Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-16
SENIOR CASTELLANO'S VIEWS
Spanish Statesman Does Not Expect Wal
with the United'States.
CHIEF POINTS AS He SEES THEM
objection Made Only to the Method
Pursued in the Trial of
the Competitor
Cnptiyes.


Cnptiyes.
Copyright, 1896 by Press Publishing Company
MADRID, (via Bayonne France) May 15.-
(New York World Cablegram-Special Tele-
gram)-In an interview with the minister
Of colonies. Senior Castellano, he tells me
that he apprehends no international COM
plication over the Competitor affair, as the
American government has objected only to
the course of procedure as contrary to the
treaty of 1895 and the protocol of 1877, the
Interpretation of which in their application
to the Competitor case is the only point at
issue. Senior Castelano positively denies that
General Weyler ever ntimated that he in
tended to resign in consequence of the de-
cision of the government in the matter.
Senior Casteano also denies that the loyal
list volunteers have given any trouble or
shown any discomfort in consequence OF
Premier Canovas' decision to submit the
case of the Competitor prisoners to the SUI
preme council of naval appeals at Madrid
He considers that the state OF the island
has improved during the last few months.
Rebel raids have decreased, Antonio Maceo
is blockaded within a narrow area In the
province of Pnar del Rio, the sugar crop is
not SO much reduced as was at first eX-
pected, many non-combatants are coming
in from the separatists' lines to make sub
mission and the morals of the loyal popu-
lation is much improved. Minister Castel-
lano states that the government will not
assent to the Cuban elections being an
nulled, as the opposition in Spain suggests,
and will show that no legal grounds exist for
invaidating them, since they were regularly
conducted. The economical and financial
nF tbn e1o lie t1tro 1lN cd
by the insurrection and revenues, both di-
rect taxation and revenue customs. have
declined. but the colony showed after the
last insurrection great recuperative power.
NO TIME FOR REFORMS.
Senior Castelano does not think it pos
sible to carry out the Abarzuza Cuban re-
form bill during the civil war. when the
working of the existing administration ma
chinerv is attended with such difficulty He
believes that the present government and the
conservative party will not object to put
these reforms into force, with such i'm
provements as time and circumstances may
suggest, when it comes feasible. He under
stands that the policy of the present gov
ernment in Cuba will be very liberal. There
will be local administration reforms, imply
ing control of the necessary resources, but
no surrender of the political and legislative
sovereignty Of Spain, and the imperial Par
lament, in which both Cuba and Puerto Rico
will continue to be represented. He will
ask the Cortes for extensive authorizations
for ways and means though he has enough
t" so on with for some months.
Ell impartial, Dia, Heraldo. Pals and sew
eral other papers energeticalIy ask the gov
to den0unce the treaties of 1895 and
1877 with the United States, as both the
Spanish people and the European countries
would highly approve it. Members of the
Senate and House of Deputies will call upon
the government to do this as soon as the
Cortes has completed the examination of the
validity of the elections The ministerial
papers and the supporters of the cabinet
deprecate such impatient suggestions as
likely to create embarrassments In the do
mestic politics Of Spain and aggravate the
tension of its relations with the United
States kilograms from Havana convey
pessimist impressions concerning the mil
itary operations. 1t is said there that it
would require immediate reinforcements of
twenty hattaliOns to push the campaign
against Maceo alone. because the Havana
volunteers are unwilling to go to the front
with troops.
The same kilograms report that the
Spanish party and the military men, in
cluding Captain General Weyler, are much
pleased with the indefinite postponement of
colonial reforms, as announced In the royal
SENIOR MAURA'S OPINIONS.
| nave naQ an interesting conversation WIN
Senior Maura author of the first Cuban re
form bill of 1898, when he was minister of
the colonies in the Sagasta liberal cabinet
and resigned because many members of
his own party and the conservative OPP
position absolutely resisted his project on
the ground that 1t made too much con-
cession to the Cuban autonomiss. He was
succeeded by AbarZuZa, whose less liberia!
measures were adopted by all the Spanish
parties in Cores on the eve of the rebellion,
when every mail was bringing tidings more
alarming concerning the growth of the con-
spracy. Maura says the Cuban separatists
have been conspiring constantly since 1890
and more so since 1898. He admits every
mail brought news of a separatist propa-
ganda but he believed firmly that the
forms could have, If not eXtinguished the
conspiracy, at least won over the majority
of the Creoles and increased the attachment
Of the autonomists to the mother country.
1t would have been better, he says, to make
reforms in 1880, 1890, 1893 and 1895, as
chance for appealing to the fractions of
colonists who have been in succession drawn
into conspiracies and separatist agitation.
Senior Maura's objection in his bill of 1893
was not to establish autonomy, political or
Legislative, but to give the inhabitants of
Cuba and Puerto Rico a gradually larger
share of local administration, municipal and
especially in the matters of public
works and education and the initiative. When
his bill was set aside Senior Maura bowed to
the new project that his chief and his
party introduced though convinced that
his own was more likely to produce the de-
sired result of contradicting the separatlsts'
that Spain never sincerely in
tended to satisfy the autonomist aspirations
Of a majority of the Cubans.
EVENTS WILL FORCE CONCESSIONS,
As regards the intentions of Premier Can
ovas, as expressed in the speech from the
throne, and recent utterances of the pre-
mier Senior Maura believed that the logic
IF events after the insurrection shall be
crushed will force Canoyas to introduce re-
forms in Cuba and Puerto Rico on such a
7cale that the danger will not be in re-
stricton in concessions but probably in eX-
eessive concessions, for which the colony is
lnpreparel Senior Maura would not go be-
,ond just enough sef-government to train
and educate the colony for further stages
toward autonomy. His opinion is shared by
majority of the liberals, including Sagasta,
V. Gamazo, Maret and Abarzuza. but
strong democratic faction of the liberal
party. with Becerra Balaguer and Nunez de
Arce each of whom have been minister of
he colonies within the past sixteen years,
md Canalejas, who inspires E2raldo, q
Madrid paper OF wide circulation. are OPP
>osad to concessions during the war, and
sven afterward to any concessions likely TO