Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-10
REPORTS ON RUIZ.
The Matter Of Chief Interest at
the National Capital.
THATEHTERPRIsING PUBLICATION

Said to Have Irritased tho President, Got
Calhoun Into Trouble and Given Our
Case Away to Spain - Suspicion Not
Pointing to Any Ono So Far, but Some
body Has Betrayed . Trust, 1t Would
seem-Work in the Senate.
Calhoun went to see the president yes
terday to report what he saw in Cuba.
1t is asserted that the special counsel
complains that he was betrayed by the
New York newspaper men and that his
treatment at the White House was lack
Ing in some Of the elements of cordially
that would have made his visit there one
of unalloyed pleasure. He found the
president irritated over the premature
publication Of Consul General Lees re-
port on the Ruiz case and over thenews-
paper interviews with himself (Cal-
houn). The judge protested that he had
not talked to the press and that he had
been shamefully lied about. He init
mated that after he had turned down"
the reporters they had wickedly eau
cused on him and put language into his
mouth he had never uttered.
Will Wait on the Presidents Return.
Calhoun next paid a visit to the state
department with Fishback and was in
consultation with Assistant Secretary
Day for about an hour and half, dur
ing which time the assistant secretary
denied himself to all callers. The Lee
report upon the Ruiz case which has at
tracted so much attention was brought
to the department by Fishback and de-
livered to Judge Day, who first saw the
original just twenty-four hours after it
had been brought to his attention in the
press. The assistant secretary said that
he was not prepared to say that the
printed publication was inaccurate,
which In diplomatic parlance is about as
far as state department official can go
towards confirming statement. The re-
port itself was thoroughly discussed by
the three officials. All that could be
gathered from them as to the future
action of the department in the matter
was that the matter would be held in
allegiance until the return of President
Mckinley from his Nashville trip.
Two Reports on the Ruiz Case.
It was learned yesterday afternoon
that the department of state is in pos
session of two distinct reports bearing
upon the Ruiz case. They were brought
to Washington by Fishback. the secre-
tary to Calhoun, and handed to Assist
ant Secretary Day. One of these re-
ports was made by Consul General Lee
and has been fully set out in the news
papers. The other report. really the
original, was a joint production signed
by Consul General Lee and by Congos-
ia, the Spanish consul at Philadelphia,
who with General Lee constituted a
special commission to investigate the
conditions surrounding the death of
Ruiz. In this report the two commits
sioners went as far as they could to-
gether, which necessarily confined them
to mere statement of the facts that are
not subject to controversy.
Prolonged Negotiations Likely.
Failing to agree upon a statement Of
the causes which led to Ruiz death the
commissioners signed the document a.
this point. and then by mutual agree
ment made what may be described as
supplemental reports to their own gov
ernments in which they set out state
ments that they could not agree to in
clude in the original report. The pub
lished report of General Lee was one
OF these supplemental reports, and 1t is
probable that the Spanish government
IldS Oue luleuutu 10 cOnlrCVert ma de
by DR.. Congosta. With all of this lit
erature on the subject in possession Of
the two governments the possibilities
Of prolonged negotiations are promising.
Gives Our Case to the Enemy.
After his conference with Assistant
Secretary Day Calhoun decided to de-
lay his departure from Washington.
This will afford time for further discus
sion between the assistant secretary and
the special counsel concerning Cuban
affairs. The publication of the Lee re-
port in advance Of the reception at the
state department has given much an
noyance to the officials and probably
will be made the subject of quiet in
quiry, inasmuch as it is believed that
the position of our government in the
negotiations that are sure to follow with
Spain is weakened by thus putting its
case in possession of the other side.
SOMEBODY BETRAYS A TRUST.