The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-10-26
SpaIn'S Complaint That This Government
Has Not Tried to Prevent FiIihuSierIng.
GREAT EXPENSE OF FLORIDA PATROL
The Govcr:imcnt Igns s:ouc 10 such
Lengths on Spanish Rcprc.cntn-
fiuIis witttout Su1.irirnt Evidenco
Thnt Large <lntInS lEnvo Been
Made bS SHIP overs.
Washington. d. C., oct. 25. 1897.

'''''S 'i' ~ hb'ii Ap-'l!iN iilt 'iHSN u " |
Spain 10 the United States had not
reached the President or Secretary Shcr-
man. nor had they received the 1000 |
word cable communication which 1t is !
said Minister WoodfOrd sent i'm cipher
from Madrid last Saturday.
Under these circumstances 1t Is I'M
possible that any formal consideration |
could he given hy the executive author |
tues here as To the next move on the
part OF the government. There was IN
ahnndance Of speculation In and about
Ihc White House us to the issue pre-
scented by Spain'S answer. as briefly
summarized in cable reports. but from
no authoritative source could il lie
learned that the administration had
outlined any line OF policy 10 meet
the situation now presenting.
II Is not doubted among officials that
the basis of the Spanish reply To MIR.
Woodfoid'S note will be the charge that
the United States has not observed tho
requirements Of international law i'm
IN" matter OF iilibustcring. In this case.
the state Department will have some
pertinent facts to present which, its
officials believe. will completely ALLEVIATE
from Spain any sympathy that she may
nave attracted from other European ma
lions on that score. 1T is asserted posi-
lively that In no single ease where the
Spanish authorities have brought to the
attention of our government the fact
that an Illegal expedition was about TO
start from our shores for Cuba has ii
neglected To use all the means pcrmiit-
Ell ny our laws too prevent the start.
IL has hecn so indul:Scnt in this respect
nS IN accept statements from tho Span
ish officials. not accompanied by proofs
OF the facts alleged. In; mere slIEgus-
ii"ns that they had reason 10 believe
that an expedition was forming
In some cases oar government has
proceeded to lengths In restraint Of
American commerce on insufficient cv-
idcncc furnished by the Spanish gDv-
nrnmcnt that have resulted In the pre-
ference OF large claims by American
ship owners for Illegal detention Of
their ships. Then the expense Of main
tanning the patrols along The Atlantic
and Gulf coasts have been very heavy.
Every time the State Department has
been Obliged to call upon n collector
nj port the result has been u heavy
bill Of expenses, for tugs. special oiiI-
GERS ani other chargcs. while the .Attdr-
ncy Generals Office, ana 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 he ncCcS-
sfiy for divcrtiug vessels from other
Di'lAtS lbl ll' tiStsltttTIe 4 !pfltla pa
troll. One official roughly estimated thc
expense the United states had been
put 10 to protect the Cuban coast for
Spain at about S2.G1D 900
Altogether the officials here are con-
iidcnt ~ their ai5ility To- shrW EEnt
the government has more than complied
with the requirements Of Internal tipnnl
law, which as laid down In thr Alabama
arbitration. simply demands that ma
al,
departure of hostile expeditions. On
this phase of the case. the correspond
cncc may be kept alive between the
State Department and the SpanihS
government unt!l Congress meets. but Il
is expected that unless some results In
the direction OF the suggestions OF Mr..
Woodford are forthcoming ny that time,
the President VIII refer the entire mat
ter 20 Congress and await It's order
Up to the close Of office hours to-day
Slan's reply on the Cubln question
had not reached fhr president or State
Department. J.. was stated also in 9TH
or quarters 10y those in II position to
know what had occurred AT Madrid,
t;htt The answer had net been dolivcr-
ci 10 Minister WoOd!ord up to noon to-
diy.
y denial was made from an auth ori-
tatlvr sOn!c" that Minister Dupuy De
Lone had intimatcd - the State De
pibiiltnt mat Slnln would resort to n
search ana seizure of suspected Amer
ic1n Vr:rsciS on the high scla II iiEhuS-
trr.ng expeditions cuninucd to leave
this country. The reports. il Is belicV-
ed grew out cf visits made by the Min
!Stcr u the S;atc Department last Mon
day and Thursday. At these viSIs, lie
called the attention of the officials 10
She circumstances Of the departure of
:hc alleged iilibuatcr Silver Heels after
the authorities were put In explicit i'll
formation OF the lhanS OF the vessel.
Regret WAS expressed by the Minister
at 'ahiE occurrence, as II was felt that
it would create Il had impression at
Madrid al a time when the government
was maturing It's policy. Beyond this,
however. the Minister made nD refer
encc To retaliation upon American YES
sells. or as 10 searches on the flign seas
II Is said prerequisite Ia. such action
would be an announcement by Spain
of the blockade Of all the ports of Cuba,
ana certainly no steps along such radi-
cal lines has been proposed thus far.
The diplomatic procedure in cuhncc-
ton with Spa!n's reply to the W0odford
note Is that II win be communicated to
him by the Minister of Foreign Affairs
at Madrid. 1t will not he sent to Minis
ter Dupuy de LONE. as II Is distinctly
part Of communications between Min
lister WOodford and the Madrid officials,
and is not an exchange Of notes between
the State Department and the govern
mcnt of Spain. AS intimationfs have
lister Wo0dford would be made public
Al Madrid, the statement was made by
officials here that no publication of the
j N ions hpfArn thn ocSonhlin1r of