The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-20
A DAILY CONFERENCE
MINISTER WOODFORD STUDYING
THE INSURRECTION.
HE LEAVES IN ABOUT THIRTY DAYS
Mr.. Woodford Will Garry With Him the Case
of the United States and Lay it Before
Spain---Ruiz's Case viii Be
Carefully Investigated.


Washington, d. c., June 19.-It can be
stated on the best authority that all pub
lications purporting to outline the Cuban
policy of President Mckinley that have
been made up to the present time have
been in disregard of the fact that up to
this moment the case of the United
States government has not been made
up. and that even in the discussions of
the subject of our relations to Cuba that
have taken place in the cabinet circles,
the point has not yet been reached where
it could be said that the Executive had
finally determined upon any certain plan
of action. At the State Department an
authoritative denial is given of the state
ment cabled TO London to the effect that
General Woodford, the newly appointed
United States Minister to Spain, has
been instructed to intimate to the Span
ish authorities that IL Spain refuses to
grant freedom to Cuba she must be pre-
pared to yield to force.
Mr.. Calhoun, who was the Presidents
special commissioner to Cuba, is still
here in daily conference win Assistant
Secretary LAY upon the subject of our
general relations to the Cuban question
as we'll as upon the Ruiz case in particu-
lar, and it is desired that General Wood
ford also be given an opportunity TO con-
fer with Mr. Calhoun. Therefore in the
course of the next three days the Minis
ter will come again to Washington from
New York and begin serious study of
y hn ;rtn Of ION
from its very beginning. Or this Gen.
Woodford at present knows little more
than the average close read people of the
newspaper, and it is, of course, highly
important that he should have in his
possession all the information that is in
the State Department, Decides that which
Mr.. Calhoun may be able to add verbally,
before he goes to SPAIN as it is the inten-
ton of our government that the new
Minister shall carry with him, when he
goes the complete case of the United
States. This necessarily will consume
some time, and it can be stated positively
that there is no expecta ton that Gen.
WoodfOrd will start for Madrid until the
expiration Of the thirty day period allow
ed by the State Department to all United
States Ministers upon their appointment
within which to study their instructions
before going to their posts. Gen. Wood
ford's instructions, OF course, from the
peculiarities of the situation, will be
much more complex than are usually
given to an American Minister. Not
only will he be charged with all of the
details of the Ruiz case, which, in itself,
promises to present most formidable legal
problems, but he will also take with him
all the evidence necessary to establish the
losses suffered by United States citizens
in Cuba from the continuance of the
war, with which other data in support
of the suggestion OF our government that
it can scarcely continue to countenance
a prolOngatiOn of present conditions.
Upon the answer returned by the Span
ish government to these representations
by Mr.. Woodford will depend the course
to be followed by the United States.
While perfectly willing to gather all in
formation pertaining to this case and
listen to all proper representations, the
administration is firmly determined not
to be unduly hurried in its treatment of
the case, realizing that if it should per-
NIT itself to be carried away by tenn
porary extreme mistakes of the gravest
character might result, that would in the
end weaken our position.