Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-01-23
MAKING "WAR" NEWS.
Unscrupulous Scribblers Make Money Fool
DuI

ing the Public.
It is now established that the sena-
torial interview between Secretary o.
ney and NJ. de Kotzebue over the arbi-
tration of the treaty, which startled
all Europe, never took place. It was
entirely fictitious, and was the inven-
ton of one of the young gentlemen
who have been manufacturing war sto-
ries and news from Cuba revolution
all winter. Both Secretary Olney and
the Russian minister are amazed at
the agitation which their alleged con-
versation created in Europe. M. de
Kotzebue has never had a moments
conversation with Secretary Olney on
the subject of the treaty, except with
in the last few days, when they incl
IDENTIFY discussed the newspaper re-
ports of the interview that never took
place. He has never received any in
uuiry or instructions from Russia con-
cerning the treaty, and he cannot con-
ceive of any motive for the misrepres-
entation.
The interview referred to represent
ed the Russian minister as making q
stern and peremptory demand on Sec
retary Olney in the name of his gov
ernment for an explanation as to the
significance of the arbitration treaty.
Mr.. Olney is represented as having re-
Piled in an equally peremptory man
ner that it was none of Russia's busi-
ness; that the government of the
United States had entered into COM
pact with England which was intend
ed to enforce the Monroe Doctrine and
|if the other nations of the world did
not like it they could slump it," or
words to that effect. Whereupon the
Russian minister retorted that the
United States could not be friendly
with both Russia and England, and
that his government looked with dis
favor upon its action in deserting an
old friend like Russia and taking up
with an old enemy like England.
This alleged interview was printed in
Chicago, New York and London.
It is not strange that people lose
confidence in the newspapers after the
experience they have had during the
last year. Ninety-fve per cent. of the
information concerning the Cuban rev.
olution telegraphed from Washington
has been false. Seventy-five per cent.
of it has been absolutely without foun-
dation. The intentions and the trans
actions of the secretary of state and
the Spanish minister, as detailed daily,
have been fictitious, without any more
truth or foundation than the adven-
lures of Sherlock Holmes. We have
been told every day for three weeks
that a treaty for the pacifcation OF
Cuba is being negotiated by Secretary
Olney and the Spanish minister, and
although both of those gentlemen have
declared again and again that there
was not the slightest foundation or
excuse for the report, the New York
World actually published the other
day what pretended to be the text OF
the treaty-seven formal articles-all
ready for the signatures OF the repre-
sentatives of the two governments.
1t appears now that the alleged
treaty was furnished to The World by
young. man by the name of Ramsey,
Spanish translator in the war depart
ment, who has written book about
Cuba and is interested in the cause of
the insurgents. This young gentle
man, however, is working entirely in.
dependent of the Spanish legation and
the department of state, aud the treaty
which he furnished The World is al
most an exact copy of the terms of
capitulation offered to and accepted by
the Cuban revolutionists at the end OF
the 10 years. war in 1878. tits known
in Cuban history as the "treaty OF
Zanjon." Mr.. Ramsey simply changed
the dates, struck out reference to
slavery, which does not exist in Cuba