Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-02-25
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence Of the Alexandria Gazette
WASHINGTON. Feb. %.

l.
were received here early this morning
that Consul General Lee "had received
his passports" The rumOr naturally
caused excitement and a general de-
sire to know definitely whether General
Lees contemplated withdrawal from
Havana was his own act resulting from
the acceptance of his resignation, said
to have been cabled last Sunday, or
whether it had been brought about by
the action of the Spanish authorities in
Cuba, in which latter case its signih-
canoe would be much more marked.
Inquiries IN official quarters elected
strong denials of the rumor. The well
known fact was pointed out that pass
ports were not given TO consuls, but
only to ministers and ambassadors; that
in the case of an offending or retiring
consul, the document sent him on his
departure was his "exequater" or Oil
cial document recognizing his right to
exercise the functions of his Office, and
it was said that not even the semi
diplomatic position accorded to our
Consul General at Havana by consent
of the Spanish government would rem
der his case where passports" would
be required. The return of his exc
ouatur" to the Consul General would,
of course, be equivalent to the sending
of passports to Minister. But at
the Spanish Legation as well as the
State Department it was emphatically
asserle ed that this course had not been
taken. The denials were quite as en-
phatic as those previously put out in
regard to General Lees request for
warships and the conditional tender Of
his resignation if this request should not
be granted. 1t was stated on the direct
authority of q member of the cabinet
that Secretary Olney stated to his as
sociates at the cabinet meeting on
Tuesday last that it was not true that
Lee had resigned or that he had asked
for war-ships. Mr.. Olney, on this occa-
sion, added that exciting statements put
out were simply an attempt to run the
State Department through the news
papers, 1t was again said this morn
ing as coming from Secretary Olney
that there was no change in the Cuban
situation. Thus the matter rests.
The report that Consul General Lee
had been given his passports by the
Spanish authorities in Cuba caused a
hutter at the Senate end of the Capitol,
where the action Of the Senate commit
tee on the Sanguilly case has revived
interest in Cuban affairs. Senators are
guarded in their utterances, preferrlng
to await some confirmation of the re
port before committing themselves to
statements that were on the tip ends OF
their tongues. 1t is not beyond the
truth to say that very considerable
portion of the Senate hopes the report
is accurate, for they say that nothing
short of an overt act on the part of Spain
sufficient to compel this government to
assert itself will bring the trouble on
that island to an end or bring about
the protection of American citizens.
81 hope to heaven the report is true, y
said one of the members of the com.
mittee on foreign relations when told
of the bulletin that had been posted in
New York. "If it proves to be the case,
there is but one way out of the thing
and the United States will be com
PEELED to take a hand in Cuban mat
ters." Several members of the foreign
relations committee were at the recep-
ton at the British embassy last night.
One of these Senators, meeting Secre
tary Olney, found a moment in which
to ask bim if there was anything new in
the situation, reminding the Secretary
that the committee Of which he was a
member had special meeting this
morning. Mr.. Olney replied to the
request for information, this Senator
says, with the single remark that he
had nothing to say, but must refer Sen
ators to the newspapers, which appear
ed to be furnishing all the Cuban news
nowadays.
The Senate committee on foreign re
lations held special meeting this
morning for the purpose of again con-
sideriDg the resolution reported yester-
day, instructing the President to de-
mand the Immediate release OF Julio
Sanguilly, an alleged American citizen
now confined in prison in Cuba. This
meeting was forced by the attitude o.
the members of the committee on APP
preparations, who gave notice yester-
day afternoon that all business must
give way to appropriation bills. The
committee on foreign relations believes
that the situation iu CUBA demands the
attention of the Senate fully as much
as do the appropriation measures, and
has reached the unanimous conclusion
that the Senate could afford to wait no
longer, but insist upon the consideration
and passage of the resolution to the OPP.
position of appropriation measures and
everything else.
The statement was made upon the
floor of the House today upon the au.
thority of a prominent southern Con-
gresham, that Consul General Lee had
resigned his office. The Congressman
stated that he had seen the dispatch
from the consul general at the State De.
partment and that Secretary Olney re-
quested that official not to press the
resignation, until after the expiration
of the present administration. The
dispatch in question was received at the
State Department either Tuesday night
or Wednesday morning.
An obstacle to the prompt ratification
of the Anglo Venezuelan arbitration
treaty has been encountered in pro.
vision of Venezuela's constitution
necessitating the use of the Spanish
language in documents for consideration
of the Congress.
Congressman Otey of Virginia, who
is rarely out of his seat in the House
when that body is in session. was alb.