The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-03-28
THE PRESIDENTS SUNDAY.
Conferences with Cabinet Omcials the
Order of the Dnv.

Conferences with Cabinet omcials the
Order of the Day.
Washington, March 2S-The presi-
dent saw a number Of the members Of
the cabinet at the White House yes
| terday They dropped in one by one
until those present included Secretaries
Bliss, Alger, Gage and Attorney Cen
eral Griggs. with them also was As
sistant Secretary Day, Of the state de-
| partment, who presumably had some
dispatches to show the president. The
gathering was not a special cabinet
meeting in the sense in which that
! term is generally used, but was simply
a talk between the president and his
| advisers such as occurred the previous
! Sunday, concerning matters on which
| he desired to consult them. The Cuban
! question and the report of the Maine
court of inquiry were topics discussed,
but so far as could be ascertained moth
| ing conclusive was determined, one Of
1.-The members of the cabinet saying
subsequently that there was nothing
new SS-startling in the situation. The
presence\of Judge Day would infer
that there %sre advices from Minister
Woodford, but>(urther than an ac-
Acknowledgement thaS> communication is
in progress between eS state depart
ment and the minister nSlhing could
be ascertained.
\ AT the state, war and navy dCSart-
melts during the earlier portions ~
the day there was little semblance of
the Sabbath. Chiefs of bureaus, clerks,
messengefs, and telegraph operators
were all at N&l1. Probably never since
the days Of the late war have so many
officials gathered at the war and navy
departments on a Sunday.
Secretary Long however, did not ap-
pear at the navy depaTSWent during
the day, as most Of the rnS2tters re-
quiring attention were those that could
as well be attended TO by bureaN Of
ficers and their assistants. Mrs. L0r2g
has been i'll for some time and the
secretary in part shook off official cares
and spent the major portion of the day
with her. In the afternoon, in com
pany with Miss Long, the secretary
drove down to the Washington navy
yard and inspected the dynamite
cruiser Vesuvius, which is having her
guns adjusted and repaired.
Assistant Secretary Day spent a por-
tion of the Sabbath at the state de-
from the Spanish minister a rather
unusual procedure, indicating import
ant matters for consideration. The
conference lasted some time, but its
nature could not be learned.
Last night Commodore Winfield S.
Schley, just appointed commander of
the flying squadron" left here for
Norfolk. 1t is expected that today he
will hoist his flag on the Brooklyn.
which is to be the flagship of the fleet.
The only other vessel of the squadron
now at Hampton Roads is the Massa-
chusetts. OF the remaining three the
Texas is In New York receiving her
ammunition hoists, and the Columbia
and the Minneapolis are at League
Island, where the final work prepara-
tory to their sea service is being hur-
riedly done. The two latter will be at
Norfolk about the middle of the week
The developments in the Cuban sit
uation indicate steady progress in the
negotiations between the government
of this country and that of Spain
looking to the maintenance of peace,
for the present at least There is good
authority for saying that Spain's pres
ent wish is to secure cession of hos
tilities in Cuba rather than to engage
in a war with the United States, and
that 1t Is more than probable that the
negotiations between the government
of the United States and the Sagasta
ministry will take that turn in the i'm
mediate future. The present Spanish
ministry has professed a pacific dis
position from the beginning, and the
indications are strong now that it will
avail itself of the good offices of the
| United States to the fullest extent
that public opinion in Spain will allow
| in bringing to an end the hostilities in
| Cuba.
To what extent the United States
may go in assisting Spain in her pres
ent design of securing an armistice is
not yet determined, but the conserva-
| tive element in the administration con-
slider the manifestation of this desire
| on the part of Spain for even a tenn
porary peace a direct result Of Presi-
| dent McKinley's diplomacy, and they
are naturally disposed to contend that
! the president should be left free, for the
| present at least, to pursue a policy
which promises much in the way of
| preventing war between this country
and Spain and also of bringing to- a
close the hostilities in Cuba. Hence
| IneTe Will De an Effort on the part OF
| the peacefully inclined in congress to
continue to hold that body in check
and to prevent inflammatory utter
ances there until this promising dip
| lomatic lead may be exploited.
On the part of the administration
1t is stated that the development of
| the situation will not require a great
| length of time, and hence that there
will be no extended delay. A policy
has been fully determined upon by the
president. 1t is to bring the Cuban
war to a close. This will be accom-
plished by pointed Intervention if nee
essary, but it is considered far prefer
able that the end should come as the
result of peaceful negotiation than that
1t should be accompanied by hostile
demonstrations on the part of the Uni
ted States. Hence the disposition OF
the president to give Spain fair OPP
portunity to secure an armistice with
the Cubans and to allow her a reason
able time in which to come to an I'M
| derstanding with the hostiles.
1t can be stated upon high author
ity that there has been no abatement
Of the presidents intention to see that
| ~, T.. H., I