The San Francisco call., 1898-01-07
Willing Now to Consent to Am erican Medi-
 atiOn.
Will Treat for the Independence of Cuba on Monetary
 Grounds.
It Is Said Secret Negotiations Have Already Been Begun to
 This End.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

CHICAGO, Jan. GA special to the Tribune from Washington says: Spain is considering a formal request to the United States to use its good offices to stop the fighting in Cuba
 Limitations have been received at the State Department that the Sagasta Government has become convinced that the only way to save Cuba is to ac- cept the often proffered good offices Of the United States. Canovas repeatedly replied to President Cleveland declining these good offices, and Sagasta did the same last November. Now the Prime Minister has become completely dis heartened over the evident failure of autonomy. All the efforts of Spain to bribe the subordinateS of Gomez to sur render on the basis of home rule have proven futile. Blanco has completely failed in his efforts to open up commu- nication with the insurgents, and Pan do has likewise been defeated in the field. The Spanish Minister now feels that the only thing left is to accept the good offices of Uncle Sam in spite of the humiliation involved.
 They hesitate only because they feel that a public announcement of this fact would result in a revolution in Spain. Secret negotiations with the State Department are now actually in progress. The Spanish Government has lost the confidence of the loyalists in Cuba, and it recognizes the fact that the island itself is lost entirely unless the country will at this late day nego- tate with the insurgents for some basis of peace. The Spanish propose that the United States should offer to the insurgents an actual armistice pending negotiations for peace on the basis of American guarantees of the integrity of home rule, or even of in- dependence on monetary conSidera- tiOn.
 While no such formal proposition has been made by Minister De Lome the State Department has been given to understand that only the fear of revo- lution in Spain stands in the way now of accepting the friendly offices of the United States which have been rejected so often.
 It has been intimated that if this country sees fit on it's own motion to open up communication with the in surgents Spain will not throw any ob- jections in the way. Any such move would be practical recognition of the insurgents as belligerents, but things have reached such crisis in Cuba that even this contingency must be faced.
 It is understood that the Cuban re- public will insist on formal recognition before undertaking any negotiations with the United States, claiming that it cannot treat with power which re- gards it only as an organized conspir- acy of riot and piracy. The situation is critical in Cuba, and the frequent visits of the Spanish Minister to the State Department are sufficient indi- cation that the Spanish empire in Cuba is almost at an end.
 Officials here are inclined to the be- lief that the public announcement of the acceptance of this country as mediator will result in instant revolu- tion in Spain, but they admit it is the last hope, and is being seriously con- sidered.