The Irish standard., 1897-10-30
NOT YET RECEIVED.
SPANS Reply to woodford Has
Not Reached Washington.
IT IS EXPECTED SOON, HOWEVER.
Intimnti0n Tint Unless Some Action
Ii Taken Along Lines sugRested
to Spain, the President Will lie.
fer Matter to Congress.


Washington, Oct. ao.-Cp to the close
Of Office hours Monday Spain's reply on
the Cuban question had not reached
the president or state department. 1t
was stated also In other quarters by
those In position to know what had
occurred at Mndrid that the answer
had not been delivered to Minister
Woodford up to Monday. It has been
approved by the cabinet, however, and
IL to be communicated to Minister
Woodford soon.
The diplomatic procedure In connec.
ton with SPANS reply TO the Woodford
note Is that 1t will be communicated to
him by the minister Of foreign affairs
Mt Madrid. It will not be sent to Min
lister Dupuy De LONE, as it is distinctly
part of communications between Min.
lister Woodford and the Madrid officials
and is not an exchange OF notes be-
tween the state department and the gov
eminent Of Spain.
AS intimations have been made that
the instructions to Minister Woodford
would be made public ut Madrid, the
statement was made by officials here
that no publication of the instructions
before the nsscmblagc Of congress will
be approved by the United States, and
without this approval 1t would be con-
trary to the usage of diplomacy for the
Madrid authorities to make public the
correspondence.
basis of Spnin's Reply.
1t is not doubted among officials that
the basis of the Spanish reply to Mr..
Woodfords note will be the charge that
the United States has not observed the
requirements of international law in
the matter of preventing filibustering.
In this case, the state department will
have some pertinent facts to present,
which, it's officials believe, will COM
pletely ALLEVIATE from Spain any SYM
pathy that she may have attracted from
other European nations on TINT score.
1t is asserted positively that in no single
case where the Spanish authorities have
brought to the attention of our govern
ment the fnct that an illegal expedition
was about to start from our shores for
Cuba has 1t neglected to use all tho
means permitted by our laws to pre-
vent the start. 1t has been so indulgent
In this respect as to accept statements
from the Spanish officials, not accom-
panied by proofs OF the facts alleged,
hut mere suggestions that they had
reason to believe that an expedition was
formed. In cases our government has
proceeded to lengths in restraint Of
American commerce on insufficient evil
f1t nr ,fs1,n 1>1.f In
ment, that has resulted in the prefer
cnce of large claims by American ship
owners for illegal detention of their
ships.
Has been Expensive.
Then the expense OF maintaining tho
patrols along the Atlantic and gulf
COASTS have been very heavy Every
time the stnte department has been
obliged to call upon collector at Il port
the result has been heavy bill of cx-
penses, for tugs. special officers and
o,her charges, while the attorney gem
erals Office and in fact most of tho
executive departments have been put
to more or less trouble and expense.
The navy department, especially, has
been embarrassed, owing to the neccs-
stty for divcrting vessels from other
places for the lsagrceablc Florida
patrol. One official estimated the cX-
pcnsc the United States has been put
to to protect the Cuban coast for Spain
ut about S2.ooo,ooo. This is probably
urge estimate, but one naval officer,
who is thoroughly cognizant Of the
strain put upon the department by the
patrol stated that 1t would really be
cheaper for the United States to send
feet to Cuba and blockade the coast
there against incoming filibustcrs
than to try to stop them on our own OK
tensive coast line.
VIII Wait for ConErcss.
Altogether the officials here are con-
fident Of their ability to show that the.
government has moro than complied
with the requirements Of international
law, which, as laid down in the Alabama
arbitration, simply demands that
nation "usc due diligence" to prevent
the departure of hostile expeditions.
On this phase of the question, the
correspondence may be kept alive be-
tween the state department and the
Spanish government until congress
meets, put II is expected That unless
some results in the direction of the sug-
gcstions of Mr.. Woodford are forth
coming by that time the president will
refer the entire matter to congress and
await its order.
A denial was made by nm nuthorita-
tive source that Minister Dupuy dc
LONE had intimated to the state de-
pnrtmcnt that Spain would resort to
the search and seizure of suspected
American vessels on the high seas il
filibustcring expeditions continued to