The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-15

left Washington suddenly on leave Of
absence. shortly after the appearance
in a newspaper of an interview in
He did not retur 70 Washington, but
Senior Dupuy de LONE appeared with
the letters of recall OF his pTedeceS-
sor and letters a~ccredSting himself a.
his Successor. SO that there is prece-
dent fer d failure on the part or the re-
tir.-g minister TO take formal leave o.
our officials. It is aid at the state de-
partmezt that there rs no time limit
within which Mr.. Dupuy de LONE
mlst leave Washington, and, being
now only a private Spanish citizen he
may take q reasonable time TO arrange
his affairs mere without calling Tor crit
sCism.
EIGN GOVERNMENTS.
TIE de LONE letter a already at
tracted the attention OF foreign gov
ernments and appears to be regarded
by them as an important factor in the
general Cuban question. Some &C the
foreign ministers at Washington nave
advised their governments Tuily or the
occurrence. These were misleading al
the outset, for members of the diplo-
matte corps assumed that the letter
was d IOTSSTy ana ScIIC ddN EIcS GUii-
veyed this view of the case. Now that
it's genuineness has been established,
the facts have been sent to most of the
foreign capitals. No incident in recent
days has aused such a sensation in
the ranks of the diplomatic corps.
There rs universal regret among the
ambassadors and ministers who have
been brought into close social relations
with Senior de LONE. 1t has also
arto1r-ad aLaop discussion q c M m z.~fofot
of criticism which a minister can in
dulge in, under the seal of a private
letter. While there is no general con-
census of opinion among diplomatic
authorities, yet many Of them take the
view that it is not only a right but a
duty fer a minister to present every
detail, even of a personal nature, which
in mis- Judgment may aid in a correct
understanding of a case. A distinction
is made by them between official and
personal letters.
The original letter written by de
LONE to Canalejas came into the po-
| session OF the department yesterday
and was carried by Judge Day, as the
secretary of state, TO the ministers
residence. The meeting could not have
been other than painful. There
was no denial on the part
of the minister. When Judge
Day Learned from the minister that the
DETER Was genuine, the ~cablegrain to
General WOodfCrd was sent. These in
~stTuctiors Will go before the Madrid
authorities along with the ministers
resignation.
The state department this morning
gave out for publication the substance
Of thu .cablegram sent yesterday to
General WOodfOrd. The statement was
as follows:
There has appeared in the public
| print a letter addressed by the Span
ish minister to Mr.. Canalejas. This
letter, the minister admits, was written
by him.. 1t contains expressions con-
corning the president of the United
States of such character as to end the
ministers usefulness Is a representa-
tive of his government 10 this Country.
General Woodford therefore was in
structed at once to say to the minister
of state that the immediate recall of
SIR. Dupuy de LONE is expected by the
| president"
HOW THE LETTER WAS SECURED
When inquiries We're made at the
Spanish legation today as to hOw the
| letter reached the hands of the Cuban
junta. it was said that the statements
made by the junta as to CanalejaS re-
ceiving the letter were absolutely false.
Private snQuirieS, it was stated, had
been made through a New York gentle
man who had disclosed that Canalejas
saw the letter. This inquiry was
sent 10y cable direct to Canalejas, now
at Madrid, n he was asked if he had
ever received a letter of the character
described. To this Senior Canalejas
answered that he never received the
letter and knew nothing Of it's con-
tents; that if he had received it he
WOuld have made an answer to the let
ter. There has never been an acknOWl-
edgement or an answer from Canale-
jas. After this statement direct from
Canalejas, the Spanish authorities re-
gard it as plain that the letter was
stolen in transit and that the reports
Of Canalejas receiving it and reading
1T to DIR. COngosto are f~aIbrications in
tended to cover UP the plan by lhich
the letter was aIbstracted. The fact
that the envelope was not produced is
taken as another evidence that the let
ter was taken in transit, as the enve-
lope would have disclosed the post
mark, with the time of sending and re-
ceipt, both in this country and Havana
it it ever reached the latter place.