The times., 1898-02-09
AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
Much Inta est Is Manifested in the
Reply OF Spain soon to Arrive.
The Stata Dapo rtpoent baS finally 70.

| Much Int est Is Manifested in the
Reply OF Spain soon to Arrive
The State Department has finally re-
| ceiyed one of the cablegrans sent by
| Gen. Woodford, American minister to
| Madrid, and its ruffied dignity has been
somewhat Modified. Secretary Sher-
! man is said to have felt keenly the
| implied want of confidence in the State
| Department when Mr.. Woodford twice
within one week cabled directly to the
| President information that If custom
| had been followed would have first
| been sent to the State Department.
The last dispatch from Gen. Wood
| ford reached the White House about 10
o'clock Monday night. The President
! at once sent for one of the cipher inter-
prefers OF the State Department, with
instructions to bring his code That
| the President anticipated information
| was apparent by this action, for ordin-
arily he would have waited until yes
| teiday to have the cablegram trans
/ lated. 1t is a very slow and tedious
| work to make good English from code
! cipher, but the President waited pa
! tiently until the work was completed
and handed to him.
! 1t proved to be an answer to the note
| sent to Spain in December in which
| this Government denied the Spanish
charge that it had done nothing to pre-
Vent Cuban expeditions from being fit
ted out in this country. The dispatch
from Minister Woodford said, in effect,
that the answer by Spain to the note
of two months ago had been prepared
and that he would be able to cable
synopsis of it in a few days. Gen.
Noodford added that he was not fam
liar with the exact contents of the ans
Wer, but he understood that the Span
ish government lad in it asked the
American Government not to take
action concerning Cuba until the sys-
TEN of autonomy inaugurated in Cuba
had received thorough and fair test.
The cableSram closed by saying there
was nothing in the Spanish note to the
Government calculated to change the
friendly relations between Spain and
America.
The cablegram was sent to Judge
Day yesterday. and as soon as the
Spanish note arrives Judge Day will
also receive it. The message from Gen.
Woodford which the President receiV-
ed Saturday night. and which created
SO much excitement at the White
House and the State Department. is
believed to have related TO the Spanish
note that Will be received this week,
but il is understood that it contained
some strong language uttersd by Pre-
mier Sagasta. This is explained at the
State Department by saying that the
Spanish Government says one thing to
this Government and another to the
people of Spain, for the ministry is pre-
pairing for an election in Spain. and
any official utterance that viii infiame
the people against this country is re-
ceived with much favor by them. and
~ ,.,,,,,
the Government.
After the meeting Of the Cabinet yes
terday two Of the Secretaries said that
one of the subjects discussed was the
Cuban situation. The cablegrams re-
ceived by the President from Gen
Woodford We're read to the Cabinet and
talked over. but like every other dis
cussion on Cuba by the Cabinet no con-
clusion was reached. and no determine
tion to take other than u passive ac-
ton was determined on. If the Spanish
note arrives here in time it will be
brought before TIE meeting of the Cab
met on Friday.
During the morning MT Dupuy de
Lone. the minister from Spain to this
country, called at the State Depart
ment, and afterward he visited the Of
flee of Mr. kassQn. the special pleni-
potentiary. They discussed the reci-
procity treaty between tn s country and
Spain. which the Spanish minister is
trying to arrange. Nh. de Lone said
that Dr.. Anguelo, who will represent
the autonomous government of Cuba.
will come to Washington. He is now
in New York, and is waiting for Gen.
Blanco To forward him his commission.
While all the pacific arrangements
are taking place ii is plainly evident
that the Administration is fearful that
some warlike emergency will at mo-
ment's notice arise. and that while he
would deplore any trouble with Spain
and Will do all he can to prevent il, yet
il has been deemed wise to rescind the
order for the battleShip Maine To leave
Havana. The Maine may stay there for
an indefinite period. 1t was said at The
Navy Department yesterday that it VAS
not expected that orders would be
given the Maine to sail from Cuba this
week. The Montgomery is also hover
ing on the Cuban coast. She left Ma
tanzas yesterday for Santiago de Cuba, !
from which point she Will go to Jamaica
for coal. and may then sail for Havana.
The Detroit is at Key West, and thu |
squadron, at Dry Tortugas, has receiv-
ed no intimation that the department |
viii order il away. Navy Department |
officials said yesterday that the squad |
ron would probably remain where il
ROW is until the weather becomes too |
warm for the welfare of the men.