The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-09
Constitution Would Have TO Be
Ignored.
MESSAGE TO co IN MONDAY.
Lodge Says Mckinley VIII Not
Yield an Inch.

Washington, April S--Good Friday has
been rather uneventful day at the White
House. The President received but few
officials callers outside of the members of
his cabinet, and the cabinet meeting was
brief and without startling developments
Congressman and Office seekers seemed
to realize that the President wanted this
sacred day for rest, meditation and lit
tie relaxation from the heavy strain un-
der which he has been operating during
the past fortnight.
Before the cabinet assembled, Senator
Lodge of Massachusetts called and had
a long consultation with the President.
When the junior senator from Massachus-
sets left the White House he informed the
Morning News correspondent that the
Presidents mind is fully made up to send
his message to Congress next Monday
Nothing short of complete withdraw
al OF the Spanish forces from the Island
| OF Cuba viii satisfy the American people"
said Senator Lodge land the President
fully realizes that fact There Is no dis
| position on the part OF the President 10
! further delay this matter and It will be
a great relief to him and also to the cotin-
try when the subject is finally presented
to Congress on Monday. The time has
passed for the peace-at-any- price party TO
have any effect on the President. lie has
passed beyond the bounds OF ndeclsion
and procrastination and has been carried
along by the tide of popular sentiment
aroused by the destruction of the Maine
until he is far beyond the reach Of domes-
| tic or foreign peace commissioners. AS
one of his closest advisers remarked to-
day. the President could not retrace his
steps if he would and would not take a
backward step IL he. could.
Having fully made up his mind to face
the inevitable he calmly but confidently
! awaits the crisis which must come with
the delivery of his message to Congress.
"The cabinet meeting was brief and un-
eventful During the hour and a half the
President and his advisers sat around the
cabinet table, the situation, as above in
| dicated, was freely commented upon.
There is no longer any division of opinion
| among the cabinet officers as to the In
evitable result. A poll of the Presidents 8
official family shows that they realize that
| the President has exhausted every means
that honorable diplomacy might suggest
| to bring about a peaceful solution Of the
| difficulty. Ii is the unanimous verdict OF
the cabinet that Spain must reinqush her
claim to Cuba or suffer the consequences
| of war"
| Later in the day Senator Spooner OF
| Wisconsin called by special appointment
| to discuss certain points of international
| law bearing upon the situation. During
the conference II was shown that the po-
sition taken by the President to insist that
| Spanish rule in Cuba must cease, Is i'm
pregnable from legal and patriotic
standpoint, and any further overtures for
a peaceful settlement of the difficulty must
come from Spain. After leaving the While
| House Senator Spooner said
Il see but one chance for an adjustment
! of this controversy on a peaceful basis,
and that is for the Queen Regent to take
the responsibility of relinquishing Spanish
control of Cuba. / am moi authorized TO
speak for any one but myself / appre-
ciate the fact that the constitution OF
Spain declares that the sovereign must
have the sanction of the Cortes to cede or
exchange any part Of territory. but in my
| Judgment if the Queen Regent is guaran-
| teed the support of the foreign powers in
maintaining her dynasty, she may see her
way clear to disregard the war sentiment
| of her own subjects in the interests Of
! peace instead of a recourse to war, which
may not only result in the loss OF Cuba,
Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands, but
the ultimate downfall Of the Spanish
| crown
"Of course her action will have TO be
| sanctioned by the Cortes, but with the
guaranteed support of the powers of Eu-
| rope IN maintaining her dynasty, she can
| afford to take the responsibility of antici-
pating the action of the Cortes by a pro-
vislonal understanding with the powers.
| IL is fair TO assume that such action as
she might take 10 preserve the crown
| which she holds In trust for her son, young
Alphonso, would under the circumstances
be indorsed by the Cortes.
"After having studied the subject with
great deliberaton, am frank 40 confess
I see no other way of avoiding hostilities.
| The President has takes position which
meets the approval OF the American peo-
pie, and he cannot, and, in my judgment
! will not recede from H."
At the war department to-day It was
stated that the rapid-fire guns from Eng
land would be in New York to-day or to-
morrow. These guns are TO be shipped at
once TO the sea coast. where they are
needed for defenses. 1t will now be only 4
few days before the guns for Charleston,