The evening times., 1898-11-15
TUESDAY. NOVEMBER Is, 1895
The Dangers of Delay.

The Importance Of bringing the peace
negotiations TO a termination. one way
or another. becomes more apparent
every day. If we are to judge by effects
rather than blind guesses, il is not the
intervention of foreign nations that
Spain hopes for and that is the cause
OF her dilatory tactics. There has never
been the least reason 10 expect any such
thing, and Sagasta, Spaniard though he
is, is not a man TO shut his eyes to such
facts as have obtruded themselves on
his attention. If we consider the situa-
tion in Cuba and that in the Philippines
We may find the basis Of whatever
hopes he entertains From day to day
the most trustworthy and intelligent Of
the newspaper correspondents at Ha-
vana have grown more positive in their
statements as to the intolerable condi-
tions under Blanco's 5 maladministratiOn.
There is some reason to think Sagasta
has not been wholly averse to an out
break Of violence by the unpaid Spanish
regulars and volunteers The agents Of
Spain are known to be at work among
Americans. and but for the energy of
General Garcia we would have been
threatened by the entire misguided Gu
ban army.
In the Philippines the situation has
been ticklish ever since our troops en-
tered Manila. Here, too. the paid agents
Of Spain, some Of them posing as insur-
gents. have been working to the same
end-creating a distrust Of the Ameri-
cans and peTsuading the Filipinos that
the most ordinary military precautions
are Sights and insults and reveal the
American contempt for the natives. No
one can have forgotten the persistence
with which somebody at Manila has
sent messages to this country misrep-
resenting the attitude Of the insur-
gents, assailing their sincerity and Civ
ing the most positive and detailed ac-
counts Of the intentions of Admiral
Dewey and Generals Merritt and Otis
TO force the insurgents to do certain
things against which they rebelled.
These American officers have repeatedly
denounced all such reports as false and
baseless. but they have continued, just
the same, until there is a widespread
misunderstanding Of the whole situa-
tion, and a hearty dislike Of the Filipi-
nos who have been approved by Dewey
and Merritt.
The distinct purpose of all these
falsehoods is to convince the American
people that the contract of governing
the Philippines is too much for the Re
public and that IL would be the part of
wisdom TO let them go. The enemies
Of national expansion have made the
most Of these manufactured sensations
emitting the contradictions of the most
trustworthy and best-informed of our
officers there. They have gone so far
as 10 charge that great American, Ad-
miral Dewey, and the high minded
General Merritt with a purely selfish
financial interest in the American ac-
QUESTION Of the islands. They are in
fun sympathy with Spain and are work
ing with Sagasta in the hope of destroy
ing the expansion sentiment in this
country. If the Cubans and the Span
ish troops in Cuba should become riot
Gus beyond control. or if the Cubans
should be misled to the point of resist
ing the American occupation of the
evacuated towns: and if the Filipinos
should be induced by false representa-
tions Of our purposes to resent Ameri-
can control, the un-American opponents
Of the Administrations policy and the
Spanish Premier and Commissioners
would expect the President to relinquish
his purpose.
We are near both Of these dangers
Of Cuban and Filipino misunderstood
ing-and have been saved from a hu-
initiating clash only by the good sense
Of General Garcia, the wise administra.