The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-05
INTERNATIONAL QUESTION
Raised Over Capture of
a Blockade Runner.
M. MBCA0N INTERVIEWS

To Secure the Release OF the French
Steame Captured Off San Juan and
Now Held at Charie.ton-Peaee :Pre-
liminaries Likely to Consume Three
Months Much Time Necessary for
Spain to Accomplish Evacuation o
Cuba and Porto Rico,
Washington, August "a call by NJ.
| Cambon at the state department today
is likely TO cause speculation, though
it has no reference to the peace nego-
tiations or to the affairs OF Spain, but
is for the purpose of discussing a mat
ter relating to France and the United
States Some weeks g a United
states warship captured the French
| merchant steamer Olinde Riduez when
she was nine miles off San Juan. 1t
vas laimed she was running the
blockade and she was taken to Char
lesion, S. c., where she is still detain-
ed, with a number of passengers and
freight, and with the official mail of the
French minister at Port au Prince.
Both the French embassy and the
French Transatlantic Steamship Com
pany asked for the release of the
steamer on the ground that she was
not running the blockade. The depart
ment of justice has been considering
the subject, and the prospects are for
a satisfactory adjustment and a release
of the steamer if no claims for deten-
ton are made. NJ. Cambon called at
the state department on the matter to-
dayI.
On the assumption that peace is near
at hand some attention is being given
to the steps by which this may be
brought about formally and the meas
ures necessary to be adopted immedi-
ately afterwards.
It is said to be not at all improbable
that the preliminaries leading VI to
the signature of the peace treaty may
last fully three months so that it may
be along toward the date of assembly
of congress before the president
will be prepared to submit a peace
treaty to the senate. This allowance
of time is rather moderate than Excess
siVe. We were two years, from 1871 to
1888 in arranging a peace treaty with
Great Britain to terminate the reVOlu-
tionary war. In the case of the Chi
HSSc-J dpd1ltSc Wal IL was ScNSIdl
months before the commissioners were
able to perfect the treaty of Shimonis-
aki, which terminated hat war.
It does not follow from this that an
! actual state of war will prevail during
this interval of three months, for, as a
matter of fact, hostilities will termi-
nate within a very few days after
Spain has notified the United States
government of her acceptanc of the
| tlCn1 laid down in tho nrnSiGnnt'C note
of last Saturday. The military estab-
lishment, however, must be maintained
during that and many acts performed
that are incident to actual warfare. II
, is expected that the Spanish pledge tC
accept the broad conditions laid down
by the United States will take the
form of a written agreement. The ne
gOtiations have not progressed suffi
GENTLY to indicate who shall be the
parties to this agreement or rather
who shall represent the principals, the
United States and Spain. It is posi-.
BILE that it may be signed in Washing
ton, as between Secretary Day and M
Cambon. or, on the other hand, the
{ ambassadors of Spain and the United
l STATE, in one of the European cOu
t tries, probably in this case, France
might meet and, by the authorization
= Of their respective governments, sigr
t this agreement. The protocol, if i
'AAy Nc ~ SoiI1Ns LII III SdoS, "ooIN
not take the place in any n o.
the treaty Of peace which would b
drawn up later by commissioners tt
/ be appointed for this purpose.
Under the terms of the president:
note if they shall be accepted by Spain
the Spanish government is bound tt
evacuate Cub and Porto Rico immedi
: ately This action is not to wait upoI
1 the work of the peace commissions
but is to precede it, and to follow i'm,
y, mediateiy upon the signature of thu
memorandum, accepting the president!
I conditions.
, The word Immediately in this case
4 is perhaps a little deceptive. The ex.
perience of the war department in tn,
endeavor to remove to Spain the Span
ish troops surrendered at Santiago ha.
not justified the expectation that the
!, | large force of Spanish regulars cal
be gathered up and shipped home tt
Spain in less than about sixty days a
best. This estimate is based on tn,
| fact that it is lot expected by TIL
Spanish authorities who are directins
y the movements of The Spanish troop!
transports that they will be able to re
, turn all of the Santiago prisoners t
L Spain before the LIST of September
! Therefore, what is meant by the wore
9 immediately is hat the Spanish gov
L eminent shall at least begin the ar
! engagements at once for the eyacua
O ton of the islands.
+ On the whole, it is a rather fortunati
circumstance that this evacuation can
> not take place en- masse and immedi
1 ately, for it has been determined tina
the Spanish troops withdrawn must b,
= replaced by United States troops. Thi
is deemed to be absolutely necessar.
, to guard against anarchy and to Sc
cure the establishment of a stable form
of government in Cuba under prope
l constitutional guarantees, but, in al
e probability, not many Of them vii
S nave to go there before the presen
. rainy season has neared its end.