fighting for the COM
mencement of the rainy season. They be-
lieve If they can hold out till the torrents
put a stop To the active operations of Wey
ler's armies their cause will eventually
triumph. One thing they hope for-and
not without reason-is a revolution In
Spain. This revolution may be simply
political or 1t may be open rebellion. At
any rate the condition of affairs which
now prevails in the Spanish kingdom is
likely to bear fruit in upheavals of public
opinion, in which the cause of free Cuba
may find the opening " has so long awaited
Frank and Hopeful.
While in this city a few days ago Senor
Estrada Palma, the Cuban delegate, was
asked by Mr.. Hit, chairman of the house
committee on foreign affairs, for his opin-
ion of the Cuban resolutions which recently
passed congress. I'VE care nothing about
the second resolution passed by your hon
orable body, replied Senior Palma. "It
is not the mediation of the United States
that we want We care nothing about the
good offices of President Cleveland, how
ever well they may be meant. What we
ask for Is the recognition of our belliger-
ency, to be placed on an equal footing
with Spain In the eyes of the law of your
country, and we will do the rest with the
good right arms of our faithful soldiers in
Cuba
This was the reply Of brave man and
Is indicative of the spirit of the Cuban pa
triots both in this country and in the field
Senior Palma was asked IL the Cubans
would be willing to accept reforms, or
promises of reform, from the Spanish gov
ernment as basis of peace. mo" he
replied How could we do that in the
light of history We accepted Spain's
promises and laid down our arms in 1873,
and she broke faith with us. There is a