Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-24
SPANISH GOVERNMENT IN A FIx.
Hard to Get n Ministry to Look After
business.

MADRID May 23.--Tne position OF the
cabinet is the theme Of most anxious dis
cussion on all sides Some OF the government
organs think the ministry should meet the
Ccrtes tomorrow endeayor to secure the
adoption of such bills as are pressing and
then suspend the session as soon as possible.
Others think a change Of policy expedient
and, In fact, inevitable. All admit the diff
fculty OF appointing a ministry TO carry on
the business OF the country.
The cabinet sat in council this evening
until o'clock and 1t was decided TO appear
before the Cortes tomorrow and give explana-
tions of the Tetuan-Comas incident OF Fri
day, even II the liberals should absent them
selves. special committee Of the Cham
Der of Deputies will be instructed to conslder
the budget bill.
LONDON, May 24.-The Standards corre-
spondent at Madrid says:
In the conference held on Saturday between
the president of the senate, the premier ana
Senior Sagasta with reference to the Tetuan-
CCmas incident the president said he would
not be justified in interfering, as the affair
had not occurred in the Senate chamber, but
in the lobby. The premier declared that
the opposition ought to be satisfied If the
duke of Tetuan announced in the senate
chamber that he never intended to slight
or give offense to the liberal minority. He
added that the government could not dis
pense with the duke Of Tetuan's services as
minister OF foreign affairs. because he alone
was acquainted with and able to conduct
important and delicate pending negotiations
with foreign governments (meaning Amer
ica.)
Senior Segasta promised to give his fol-
lowers concliatory advice, but said he must
be governed by their decision. Accordingly
he summoned meeting of the liberals, who
| were in no conciliatory temper However,
| after prolonged discussion they gave a
| vote of confidence to Senior Sagasta, with
instructions to settle the conflict on the
| understanding that they would not enter
| the Cortes until the government had giver
| them such satisfaction as Senor Segasta
| deemed proper.
| The dissenting conservatives declared thai
| they would follow the decision of the lib
erals and therefore ministerialists only have
! been present in Parliament since Friday
| The premier, on receiving the reply of Senol
Sagasta, went to the place to inform the
| queen regent, who summoned a counsel o
| ministers.
The crisis has withdrawn popular atten
| tention from the attitude of the United State
senate, which a majority of the newspaper
and the ministers affect to consider withou
Importance as bearing on the immediate re
lations of the two countries
| LONDON, May 23.-The Madrid CORE
spondent of the Times says: Seldom In tn
history of the Cortes has an event create
such sensation as the Tetuan-Comas in
cident. 1t is difficult to conceive how stat
| and experienced statesman like the aux
of Tetuan could have so completely lost hi
self-control on so slight a provocation
is believed that Senior Sagasta is willing t
do all he consistently can to minimize th
difficulties of the situation, but 1t seem
impossible that the duke of Tetuan shoul
retain his portfolio.