The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-01
no HOPE
OF PEACE.
Cabinet Practically Con-
sidering a Declara-
tlon of War on
Spain.
REPLIES Unsatisfactory
Queen Regents Government
Will Not Consider Cuban
independence.
DISPATCHES MADE PUBLIC
Preparations for HostiIities Urged
Ahead at Every
Point.
FLYING SQUADRON REINFORCED
minneapolis sail. for Fort Monroe
msvemen,. Of warships-Greas
Fighter. Advising the
President.
FLYING SQUADRON REINFORCED

WASHINGTON, April 1, 1S9S.-It is
stated on high authority that the reply
of Spain does not contain any proposition
which contemplates the Independence OF
Cuba.
The Cabinet has assembled TO consider
Spain's reply to Minister Woodford's rep
resentations and what the next step OF
the United States shall be. Secretaries
Bliss and Alger were the first to arrive
and Assistant Secretary Day again saw
the President just before the Cabinet
gathered as dfd Representative Adams of
Pennsylvania, the ranking member Of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee in Rep
resentatIve Hits absence, owing TO i'll
ness.
Captain Crowninshield, chief of the
Navigation Bureau. whose duty it is to
order movements of all naval vessels ana
our comparative naval strength, was
summoned to the Cabinet meeting during
its deliberations.
Assistant Secretary Day, Captain Clover,
chief of the Naval Intelligence Bureau,
and CAPTAIN Parker, naval aide and a.
member of the Strategy Board. also were
chairman OF the Foreign Relations Com
mirfee called and was shown into the
library adjos;ling the Cabinet room
The reF of Spain is said IN erect 10
The independence of Cuba means the
parting or cession of Spanish territory
which cannot be done without the con-
sent of the Spanish Cortes, which is not
in session and will not be in session un-
til April "a, and consequently no dennlte
answer can be returned TO the demand
of the United States until the Cortes as
sembles.
Then a counter proposition. is submit
ted, that the Cuban matter shaII pc SET
tied upon a basis equitable among nations.
The United States is asked to give Spain
time TO treat with the Insurgents ana as
certain what can be done in the nature OF
q peaceful settlement
Senators who know the nature or the
reply say it is very shreWd piece OF
diplomacy, and made for its effect upon
the world at large
Ii is said the reply is unsatisfactory to
the President and that he does not pc
lieve it will be satisfactory TO Congress.
Administration circles feel that after
Monday Congress is likely. to take mat
ters into its own hands and fear is ex-
pressed that there may be a disagree
nent between the branches of govern
anent. which would be unfortunate at this
critical period
No one about the Capitol has undertak-
those who have seen him say that his
hopes of a peaceful solution of the diff
Guilty have been disappointed by the reply
The following is the abstract from the
telegram received from General a Wood1ord
onAthe evening of March III, 1898, on the
Ne @ informs the Government of the
United States that General Blanco has
freyoked the bando relating to the recon-
centrados in the western provinces OF
Cuba, which are understood TO be the
provinces of Aatanzas, Santa Clara, Ha-.
bana and Pinar del Rio; that the Spanish
Government has placed at the disposal OF
the Governor General the credit of three
million pesetas (S600,000) to the end that
the country people may return at once
and with s7ccess to their labors The
Spanish Government will accept whatever
assistance to feed and succor the neces-
sitous may be. sent from the
fhe plan now IN operation. He proposes
to confide the preparation for an honor
able and stable peace to the Insular par
lament without whose concurrence the
Spanish Government would not be able to
arrive at the final result, being under
stood that the powers reserved by the
are not lessened or diminished. As the
Cuban chambers will not meet until the
fourth of May, the Spanish government
sion on of hostiiities IL asked for by the
Insurgents from the general-in-chief, to
whom IT will belong to determine the dal-
9sil The President will communicate with
Congress as soon as he can prepare
The The foregoing. including the last para
graph. was made public Immediately af-
Ter the Cabinet meeting. which adjourned
The Cabinet win meet again this even-
ng at ).
8 The Senate remained in session until 1925.
Fhe reply of Spain was communicated to
the members. 1t was said to be practi-
caFly a rejection of the demands of the
United States,
After the adjournment of the committee
1t noon. Senator Davis, chairman of the
committee. left the Capitol and went to
the White House
The members Of the committee were
eves1 more non-committal than usual af-
fer this session, and all of them indicat-
ed by their grave countenances and gen
eral demeanor that they considered the
crisis had arrived.
Tfey refused to reveal any of the pro-
ceedi1ies of the session. but some OF them
stated that the committee could report
. 1Tff hin thirty minutes II called upon to
! ID so. Still, they did not expect to re-
mort today unless Mr.. Davis. should be
"a assured by the Chief Executive that 1t
xyss his wish that they should do so.
II me of the conservative public men who
- faiked with the President today said that
fl,e situation was more serious than AZ
env previous time. The reply from Ma
4,.5a IS far from satisfactory, but no de=
c;siot1 would be reached until the Cabinet
hafl considered HAS 70 the order as to
reco11centrados. It WAS said Spain WoulQ
have 10 70 much farther than that pe2ofe