The San Francisco call., 1898-04-03
THINK WAR
 IS CERTAIN Majority of the English Fear That a Conflict
 Approaches.
Those for Peace Hope That Sagasta Will Yield to All
 the Demands Made.
All Realize That the United States Will Be Quickly Victorious at
 Sea and Ashore.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LONDON, April 2.-The nervousness of the stock markets, which was en- phasized by sudden drop of 8 per cent in Spanish fours at the opening of the Stock Exchange, has been fully re- flected in diplomatic circles, which have experienced almost as much difficulty as outsiders in extracting facts from the mass of contradictory statements regarding the Hispano-American crisis to-day. Beyond opining generally that matters were nearing a crisis there was not a man in London of real weight who was willing to risk an opinion as to whether the outcome would be peace or war. Even now, there is a difference of opinion; but. the distinctly warlike tone of the great mass of evidence and the marked divergence of the United States demands and Spain's proposals have led the majority to conclude that the parting of the ways has been reached unless, within a few hours, Senor Sagasta is able to give assurance that the delay he asks for will insure the complete freedom of Cuba. It is not too much to say all Europe regrets the threatening prospects of war, IHOuSu lOT OlleIcuI IcdSOllS-SIiIfc DS- cause genuinely friendly nations are in- volved and others because they dream that the war bacillus will spread and aggravate the feverish spirit of unrest already in evidence in the Old World. To the last, therefore, it is hoped that a solution will be found, even when Spain is apparently intractable. The best in- formed persons believe Spain is only tenrorizing, as it is recognized there is difficulty in the Spanish Government accepting without dcmur the demands of the United States in view of the dange, of revolution and the over- throw of the mcn.lrchy. 5, though realizing the imminence of hostilities, the apparent hOpeleSSneSS of averting var has come as shock.
 It was generally believed that the enormous majority obtained by Senor Sagasta in the new Cortes would make him master of Spain and permit him to yield to the inevitable. but it seems that the 75 per cent of the voters who did not participate in the elections, in cluding the army, and the Barcelona and other merchants who are vitally interested in Cuba, do not propose to allow him free hand. They have been among the most fervent in the patriotic demonstrations of the past few days.
 
 intense. All the news bulletins are eagerly scanned and in the Hobbies of the House of Commons yesterday even- ing there was animated discussion of the crisis. Interest has been enhanced by the statement of prominent ship owning member of the House of Com mons that the United States, during the day, had been offering very large sums for nineteen-knot steamers.
 Although the consensus of opinion is that there is no escape from hostilities unless the unforeseen, as so frequently happens in politics, changes the course of events, there are few hopeful peo- pie left.
 James Brice, M. F., the former pres ident of the Board of Trade and author of 'The American Commonwealth" is quoted as saying: Somehow, I fancy that, as near as the two powers may have drifted toward war. we are not going to witness so frightful a calam. ity. I know President Mckinley and all his administration and I know they do not wish for war. Tn fact, none of the really clear-headed men in the United States want war. They can see too far ahead.'
 Opinion in London has been little in- fiuenced by the spacious character of Senor Sagasta's counter-proposals An official of the Foreign Office remarked: The Americans will naturally decline to accept such nroposals as a sufficient guarantee that a power which has so