The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-18
AMIADLE WOODFORD.
Made Many Friends Among
Spanish Diplomats.
RATHER OvERPLAYED HIS CARDS.
Spain Was Slow to Understand the United
States Were In Earnest = Thought It .
Game OF Biuff-Destruction OF the Maine
Brought Matters TO q Focus.

brought Matters to Focua
WASHINGTON. April ls.-[Special lin
diplomatic circles here hear good deal
Of gossip to the effect that the one trouble
with General Woodford, our minister to
Madrid, has been an excessive amiability.
General Woodford was chosen by President
Mckinley as his envoy to Madrid largely
on account Of his charming manners, his
ability to win friendships, his softness of
speech. 1t was thought he, better than any
one else, could carry out the presidents
policy of impressing upon the Spanish
leaders the desire of the United States to
have peaceful solution of the Cuban
problem. So far as this part Of the pro-
gramme was concerned, IL is said General
Woodford was great success. He did win
the friendship of the Spanish. They liked
him very much and regarded him as their
good and great friend.
The difficulty was that when 1t came
time to change tactics and convince them
they had TO do so and so in order to avert
war, or at least intervention on the part OF
the United States, General Woodford found
he had done only too well the earlier part
Of his work. IL was impossible to convince
the Spanish statesman that war could come
out of country represented by so mild
hammered n man as the American envoy
and one who bad constantly whispered
into their ears such warm and winning
words of love When, under direction of
the president, General Woodford endeavor-
ed to change his tactics and impress upon
the Spaniards the imperative necessity of
making great sacrifices in Cuba, the lead
ers at Madrid simply winked the other eye
and said TO themselves that the American
government was evidently playing little
game of political bluff.
A Serious Game.
am informed that il was only within
the last ten days or two weeks that tho
cabinet ministers and other advisers of the
queen regent at Madrid began to realize
how serious a game they were playing
with the United States. 1t is undoubted
ly true that General Woodfords sweet and |
oily manners, his iteration and Ieiteration |
of the wish of the president TO preserve |
the peace, no matter what else happened, |
had much to do with this tardy apprecia- |
ton of the gravity of the situation at Ma |
drid. In other words, General Woodford |
rather overplayed his first cards. His pur- |
pOSc was VI CuuTst, W COHNlHCb spun
ish of the friendship of the American gov |
eminent, and virtually to induce them TO |
look upon the affair in some such light as
this:
"We are in trouble with our colony of /
Cuba. The president of the United States |
is our friend. He is trying to enforce all |
the laws OF neutrality. If left TO himself, !
he would not make any trouble for us |
about Cuba, because he understands our
difficulty. But he has behind him coun
try which is sympathetic with the Cubans |
Public opinion in bis country is forcing |
him toward some sort of action. 1t is I
against his will, so our good friend, Cen (
eral Woodford tells us, and we believe |
him. General WoodfoTd also tells us that |
if we trust the settlement of this trouble |
TO the president through negotiation, it |
will be much better for us than if we force |
the president TO turn it all over to the /
congress, for congress will try to settle it |
in a harsh and disagreeable way. There
fore, since the president and his minister
have shown themselves so friendly and I
considerate, perhaps this is the best thing |
we can do"