Evening star., 1898-02-25
SENTIMENTM SPAIN
Impartial Advises the Government to
Take Aggressive Steps.
M'KINLEY CHARGED WITH DUPLICIfY
Spanish Admiral Says There Were
No Mines at Havana.
PRINCE BIsMARCK'S VIEWS

"A dispatch from Madrid yesterday says:
United States Minister Woodford gave a
banquet today in honor of the new Spanish
minister to Washington, Senior Polo Ber-
nabe. In addition to the latter, the guests
included the Austrian, Russian, French, Ger.
man, Italian, Turkish. Dutch and British
ministers or Charge d'affaires, and their
wives, and the Duke Of Veragua, lineal.
descendant of Columbus, who was the
guest of the. United States at the time of
the Chicago fair, and the premier, Senior
,Sagasta.
There were also present Senor Morot v
Prendergast the minister for the colonies,
and his wife; Senior Gullon, the minister for
foreign affairs, and Sonora Gullon; the
Marquis Zareo. the introducer of ambassa-
dors: the Countess Sastago, first lady in
waiting to Inc queen regent; the Duchess of
San Carlos, the Marquis Waldo Iglesias and
the staff of the United States legation
Much political importance was attached
here to the incident, and the banquet
coupled with the peaceful utterances of
President Mckinley" according to a semi
official report, has been "optimistically
utilized by the ministerial press -
Government Taken to Task
But the Impartial today takes the Span
ish government to task for it's APATHY,
contrasted with the patriotic feeling Of the
country" and warns the nation against the
"hypocritical Yankee policy, which really
aims at the independence of Cuba"
Continuing; the 1mparcAl says: ..Presi-
dent Mckinley may make and. reiterate
'protestations ofsfriendship and pacific in
tenaons, but his iactionss contradict his
words. While the President of the United
States is cajoling with words he sharp
ems his dagger to stab us behind While
talking concord he utilZes his Sunda-s in
unusual United States war preparation at
the docks and cancels the furloughs Of the
marines. Can We trust those who are pre-
venting the pacification Of Cuba and To-
menting rebellion and filfbustering expedi-
tons, sending war ships upder the pretext
OF friendship and preaching peace?
we must prepare for war. There is no
time to acquire new war ships. but we.
should fit out Immediately. what we have, ):
sending the Pelayo, Colon, Carlos and
Maria Teresa to follow the Almirente,
Oquendo and ViZcaya to Cuban waters and
the rest of the fleet to guard the peninsula
other policy than preparedness is only to
play the Americans game. which is to ex-.
haust our resources and gain the independ-
ence Of Cuba without risking anything
How long does the government mean to
1avor the American plans? How long will
the the agonizina nation a toleyats the apathy Ct
This language from semi-official organ
is much commented upon. The Pals frank
y ,s1 declares that Cuban iaSselpfndence is I'M
met res esSss sSes day at
between Spain and the United States
sS Spain Woulsf Fight. .,a,.;
A special to the New,s,Yerk World from
the Spanish capital SAYS; Spain will go to
war rather than sell Cuba ,orn part with the
island on any other teums-rt :, s,,,., 80. T.
Twenty years exferiendeffh Spanish, rofipl
ties. together with What z haaveH heard latell
ly from statesmen Of al parrfies, including
men men now IN office, enables me to make thai
The very thought of. selling Cuba is ridi-
cuied and secuted by ali classes. In fact,
spaniards dismissed sich a Suggestion wfth,
the query:
What party or government would ifare
10 discuss the saleror the Independence
OF Cuba without. ipcurring risk of certain
revolution2''
There Would be a popular uprising In
which all parties and the army and navy
as well would Join to a man. a.- s..-.l3
Financiers and all men of business oh
Ject 10 the sale of Cuba because they say
that even if S40O, ,O00,o were offered that
sum would not cover the Cuban debt, which
already exceeds $500, 0O0, ,090, and is grow
ing at the rate of from $4,000, 600 to s1O.-
00,0m month. This debt is almost
wholly in the hands of Spanish bondhold-
ers.
NioicONSi. tht pTlCe suggested Tor the sale
OF Cuba would not be compensation for the
enormous amount of Spanish capital en-
gagged in Cuban enterprises
Denies Mine story.
Today I submitted the query to the min
lister of marine If there was a submarine
mine in the harbor Of Havana in the
nefghborhood of where the Maine was an
chored. H.
Captain Novo Colson, editor Of the
Mundo Naval, the best professional naval
illustrated weekly In Spain, himself a dis
tinguished naval officer, went with me 10
the minister of marine to introduce me to
Admiral Terry, secretary and chief of staff
of the minister of marine.
Admiral Terry received me with the tra-
ditional courtesy Of all Spanish naval off,
GERS, and authorized me to state to the
World:
THE harber of Havana contained no SUBJ
marine mine in the vicinity of the place
where the battle ship Maine and the Span
ish cruiser Alfonso XII were anchored"
Prince Bismarck's Views.
In an interview with Hoffman, the Ger
man-American author, last week at Fried
richsruhe Bismarck spoke with great frank
ness on the subject of the Cuban war. He
declared that he did not believe the United
States were inclined to annex Cuba, hav
ing enough Catholic population already.
should any attempt be made to arbitfate
the present situation between Spain and
the United States the only sovereign who
would be acceptable to Spain as an arbi-
traitor would be the pope. The American
government would probably prefer the
King Of Sweden, but Spain would undoubt-
edly refuse to accept him.
Bismarck said that he, could not make
out the nature of the Maine disaster, but
he supposed that it must have been due to
carelessness. He was Impressed by the
fact that seventy of the sailors who lost
their lives were of German extraction. The
prince emphasized the lsupRriority of Ger
man and Scandinavian sailors, pointing out
the impossibility of cowpletsly manning the
British navy with Brittbsh IS sailors
Fast .Riding,-
Members of the police bicycle squad did
land Office business yesterday. Five per-
sons arrested for spedding their wheels
were Thomas Tongue, Joseph Becaid, John
seamark. John w. de sGropt and Maurice