The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-25


eX-Minister Dupuy de LONE and Com
mander Sobral, in connection, it is under
stood, with military action on his part
against the United States, and there is
every reason to believe that in the event
of war he will be at once dispatched to
Havana
Yielding to the irresponsible pressure of
public opinion. sagasta has rescinded the
orders which he had issued to the censor.
and the consequence is that all the Ma
| drid newspapers are full again of long
dispatches from New York giving elab-
| crate accounts of the preparations which
are being made by the United States for
war, and likewise containing the re-
marks ascribed to the members of the
Administration, as well as to members of
both houses of Congress, intimating that
/ the Government has definitely decided to
recognize the independence of Cuba.
1T IS unlikely that either the mere act
/ Of recognition or even the demand for an
indemnity for the blowing up of the
| Maine which IS reported by the Dispatch
| es as about to be made. will lead to a
! declaration Of war on the part of this
! country, says a correspondent. But a
! declaration of war will come the very
! moment that the United States attempts
/ to actually intervene in Cuba. either by
! landing troops or by attempting to take
4 possession of any Of the ports or harbors
/ of the island 1t is probable, too. that the
/ offense given to the national dignity of
( Spain by a recognition of the indeDend-
/ ence Of her rebellious colony would lead
/ to her barring the access of United
/ States ships TO Cuban ports, and that any
attempt 10 force an entrance would be re-
/ sisted and considered as a casus belH."
The same correspondent adds: "Natu-
rally if the United States puts into exc
cution her threat Of attempting to oppose
the progress across the Atlantic of the
! torpedo fiotilla, which is TO leave the Ca
nary Islands for Havana as soon as the
/ cruiser which is TO serve as convoy ar
! rives there from Cartagena, that likewise
! will constitute an act Of war. Bur from
! what | gather tonight the Spanish gov
/ eminent VIII not declare war until the
I United States has gone beyond mere
/ words and perpetrated some actual act
/ Of hostility, either by landing troops in
/ Cuba, by forcing her ships into Cuban
! ports or by endeavoring to stop the tor
! pedo iotilla from reaching Havana
The object of course of this is to sad
! die the United States with the odium Of
/ inaugurating the conflict which all Lib
/ erals as well as Conservatives, even those
/ who have been most positive in their as
surances that the friendlest relations
! prevailed with the American Government
are forced to admit is now at hand
A new feature of the Cuban situation is
the admission for the first time by the
ministers of Spain and their friends that
the plan of Cuban autonomy has proved
fiasco. Instead Of, however. ascribing
! to the real causes the failure of the
scheme, the impracticability and dishon-
esty Of which has been pointed out, they
lay all the blame on the United States,
/ insisting that the latter is alone RESPONSE
/ bic for it's lack of success
/ In fact, one of the ministerial organs
| goes so far as to declare that the United
/ States strangled the infant of Cuban au-
tonomy at its very birth by holding out
hopes to the insurgents of Independence
and by permitting help of one kind and
/ another TO reach the rebels from Amer
/ lea. No matter at whose door lies the
/ fault of the failure Of autonomy in Cuba
| the fact remains that the government
| has admitted that it has resulted in a
lamentable fiasco.
OF course. this admission of failure of
/ the governments policy in Cuba would,
We're it not for the imminence Of war.
/
the forthcoming general election. even in
spite of the official pressure brought to
! bear upon the Observation-Disclosures to vote
! for the government candidates The Sa-
! gasta policy of autonomy has, from the
very outset, been very unpopular with 99g
Spanards out of every 1000, no matter to
! which party they belonged and now
that it has failed, even those few who
were at first in favor thereof. are loud in
! declaring that if Weyler had only been
! permitted to pursue his plan in Cuba the
insurTection would by this time have
! been stamped out of existence and the
! prospect of war with the United States
avcrted, whereas as the matter stands
| now. the situation in the Antilles could
not possibly be worse, no matter from
what point of view it is regarded.
Another reason why the government
would assuredly be defeated at the polls.
were not war at hand, is owing to the
high price of bread. coupled with the
inability of the laboring masses to pur-
chase food of any kind, due TO the fact
of the paralysis with which the immi-
nence Of a conflict with the United States
! has stricken ali trade and industry. The
lower classes throughout the country are
| driven to desperation by starvation and
| il Is difficult under the circumstances To
expect them to vote at the polls for a
government which their parish priests
| teach them to regard as responsible for