The record-union., 1897-08-01
Good Work of ambassador Hay
and John w. Foster
In Relation to the Settlement Of the
Behring Sea Question.
The Spanish Ministry in a Tight
PlSce Regarding Cuban Affairs
The War Can be Kept Up Only
So Long as Funds Last, and the
Time When They Will Fail AL
most in Sight.

AAOsL
LONDON, July 31-Much satisfac-
ton is expressed in official and mercan-
tile circles at the prospective settlement
Of the seal question by aid of the Wash
ington conference especially as such
an arrangement will remove the cause
M of hot discussion between the United
tates and England. Although at the
outset of Mr.. Fosters journey. diplo-
mats and newspapers here ridiculed the
idea that there was anything necessary
TO be done. ambassador Hay and Mr.
Foster have completely changed this
view, and Great Britain is finally doing
everything possible to meet the de-
mands of the United States Doubtless
this is possibly owing to the support
Mr.. Fosters ideas received from Rus
sla and Canada. Sir Wilfred Laurier
and Mr.. Davies have all along favored
conciliatory attitude toward the pro-
posals of the United States.
The conference will meet in the third
or fourth week in October the exact
date being left to be determined by
the arrival of the British experts from
the sealing grounds. Great Britain will
probably be represented by Sir Julian
Paunceforte the Embassador, and Pro-
fessor Darcy Thompson. The United
States viii probably be represented by
John w. Foster and Japan by the Jap
anese Minister at Washington, Russia
by a committee headed by Dr. Matens,
Professor of International Law at the
University of st. Petersburg, who was
delegated by Russia to hold the Pour
Parler with Mr.. Foster Canada will be
represented by Sir Wilfred Laurier and
Mr.. Davies.
The conference will discuss the whole
question as raised by the United States.
will draft a scheme of protection for
the seals with details for carrying out
the same, and Will decide all open
claims Its report will be a referendum,
but as Russia and Japan are entirely
favorable to the pretensions of the
United States, and as Great Britain is
Indifferent so long as Canada is salts
fed, the conference may be said to be
a diplomatic triumph for the United
States. and a personal triumph for Mr..
Foster. Unless il results in a divided
n report. which is not expected, the Gov
Nernments concerned will Immediately
embody the scheme in a permanent
agreement in the form of referendum,
son of 1898.
A Spanish diplomat, who is in close
touch with Senior Canovas de Castillo,
the Spanish Premier, informs the cor
respondent of the Associated Press
that it is useless longer to attempt to
disguise the fact that the Spanish Min
istry is in a very tight place. He says:
we can keep up the war in Cuba
ryfx ST md ba
time when they win fail is almost in
sight When it comes. we must give
up the struggle. Now we are too proud
a race to do so at anybodys demand.
but we can do so by pleading force
maieure in a war with the United
States Such a result naturally would
be a very unpleasant matter to us. bus
in order to prevent the overthrow of
the monarchy, war is the only way out.
The Premier knows from President
Mckinley direct that the President
personally does not want war. and
wishes to save us from the cost and
the bloodshed But his Cabinet only
partly share his views, while the Sem
ate. the House of Representatives, the
American press and the people of the
United States favor a settlement with
big guns. President Mckinley, how
ever, while first for peace, has declared
himself as not shrinking from war, if
peace measures fail.
This is the position of the United
States and naturally lends strength to
the independent course which General
Woodford will pursue. His instructions
will be at the outset to attempt to OBJ
tain for Cuba the peaceful means of
Cuban independence. He is destined
to be defeated in his proposal the mo-
ment il is made, for Spain would in
finitely prefer war, with or without the
encoura cement of other nations TO any
surrender on the Cuban question. This
is the fact and the Premier sees no
other way out of the present impasse
in Spanish policies. We will court
war the moment the United States be-
comes imperative in its demand. The
wave of great emotion and patriotism
such a war would call out in Spain
would naturally sink all threatening
questions and disturbances. The Carl
lists Republicans and all others would
unite for the nation as they could be
united by nothing else; and when de-
feated. if such thing be. Cuba could
be surrendered without imperilng all
present political and monarchial insti
tutions."
The engineers dispute has apparent
Iy settled down to a prolonged strug-
gle. Both masters and men are un-
Welding The formers position has
been strengthened by the fact that the
Northampton Cycle employers have
Joined the Employers Federation, and
issued lockout notices to p per cent.
of their employees. The engineers have
responded by calling out the other -
per cent
The Spectator" in a gloomy article
entitled Aggression of American
Wealth" refers TO the retirement of
President Andrews from Brown Uni
versity and Professor Bemis from Chi
cago University, saying:
I'VE can scarcely escape the conclu-
sion that conspiracy exists among the
heads of the trusts in America to in
ta,rere with the freedom OF teaching
in the universities so far as economic
ouestions are concerned, in order that