The Topeka state journal., 1897-09-27
TO BUY CUBA.
The Plan is Again Revived
Through Minister Wo0dfOrd.
Cubans Are Willing to Settle 1t
That Way.
SPAIN WON'T LISTEN.
She Has Spent Too Much Money
and Blood.
Would Rather be Whippep
SPAIN WON'T LISTEN.
Would Rather be Whfppep
Than to Sell Out.

| Havana, Sept. GA dispatch from
Madrid says that Gen. Woodford's re-
cent interview with the Duke of Tet-
uan has brought to the front again the
suggestion that Spain accept an in
| demnity and free Cuba.
From the Spanish minister in Wash
ington comes the reports that hints of
/ the same tenor have been given him.
Senor Garoztegni, a high Spanish Off
Madrid: ---
I'VE do not doubt that the United
states government, acting through
Gen. Woodford will try again the az
feet of the proposal for the purchase of
Cuba, which hitherto has been made on
ly indirectly and unofhcially. On three
or four occasions. in years long past.
the United States intended to buy Cuba
but each time was rebuffed by our gov
ernment. This was reason enough to
abstain from further advances until
now. But nowadays the problem seems
to take a different aspect
according to all reliable informa-
t1on, the Cubans in arms would gladly
accept such termination of the strug-
gle If full independence were granted
them. The United States acts there
fore, only as a mediator and appar-
emily with no direct interest of her own
save the cessation of the bloody con-
f1ict near her shores. But can we ac-
cept that solution? L think not. 1 think
that no Spaniard will easily forget the
case of Gen. Prim.''
The case to which Senior Garoztegni
refers is the assassination at Madrid of
Gen. Don Juan Prim then the arbiter
of Spain's fate, on December 81, 1870.
That crime, which is still a mystery,
has been aScribed repeatedly to the un-
compromising Spaniards, who, believ-
ing that Gen. Prim intended to sell Gu
ba to the United States, resorted to
murder in order to fruStrate his plans
who is the man." the letter further
''Can9b1R standing
heaval of public opinion in Spain at the
bare announcement that the war will
end in such a businesslike way as the
mere selling of merchandise, when so
many thousands of Spanish soldiers,
driven from their homes to fight in Gu
ba, have been sacrificed in the name of
Spain's honor? Defeat would be
thousand times better than such a hu-
initiating end of the great fight for our
national integrity. L am speaking now
from a Spanish point of view. Gould we
SpaniardS take out from our nature the
soul of Don Quixote that runs with our
blood; could we consider only the ma
terial advantages of the proposal and
leave aside what is for US dishonor, we
undoubtedly would accept this solution.
Cuba is now more of q burden than
boon to us. 1t would be better to get
out of Cuba with some money than
without any and heavily indebted be-
sides. But we are as we are. We pre-
fer to fight for our pride and the prac-
tical Yankee will be surely astounded
to find such class OF people
Senior Garoztegni has not touched the
real difficulty of the problem. The
much vaunted pride of Spain, which for
a long time has been humbled by Eng
lands holding of Gibraltar, is not the
real obstacle The men who assassin
ated Gen. Prim did not protest against
Senior Silvela when he spoke a short
time ago of "liquidating" the trouble in
Cuba.
The last efforts to reconstruct the
Spanish conservative party by giving
a place in the cabinet to Senior Silvela
himself proves beyond question that
the Spanish government is not so reluc-
tant to ''liquidate.
Senior Rafael Fernandez de Castro,
member of the Spanish cortes, and a
staunch autonomist, has received un-
pleasant news from New York. He
wrote to his friend. DR.. Gabriel Ca
suso, asking him to assure the Cuban
emigrants of the advisability of ac-
cepting Spain's proposal of home rule. |
The doctor tried to explain the matter
to Senior Estrada Palma, showing him |
Senor Castro's letter, but the Cuban |
delegate refused even to read the docu- |
ment. That end is a disappointment |
for the Spanish authorities in Havana, |
who entertained high hopes of the dep |
,,+v's mowers of persuasion.