The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-08
spAIN TAKES 1T ALL BACK.
,rprorE FOR TIE RECALL OF
ery. LEE IS WITHDRAWN.

...r,tious Are Relieved to Ne Naae In An
,,..uo, Of the Hoard or unouiry's Report.
u,su,xaroS, March Now that the furry
,NSi,nrcnt caused by yesterdays develop.
-. has in a measure passed away. 1t is diff.
. ~ ond A cause for 1t or to understand
~. what considerations governed tho
w y Houso conference this morning In
,..;aIre TO ask Congress for an appropriation
y, money to place the army and the navy
car footing. The request OF the Span
~ aovernment for the recall Of Consult General
~. uh,ch indeed scems to have been but an
-.omciai elimination " that he 10 persona non
s.,to tn the Spanish Government. and the pro-
~, AGAINST the sending OF relief supplies to
cnh, IN war vessels undoubtedly formed the
Mi. NJ the Presidents request, but the
al cause OF this action was evidently q
a,,,re TO take the initiative and prevent
Congress from forcstal)ing him. To-day. how
.ver there we're Developments at the state and
N.yv Denartments which Indicate that the I'm.
s.r,.neo OF SPANS communications were, to
..v the least, a trific Exaggerated. ana that
,bc nrompt and emphatic refusal OF President
Mckinley to yiold nm inch was made public
largely for the purpose OF ~unifying the patriotic
sentiment of the people OF all parties and all
factions in and out of Congress.
In the statement given to the press last night
a, The direction OF President Mckinley, Assist.
ant sscretary Of State Day said that the recall
NJ GEN. Lee would not be considered. To-day
tina Spanish Charge d'Afaires In Washington,
Senior Du Bose. called at the State Department
and practically withdrew whatever REQUEST or
demand was made for Gen. Lees recall by stat
Ing that the expressed dissatisfaction with the
Consul.G General grew out Of a misunderstanding
-. ,-;tk ra~orJ 70 rartufn pnattnra
In Cuba, and, that having received satisfactory
ordinations. the Spanish Government had
mn complaint TO make. This statement was
made after the White House conference.
and so it was not necessary for the Admins
,ration to take any action with regard to
Il eyen had there boon q desire to do 90.
A 10 the question OF sending relief supplies TO
Cubs, the Administration practically admitted
tho force Of the mild protest made by Spain
against sending warships for fear Of further in
flaming tho Spanish people against the United
States, by revoking the decision to send the
Montgomery or Nashville, and ordering the
lehthouse tender Fern, now at Key West. to 60
to Cuba with supplies, and tho Montgomery to
the harbor Of Havana as the successor to the
Maine.
The knowledge OF these two important de-
veopments OF the day will do much to allay the
excitement caused by tho formal ahdounoe-
msnt last night OF the Adm Illustrations .atti,
tude, and the effect that they have had upon
the President himself oan best DO shown by the
untement he made to one Of his callers to.
day. Tho President spoke OF the reces-
Ey OF being fully prepared at every
point for whatever situation may result from
the strained relations between Spain and the
United States. He said that the situation was
veTy delicate, and even critical, but that. 3udg-
Ing only from the present situation. no did not
believe that war would DO the result. These
being the facts, the question naturally
uppermost In the minds OF everybody
In Washington Is what has brought tho
Administrator to the point Of asking Congress
for money to enable 1t to prepare for O possible
war. It cannot be the so-called demand for the
recall Of Consul.General Lee. because the de-
mand. II made. has been withdrawn. 1t cannot
be the protest of Spain against the sending of
warships to Cuban waters with relief supplies
for the starving inhabitants. because the force
Of THAT protest has been recognized and orders
Issued to send q lighthouse tender instead Of the
naval vessels selected.
Under these circumstances certain officials
who are well informed as to what is going on
arc OF the opinion that in asking Congress for an
appropriation Of $50, oO0. 900, tho Administra-
ton is in fact anticipating q report from the
Board OF Inquiry to the effect that the Maine
was blown up from the outside by design and
not from inside by accident. During the past
weskthe burden of all tho information. unofficial
10 Its character. of course, received from Havana
opposes the accident theory. Naval officers who
hthrst thought that the explosion came from
The inside Of the ship have lately been writing
10 their friends here that the result OF the in
vestigation shows this to have been impossible.
Consuhieneral Lee has already commu-
ficated TO the President his belief that
The explosion came from the outside Of the
vessel. and it 10 fast becoming n matter
othrm belief that he is right. The President
realizes that il the official report of tho Board
OF Inquiry should declare that tho explosion
was not an accident Congress could not be re-
Strained from taking action that would result
I'd serious trouble with Spain. He knows that
HSthe sentiment of tho country that Spain
should be punished II a Spaniard was responsible
LOT The destruction Of the Maine, and he is.
therefore, preparing thoroughly and systematic
ealiy Tor whatever may happen after the publi-
eauon OF the report of the Board Of Inquiry.
FROM Just what source the assurance came
mat Spain would not insist on the recall Of
Gen Lee and that she would not object to the
"" 'ooeoiS v curry bupDlleb COulu not
% cennitely ascertained to-day. on account
or the almost strict secrecy observed by
I'll those who would be familiar with tho
tAcs' but 1t Ia pretty certain that Gen. Wood
.0fa' who had in a private telegram given tho
nHmation that Gen. Lee was persona non
sta'a, conveyed to the President the informa-
wont that Spain would not insist on an adherence
o'he request for the withdrawal from Havana
VI the United States Consul-General. Tho
statement made yesterday by Assistant Score
Aiy OF State Day that tho administrator was
Without Official advice with regard to the re-
ported desire of the Spanish Government that
.en, Lee be recalled 10 technically correct. There
A4s been no official correspondence or direct per.
.onAi intercourse with the Spanish representa-.
wv mere on the subject Gen. Woodford learned.
S.e'umably In a conversation with the Spanish
Ah'ster OF Foreign Affairs. that Gen. Leo had
l.Ge himself Objectionable by some recent
scuon' and a cable message conveying this
knowledge was sent unofiicially by the Ameri.
~ minister several days ago. To-day the
IAo Department was informed. probably
zen Woodford, that the desire for Gen.
Aes withdrawal had been based on misap.
t.enehslon regarding an incident in which he
81. - inquired. Nothing more definite In e~xplana.
N"n OF thu matter than thia can ha obtained lint