The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-04-19
SPANS IDEA THAT IT TIES
AMERICAS HANDS.
But the Madrid Correspondent of the
London Standard Thinks it Streng-
thens the United States Position.

LONDON, April 12.-The Madrid
correspondent of the Standard saws;
! The most important feature i'm the
new stage of the relations between
! Spain and the United States is the
fact that Spain, having granted at the
request of the Pope and the powers
suspension of hostilities which she
had persistently refused to grant
when President Mckinley suggested
it, the American government and dip
lomats now consider their hands free,
as they were no party to the arrange
ment thus made by the Pope and the
powers with Spain.
Their contention is that Spain, hav-
ing taken upon herself to grant un-
conditionally the suspension of hostiI-
tiles. without any mutual agreement
or condition between the American
and Spanish governments. nothing can
be asked or expected from America.
who will merely look on to see what
comes out of this sort of armistice
and if there are any negotiations be-
tween the Cuban autonomst govern
ment and the insurgents.
When. in time. events allow the
United States to judge of the results
of as uspension of hostlities and of
the negotiations as to home rule. the
American government will consider
herself free to act in accordance with
American interests and to insist up
on permanent settlement of the Gu
ban question to secure peace in Cuba;
and all simply because Mckinley made
no engagements for the present or fu-
ture with the Pope and the European
powers who are alleged TO have spon-
taneously induced Spain to grant the
suspension of hostilities.
This must be borne in mind. in or
der to understand why most of the
pending questions between the two
countries stand just as they were
week ago. The only clear result at
tained, as the Madrid government well
knows, is the indefinite postponement
of a rupture if the American Congress
endorses the view of President Nc
Kinley and leaves him with full power
to follow according to the march of
events.
NEW YORK, April IA World ca
BILE from Madrid says: --.
From the Ministers downward with
few exceptions the Spanards are con-
vinced that the maintenance of Span
ish sovereignty in Cuba is now assur-
Ell. neN DelleNp "A ceStNIlOn OF nos
tilities, having been decreed. without
their entering into any positive en-
gagement with the United States,
must necessarily lead, through the as
sistance of the European powers. to
some settlement satisfactory to their
honor and dignity, which means the
retention of Cuba and Porto Rico.
The Spaniards do not seem to have
understood that America, not having
been party to this suspension and
not having entered upon any agree
ment or promise with Spain has her
hands now quite free for future events
both during the suspension of hostil-
tiles and afterward, if it produces no
results.
They also seem to forget that the
claims and questions pending between
the two countries are by no means
suspended by the event with which
the United States had virtually moth
ing officially to do
In view of the relations between the
countries it would have been far more
advantageous for Spain to have ac-
cepted the direct engagements for an
armistice and the pacification of Cuba
suggested by the United States last
week