The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-18
Internal Conflicts Will Rend the
Unhappy Country.
A WEYLER DICTATORSHIP
DYNASTY THREATENED BY THE
MILITARY ELEMENT.
Contamination of Peace With Ameri-
ca Will Be Followed By An At
tack Upon the Queen-Sentiment
In Favor of Relinquishing the
Philippines-Peace Commissioners

New York, Sept. IA dispatch to
the Tribune from Madrid, via Paris,
says:
1t is a bitter disappointment to Pre-
mier Sagasta that he has failed to get
| for Spanish peace commissioners rep
resentative men of all parties to give
] it national character over and above
sectional politics In spite of all his
promises and persuasion, the premier
| has been unable to obtain the consent
! of any statesman outside of his own
F.! immediate followers who are willing 10
| act on the commission, where, to use
an expression-of Senior Silvela, Spain
can employ nothing but empty words
and parallels to oppose any demands
/ the American commission may see mt
/ to make"
The sitting of the cortes, and espe-
| cially Count dAlmenas violent
Which Viii,dlSH is said to be Endorsed
by numbers of young officers
of the army, are regarded as foreshad-
owing events of far graVer Importance
that cannot be avoided after the sign
ing of the peace treaty. The sole point
upon which all parties now seem to
agree is that Senior Sagasta must re-
main in power until the conclusion Of
peace, and thereby drink the dregs of
the cup which his enemies maintain he
has himself brewed.
The alleged intention of the United
States to demand the island of Luzon
is regarded by the Madrid foreign Of
flee as infringing upon the peace pro-
tocol If Spain is compelled to cede
that island to the United States, great
efforts win be made to retain the right
to determine the disposal of all the
other Philippine islands, with the view
of eventually abandoning them alto
gether.
On this point it is even asserted that
an arrangement is under discussion
with Germany by which Germany
would get by way of a brokers COM
mission" Palawan and Sulu.
WILL UNLOAD THE GROUP.
In reference to the Philippines, it
is significant that the drift of opinion
among members of the cortes that if
Spain must cede. to the United states
ANYTHING more than a mere coallng
station. it would then be preferable
to withdraw Spanish sovereignty en-
tirely. Among civilians outright aban-
donment is considered the wiseSt poll
icy, especially now that military men,
like Senior Polevieja, say that under
the new system a permanent garrison
quired to hold the islands, and that to
maintain such a force would be too
severe a tax upon the national re-
sources. In diplomatic circles here
great confidence is felt that the Span
iSh peace commissioners Will succeed
upon saddling upon Cuba that portion
of the Cuban debt incurred previous
to the last instruction and which is
said to be guaranteed by the Cuban
customs receipts.
INTERNAL POLITICS.
The internal political question is
more dismal than the military leaders
think. Although they presented a SOL
id front during the recent session of
the cortes, they are in reality divided
among themselves.
The queen regent has already dis
counted Senior Sagastas eventual re-
tirement and pins her faith to Senior
Polavieja, whose lack of political eX-
perience will be supplied by Senior Sill
vela, or Senior Canalejas. They are
ready to join hands with Senior Leon
Castillo, who, during his present stay
in Madrid has been almost hourly con-
suited by the queen regent.
1t is impossible longer to conceal the
fact that the military leaders are now
preparing to act as soon as peace is
signed. General Weyler never misses
an opportunity to discredit the dynasty
and is bitterly opposed to Senior Pola-
Vieja. Weyler is said to be aiming at
an outright dictatorship in his own per-
sonal interest and is known to have
promised the highest and most lucra-
tive places to his military followers.
The queen, however, is firmly convinc-
ed that Polavieja will, when the time
comes, prove more than a match for
Weyler.
The great danger in the situation is
thatsthe military element is considered
as Offering the only solution of the
present difficulties, which party pas
sion has so embittered that cool-headed |
men fear an era of pronunciamentos, |
and civil war.