The age-herald., 1898-03-05
GOSSIP ABOUT
 THINGS SPANISH
From the Washington Times.

From the Washington Times.
 | Among the friends and closest follow
 CTS of Premier Sagasta a story is circu- | latlng to the effect that the reason why | the Spanish government has not already | presented an ultimatum to the United | States demanding an official denunciation | of the Cuban insurgents and undertaking | to abstain from intervention in the An | tiles and the abandonment of war prepa- | rations avowedly organized against Spain | is because the cabinet Is still engaged in | negotiations with France on the one hand | and the triple alliance on the other, play 1 ing them off one against another. in the hope of securing the support of either. | It is doubtful whether even those who | tell the story believe for one moment that either France the triple alliance would | go to war with the United States for the | sake of Spain. But still, at the same | time, they seem to think that if diplomatic | pressure were to be brought by either the 1 Franco-Russian combination or else Dy | the triple alliance to bear strongly upon | President Mckinley. he might make such l concessions as would satisfy Spanish senh- l ment. There Is reason to believe, however, | that this tale, while 1t may contain some element of truth in so far that negotiations 1 of this kind are in passage. is being mainly | circulated for the purpose of explaining | away the apparent hesitation or the pre- | mier to respond to the wishes Of the entire nation, and to declare war.
 Sagasta realizes that in the struggle into which Spain is about to embark with the United States the good will Of the great powers of Europe is a matter Of considera- ble importance, even if 1t only take the form of moral support. On this account he does not desire, in their eyes, to pear the odium of taking the first step and be- ginning the war, since there IS always tendency to withhold sympathy from the .I.aAa ,f-x yhn hn fight if he happens to be beaten
 Saeasta is anxious above everything else that the United States should commence the conflict. and thus confirm his oit-re- peated assurances to the powers to the effect that all the provocation had come from that nation, and that the latter has throughout subjected Spain to the most shameful and intolerable treatment. Sa- easta recalls the fact that much of the sympathy which France would otherwise have received after her defeat in 1870 was withheld solely because she had been in- prudent enough to begin the struggle, the public in those days not being aware or the clever manner in which Prince hlS- marck had engineered matters so that the responsibility of commencing the conflict would rest with France.
 Knowing beforehand that Spain will pc beaten he is endeavoring by every means in his power to avoid forfeiting any Of the good will of Europe to Spain and her dls- atsers by opening the war. The difnculty, however, with which Sagasta is confronted is popular sentiment, which, without any exception, demands an immediate declara- tio of war, even old Marshal Martinez Campos. the most pacific of Spanish mill tary leaders, and the most temporizing of men, having publicly declared that war is inevitable in the immediate future
 The people moreover realize that every day of delay enables the United States to place herself in a better state Of prepara- tion and readiness for the struggle and, not being in a position to appreciate the motives which Sagasta has in view, grow indignant at his apparent apathy and he's .-frsrior, ana han eeo
 his cabinet, himself and possibly. even the
 very dynasty from power unless ne yields
 to popular demand for an immediate dec-
 laration of war, or President Mckinley
 helps to extricate him from his predica-
 ment by inaugurating the hostilities and
 accepting the responsibility
 The dissolution of the cortes, the ordering
 of the new elections and the story of the
 negotiations with the foreign powers, which
 is being circulated here tonight, have all
 one and the same object, that is to say to
 induce the people to hold their hands from
 against the crown and the government
 until the United States comes to the rescue
 of both one and the other by proclaiming
 war or presenting an ultimatum, which
 practically amounts to the same thing.
 This will be found to be the trite ex-
 planation of the otherwise incomprehenst-
 ble attitude of the Spanish government at
 the present moment It is well to bear Tn
 mind that a war with the United States Is
 the only issue politically, economically and
 dynastically of the present moraSs or
 trouble in which the Spanish cabinet now
 finds itself There is no other solution
 which would not entail revolution as in-
 furious to the national honor of Spain. The
 cabinet. the treasury, navy the very crown,
 have all been banking on this war with the
 United States as the sole way out of their | difficulties, and have been each of them
 shaping their respective course with that | in view. Only they would like Uncle Sam
 to take upon himself the odium of com- | mencing the struggle, and they fret under
 the delay, longing for him to begin at once.
 The extent to which clericalism dominates Spain Is illustrated by the agitation which
 Cardinal Cascajares' recent pastoral on | Spain's colonial policy has caused. This | prelate was captain of artillery before he
 took orders and is naturally as militant as
 his cloth will permit He has, moreover,
 succeeded in doing what no other Spanish | minister has yet done-he has stirred the
 populace to a lively appreciation of their
 country's present condition, so that they, | as he himself declares, "show that indif- | ference which frequently precedes despair,
 and which may burst out into a terrible
 explosion of anger and indignation when
 least expected" The conditions which give
 excuse for the cardinals pastoral have pre- 1 vailed for twelve months at least, but it | took a churchman to bring them home to l the people. Whether full knowledge will | result in national advantage or not Is 8 | question not yet settled.
 l