Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-04-21
War Seems to be Rapidly Approach
ing.
SPANISH MINISTER LEAVES WASH
INGT0N.
President McKinIey's UItimatum Handed
Spanish Government Today-Reply
Must Be Given BY Saturday Morning
and Then Hostillties Begin.

Washington, April 20.-Minister Polo y
Bernabe and his staff left Washington for
Toronto at 7:20 tonight.
Polo, in an interview, declared that the
Presidents ultimatum amounted to dec
laration of war on the part of the United
States. The minister labored under great
mental excitement.
The business of the legation was left in
the hands of the French ambassador and
the Austrian minister.
Minister Polo's suite was made up ofthe
first and second secretaries of the legation,
Senors Pla and Almeda, Captain de Ia
Chase, military attache, and Senor Corouza,
naval attache. The party occupied spe-
cial car on the Pennsylvania railroad train
for Toronto.
Detectives of the secret service, under
Chief Wikie, accompanied the party as
measure of safety. There was no demon
stration at the depot or on the train. y
number of foreign ministers were present
to bid the party goodbye. Sir Julian
Pauncefote, the British minister, sent the
second secretary of the legation TO bid Polo
adieu.
Washington. April 2O.-There was con-
siderable applause in the House today
when Secretary Pruden announced the
fact that President Mckinley had signed
the Cuban resolutions.
The House at once began the considera-
N&9n of the bill prepared by the War De-
partment to authorize the President to
call for volunteers and providing for the
organization of volunteer army.
The bill as passed confers on the COVER
nors of the states authority to appoint all
regimental and company officers. This
conforms to the practice followed in the
civil war. The bill was passed after an
hours debate during the progress of which
Mr.. Hull, the author of the bill, declared
that he hoped the Law would become per-
manent. Congress wanted to fight, he
said, and when an emergency such as the
present one arose there ought to be no ne
cessity for the executive to ask for author
ity to raise an army.
Washington, April 20.-President Nc
Kinley's ultimatum to Spain demanding
that the Spanish troops be withdrawn
from Cuba at once will he handed to the
Spanish ministry tomorrow morning by
Minister Woodford.
Saturday morning is the limit Of time
set for reply to be made, and then hos
tilities will commence.
The ultimatum was cabled this morn
ing after an informal meeting of the Cabi-
!. net. 1t was then thought, and so stated
at the State Department. that the note to
Minister Woodford would be presented to-
day; but, according to his customary
habit of putting off the evil day, MIR.
Woodford decided to wait until to-mor-
row.
Spain will thus have only forty-eight
hours in which to make reply, instead of
sixty, as originally intended. But that
will be ample time, as the President does
not expect any reply at all except in the
form of Il note to Minister Woodford en-
closing his pas sports, without waiting
for him to demand them. The text of
the ultimatum will be made public here
to. morrow, as soon as MIR. Woodford
cables he has presented it to Spain.