The evening times., 1898-03-07
The Relief ShiIs.

There are certain indications that,
while sending a negative reply TO the
second demand Of Spain, that merchant
vessels instead Of war vessels be used
10 convey the American relief supplies
To the reconcentraG0s. the Administra-
ton will change its plans 10 the extent
Of utilizing the Fern and another un-
armed boat for the purpose. and thus, in
part. meet the Spanish objections. We
think that would be Grass folly. What
the Spaniards oppose. Is not 50 much
that cruisers should be employed In
such a service but that any Govern
meut vessel should be-. Their contention
is that action Of the kind intended will
make the landing Of relief goods official
and an act Of intervention and. in that
position. Sen0r Sagasta is entirely cor
rect under the canons Of international
law. Furthermore. having objected. il
this Government nevertheless. insists
upon carrying out its original program,
and persists in forwarding the
cargo or Cargoes upon one or
more public vessels. Judge Day
will nnd all the authorities agreed
and we have not the slightest doubt
that il will be so construed and resist
ed 10y the Spanish government
II official American boats are sent on
any such mission We are very much in
clired to think that their landing will be
prevented by the Spanish wa-ships, unless
the Administration is prepared TO take
the bull by the horns and blockade the
Nizcava and Almirantc Oquendo in the
harbor Of Havana beforehand That
course would be natural TO some Presi-
dents. as a logical sequence Of the refusal
to reconsider an intention to use vessels
of the Navy: but it would not be i'm ac-
cOrdauce with the past tendencies or pol
icy Of the present Administration. Ii is
much more likely that the idea OF getting
the relief stores to the starving victims
Of Spanish cruelty in any such way will
be abandoned. and that the authorities
viii continue to say their prayers and
wait for the climacteric act of Spanish
hatred TO eventuate in some other
manner. They would not have
long to wait. Time presses on
Sagasta. The Spanish masses are
ready for revolt. His only apparent
chance to save the dynasty, if not the
monarchy. lies in goading America to a
fight. He viii make US start it if possi-
bic. since that would make us construc-
lively the aggressor, and leave a loophole
for European Intervention. arbitration
and the saddling of the Spanish-Cuban
war debt upon our shoulders. But he
feels that there must be a fight in some
way He is determined to get it. and he
win get it, If the present scheme fails,
there is still the massacre of the Ameri-
cans in Havana TO fall back upon But
If that should not prove aggravation
enough, at last he would be compelled to
take the official initiative and attack
some small place on our coast. We have
submitted to so many indignities and out
RACES that the Spanish premier may well
be almost in despair of getting us TO
strike back But he is a persevering man,
and he dare not wait many days longer
before attempting to prove to his turbu-
lent nation, utterly ignorant of the true
situation, that his ministry and the queen
regent are patriotic, and not in the least
afraid of the detested Yankee.
So, at any moment, We may expect to
hear that General Stewart J.. Woodford
has been handed his passports.