The herald., 1898-08-07
A DAY OF WAITING
How the Officials and People Awaited
Sagasta'S Replv

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6.-Just week
ago today Ambassador Cambon received
from the president the terms of peace that
would be granted by the United States.
When the state department closed its doors
this afternoon the Spanish government
had not signtfied whether or not 1t Is pre-
pared to accept these conditions Every
day during the past week an answer has
been expected, and that same feeling of
expectancy prevailed at the close of the
week. 1t is significant that an responsible
government officials are satisfied the re-
ply will be an acceptance of our terms
when 1t does come. About 2:30 o'clock Sec
retary Thiebault of the French embassy
called at the state department. thus Civ
ing rise to the supposition that he was
seeking to make an appointment for the
ambassador to meet the president to de-
liver the Spanish answer. This. however,
turned out to be erroneous NJ. Thiebaults S
business being connected with some of the
recent seizures of French merchant YES
sells by the bockading fleet and relating
in no way to the Spanish peace negotia
tons
The fact that Secretary Day, who had
contemplated trip to Atlantic City this
basis for another guess that he had notice
that the Spanish note was coming imme-
diately and that his presence would be
required here. AS a matter of fact the
secretary was detained beyond his train
time by his reception of the Italian ambas-
sador, who had a long conference over the
Cerruti case.
Altogether, though the expectation of an
tc ot,a -iel,r a. .
belief of the officials when the day closed
that there is now little likelihood of its
receipt by the president before Monday.
It was rumored in some quarters that the
Spanish government had sent long no
tice that 1t had accepted the principal
American terms and would be prepared to
make a formal answer Monday, but the
French embassy, which would be the only
recipient of any such notice, gave a very
quick and effective denial of this story.
While all this delay is deprecated, it is
realized that Sagasta probably is making
the struggle of his life TO bring the Span
ish party leaders to the point where they
will agree to stand by him in his accept
ance of the terms of peace. This fact
tends to secure the indulgence of our gov
ernment in some degree and this is to be
readily EXTENDED IN consideration or the
fact that so far from having surrendered
any advantage in agreeing to discuss the
terms of peace, We are gaining something
substantial every day In the prosecution
of the campaign, s revealed by the re-
ports from Porto Rico The naval plans of
operations are also moving steadily for
ward, and notwithstanding statements to
the effect that the projected cruise against
the Spanish coast by the eastern squadron
had been abandoned, Secretary Long stated
this afternoon that no change had been
made in the plan of the department re-
specting that squadron. Up to this point
not the slightest complaint has reached
| the department respecting the movement
of the Porto Rican campaign, a tribute to
General Miles ability. No word has come
/ of soldiers without food or ammunition or
of sick men without doctors or medicine,
nor is the inward movement of the Ameri-
| can army delayed for lack of artillery ow-
ing to General Miles nsistence upon keep
ing his artillery in the very vanguard and
giving his personal attention to the COM
missary and quartermaster departments.