The record-union., 1898-04-22
Spain Accepts Its Delivery to Ber
nabe as Sufficient Notice.
No Formal Declaration of War Yet Made,
Nor Is 1t Believed tn G President
VIII Ask Congress
to Do So.

WASHINGTON, April 21-Diplomatid
relations between the United States ana
Spain are at an end. 1t is expected that
from now on everything will move with
amazing rapidity up to the climax Of
actual war. Assistant Secretary Of
State Day early to-day received a cable-
gram from Minister Woodford at Mad
rid stating that he had been handed his
passports and had been notified that Of
ficial relations between the United
States and Spain were ended. His cable
gram said that he had been given the
passports before he had an opportun-
ity to present the ultimatum transmitted
to him for submission to the Spanish
Government, the delivery of the ultima
tum to Minister Polo having been ac-
cepted by the Spanish Government as a.
formal announcement on our part.
Judge Day at once hurried to the
White House where he found President
Mckinley about to enter a carriage to
take Mrs. Mckinley to the railroad sta
tion, where he intended to see her off on
a short trip to New York.
The news that diplomatic relations be-
tween the United States and Spain were
formally at an end was so important
that the President bade a hasty good
bye to his wife on the White House por-
tico, and repaired Immediately to the
upstairs part of the house, where he
and Judge Day held a conference, the
result of which was the dispatch of Sec
retary Porter to the Capitol to COM
municate the news to the Senate Com
mittee on Foreign Relations, and also
to leading members of the House. 1T is
presumed that was done in order to IA
cilitate an action deemed necessary by
Congress.
By hasty summons Senator Davis
of Minnesota, Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations, Sem
ator Lodge of Massachusetts, men,
Der of the committee; Senator Allison Of
Iowa, a leader in that body, and others
Joined Assistant Secretary Day and the
President shortly after 10 o'clock in
conference, whose purpose was to map
out the immediate policy of the United
States
The conference broke up shortly after
halfpast 1 o'clock, Judge Day, accom-
panied by Senator Lodge, going over
to the State Department. The Sec
retary would say nothing regarding the
conference, further than to authorize
the statement that public announces
rnent would be made later in the day
Chairman Davis of the Senate For
eign Relations Committee was laconc
and not explicit, simply remarkius,-
We've taken the trick" Asked spec
ifcally regarding the handing oT his
passports to Minister Woodford, he
said that the delivery of the ultimatum
to the Spanish Legation here has served
ali purposes.
Senator Cullom of Illinois of the For
eign Relations Committee was at this
conference Also and at IL O'Clock on
leaving the White House, said that the
handing of the passports to Minister
Woodford constituted the Spanish re-
ply and ended all peaceful relations
While an effort might be made in Con-
gress to make a formal declaration of
war. there was no occasion for IL, and
in his opinion there would probably
be none He added: There is enough
of a state of war now existing"
Everything now, he suggested, would
go ahead without preliminary action
of formal declaration of war by Con-
gress. The next step, he said. would
be to call out the troops.
The President did not indicate to the
Senators and members of the House
with whom he talked to-day that he
considered a declaration of war nee
essary, and it is understood that he has
been advised by some of those on
whose advice he most relies that no
declaration is necessary. Some of tho
leading Senators consider that the
Congressional resolutions and the ulti-
matum sent to Spain are all THAI is
necessary to give notice to the world
that state of war exists, while 9TH
ers hold that manifesto to the Powers
advising them of the condition OF af-
fairs might be well.
The best information is that the Pres
ident is disposed to regard this advice,
and the probabilities now are that he
will not ask Congress to make a for
NAL declaration.