The San Francisco call., 1898-04-02

of Cuba, which are understood to be the provinces. of Matanzas, Santa Clara, Habana and Pinar del Rio; that the Spanish Government has placed at the' disposal of the Governor General the credit of 3,000,0o pesetas (S600.- 000), to the end that the country people may return at once and with success to their labor.
 The Spanish Government, will accept whatever: assistance to feed and Succor the necessitous that may be sent from the United States, in accordance with the plan now in operation, and it is proposed to confide the preparation for an honorable and stable peace to the Insular Parliament, without the con- currence of which the Spanish Govern ment would not be able to arrive at the final results, it being understood that. the powers reserved by the consti- tuition to the Central Government are not lessened or diminished
 As the Cuban Chambers will not meet until the 4th day of May, the Spanish Government will not, on it's part, object to a suspension of hostili- ties, if asked for by the insurgents from the General-in-Chief, to whom it I will belong the right to determine the duration and the condition of the sus- pension.
 This first day of April, 1898, will long be remembered by President Mckinley as the most exciting, up to this time, in his entire public, experience. Retiring i at o'clock this morning and passing | restless. few hours, he was up and at work while the milk wagons were doing delivery work in the almost deserted streets, and at 9 o'clock he was again in his. office, now the Cabinet roOln worn and heavy-lidded from the ha- raSsing tempest of the past few days, ] but with a dogged determination to | Nr-st 1,e, T |. came.
 Spain's reply had been received, dis cussed and digested and the American 1 people were waiting the knowledge of l it's contents. He well knew that behind and beyond the question involving af- fairs in Cuba was the great public fin | ger pointing at the broken bottom of the Maine. This was further impressed upon him as the day wore on, although i no sign of such knowledge was dis | played by him. | Assistant Secretary Day was the first 1 caller and the issuance of the state ment of Spain's reply was decided upon Then followed a grave half hour with Senator Davis, chairman of the Senate i Committee on Foreign Relations. and long talks with Senators Lodge and Gray of the same committee. Grosve- nor followed and then came Dingley and then the Cabinet meeting: Never did American Ministers gather with more promptneSS or with graver faces Ihelr expressions were in keeping with the atmosphere in and around the Ex- ecutiye Mansion. Visitors, even. lost thelr looks of interest in the prevailing i gloom and methodically saw the sights because their thoughts were upstairs l where the destiny of the nation at one or Its most critical epochs was being 1 shaped. | "a Vol r In that before it was called many per I sons came in who had been called ,ipor Tor thelr opinions through the regular 1 redtape lines of official custom The Naval Board of Strategy, composed of captain Albert $. Barker, Commander richardson Clover and Commander A, ,. CroWnlnshfeld, was with the Cabinet forty minutes. The Cabinet knew more about the threatening character of the spanish torpedo boat fiotilla when the board retired.
 Captain Humphrey of the Boston Tug 1 company, whose wrecking outfit is en- gagged on: the Maine in Havana Harbo, was next admitted. He was asked how long 1t would take to get the outfit out of the harbor.
 After a three-hour session the meet. ing adjourned, and haggard men with la"oard steps went their way to tbeiI several departments, leaving behind the
 President, swayed this way and that | nke the pendulum of a clock, reachine one conclusion only to swing back tC 1 another. At the close of the meetinp
 the brief story of Spain's ungenerous ! reply to the representations of the
 United States was given out to add its I Influence to the public Indignation thai Surged and swelled almost to the point
 of breaking forth in streets and stores
 in banks and counting houses. every.
 where that an American heart throbbe6
 and pulses beat.
 Speaker Reed was sent for and pas
 with the. President haf an hour. CouIf
 the House be pleaded to grant nore
 time for the. consideration? That wa
 the question. It was answered aff1rrna.
 tively-no, automatically. It would bf
 tested, and if possible tried.
 At 5 o'clock the Cabinet officers mel
 again, and for an hour and three-o,Iar.
 ters sat and sought some comfort tr
 extend to the troubled man baforf
 them, but there was no relief in thf
 power of any of them. To-night Presi.
 dent Mckinlev is still undecided as tc
 the exact form of the message whicr
 he hopes to send to Congress next
 week
 . In the meantime, Congress cbafes
 and the public heart beats faster anf
 faster. keeping to it's hopes that shan. l.. iSh domination on any part of the Western Hemisphere is doomed to ar
 e, rly termination
 rTha octiy,,ofaI ,,,,,,,111~ oe z.1