Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-11-02
DENY CLAIMS OF Spain.
Washington Officials Make a
Statement.
WE HAVE DONE ALL POSSIBLE.
United States Government Prepared to
SHOW That "An Due Diligence" Has
Been Used to Restrain Filibusters-
Await Woodfords Message.

washington, Oct. PIT is stated
positively at the white house and at
the state department that the answer
of Spain to the United States has not
reached the president or Secretary
Sherman, nor have they received the
1000 word cable communication which
1t is said Minister Woodford sent in
cipher from Madrid last Saturday.
1t is not doubted among the officials
that the basis of the Spanish reply to
Mr.. Woodford's note will be the charge
that the United States has not observed
the requirements of international law
in the matter CT preventing filibuster-
ing. In this case the state department
will have some pertinent facts to pre-
sent, which, its officials believe, will
completely ALLEVIATE from Spain any
sympathy that she may have attracted
from other European nations on that
score.
1t is asserted positively that in 70
single case where the Spanish authori-
ties have brought to the attention OF
this government the fact that an lille
gal expedition was about to start for
Cuba has it neglected to use all the
means permitted by law to prevent the
start. 1t has been so indulgent in this
respect as to accept statements from
the Spanish officials not accompanied
by proofs of the facts alleged, but mere
suggestions that they had reason to
believe that an expedition was formed.
treme lengths in restraint Of American
commerce on insufficient evidence fur
nished by the Spanish government,
which has resulted in the preferring or
large claims by American shipowners
for illegal detention OF their ships.
Then the expense Of maintaining the
patrols along the Atlantic and gulf
coasts has been very heavy. Every
time the state department has been
obliged to call upon collector at a
port the result has been a heavy bill
of expenses for tugs, special officers
and other charges, while the attorney
generals Office and in fact most of the
executive departments have been put
to more Or less trouble and expense.
The navy department especially has
been embarrassed, owing to the neces-
sity for diverting vessels from other
places for the disagreeable Florida pa
troll. One official estimated the ex-
pense the United States has been put
to to protect the Cuban coast for Spain
at about 100000. This Is probably
a large estimate but naval officer
who is thoroughly cogniZant of the
strain put upon the department by the
patrol stated that il would really be
cheaper for the United Sta >es to send
a fleet to Cuban and blockade the cost
there against incoming filibusters than
to try to stop them on the Atlantic
coast line.
Altogether the officials here are con-
fident of their ability to show that the
government has more than complied
with the requirements of international
law, which. as laid down in the Ala
bama arbitration, simply demands that
nation ''use due diligence" to pre-
vent the departure of hostile expedi-
tions.
A denial is made by an authoritative
source that Minister Dupuy de LONE
had intimated to the state department
that Spain would resort to the search
and seizure of suspected American
vessels on the high seas il filibustering
expeditions continued to leave this
country. 1t is said a prerequisite TO
such action would be an announce
ment by Spain of the blockade of all
the ports of Cuba, and certainly no
steps along such radical lines have
been proposed thus far.