The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-26
:
CONS FORMATION IN MADRID.
How The ews of the Destruct on of Ger
vera's Fleet Was Received-Signs of In,-
pending Revoluti ion Representative
ences Making for Peace or War.
Correspondence New York Post.)

Madr July 7-Nothing has occurred of
recent years, not even the humiliatine and
bitterly lamented disaster of Cayi,e. that
has moved the heart of Snain So l,ro. oundly
as the announcement of the destruction in
American waters of Admir- Cervera,s
SO uadron. The impression the news pro-
duced was doubly painful coming as it did
after day of glory, if not of victory, for
the Spanish arms.
During the whole of the afternoon of the
day on which the pub ication Of the tele-
grams announcing the disaster confirmed
the rumors that had begun to circulate
vaguely in the early morning, the principal
streets of the city were the scene of great
and unusual animation. On the sidewalks
and Ill the plazas excited groups discussed
the catastrophe, indignation and grief de-
picted on every countenance. In cafes. in
official and in private circles, wherever two
OF three persons had gathered together, it
was the an-absorbing topic OF conversation.
No attempt was made by the people TO con-
ceal the anger and contempt which they felt
for the government, whose inconceivabie
negligence and blindness had resulted in so
useless and so dreadful a sacrifice OF the
naval defences of the country and OF the
~
which, as they did not hesitate to declare,
was rapidly bringing Spain to her ruin
were uttered aloud; and for time it
seemed as if the revolution, whose shadow
looms threateningly on the horizon, was
about to take sudden and active shape.
The government, on its side, did not spare
precautions. The guards in official quarters
and in public places were doubled. Civil
rl1o of Faf y
the streets in unusual numbers. The Cap
tain C ener3l of Madrid made the round of
the guard houses, giving orders; and the
troops he themselves in readiness to be
called out at a moments notice. The side
walk in front of the presidency, in the street
of Alcala,was kept clear, by the guards of
public safety, whose vigilance was re-
doubled as the hour approached at which
the Ministers were to meet in council. In
the building itself no one was permitted to
remain at any time except the employees
and reporters.
AS the afternoon wore on the excitement
increased. One of the Ministers, OH his
way to the presidency, was Kissed by the
people. As the Governor of Madrid was
passing knot of men who were giving
free utterance to their indignation against
the government, one OF the group cried out,
'There goes another traitor!'' The sup
posed offender against public order was ar
rested and taken before the authorities; but
he turned out to be the nephew of the Mar
quis Of Cerralbo, Den Carlos's confidential
friend and right-hand man, and as he posi-
tivel.- denied having uttered the words at
tributed to him he was set at liberty.
Passing cafe in frequented quarter of
the city in the afternoon, q leader Of the
Liberal Conservative party was loudly
Missed, and some one in the crowd cried
out, "Down with the politicians. The
party leader took refuge in hotel near by
At that moment the proprietor of Con-
| servative or an of the press happened to
be driving past, and taking the situation
in at glance came to the rescue of the
statesman, giving him seat in his carriage.
Gen. Weyler was made the object of q
popular demonstration of different kind
later on. Coming cut of cafe shortly after
midnight, he was loudly cheered by these
among the bystanders who recognized him;
crowd gathered around him, and a mum Der
of persons among them insisted on escort
ing him to his home.
In the cafes excited feeling rose so high
that in one CT two instances the interven-
ton of the police became necessary to re-
store order. Rumors were circulated during
the night, which, as it turned out were
without foundation that disturbances had
occurred in Barcelona. Valencia, Cadiz,
Saragossa, and other cities. At the cabinet
council in the evening, after the question of
the preservation of public order had been
discussed and measures for its maintenance
had been agreed upon, the question of peace
| or war was taken up. While the Ministers
were sill debating it, the Captain General
of Ma0rid arrived and declared that the
army was resolved neither to listen to nor
to consent to any talk of peace, saying that
if there were no other reason, it was due
to the soldiers who had fought so heroically
at Santiago, disputing the ground with the
enemy inch by inch, that the war should go
on.
The opinion finally prevailed in the oun-
ell that in view of the fact that there is an
army of 900 men in Cuba, it was not
possible to abandon the fight in defence of
the rights Of the natio n in that island so
long as it could bs carried on.
Leaving the council chamber, one of The
Ministers said: ''We must oppose u serene
front to the reverses of fortune, and with
a high heart, yielding neither to discourage
ment nor fear, continue the fight against
those who are striving to deprive us of our
possessions, until reverses against which
we can no longer contend oblige us to sur.
render. We can then say that we fought as
long as we were able in defence of the in
tegrity of the nation, yielding only when
our forces were destroyed, not while we had
a powerful army, with weapons i'll their
hands. If, however, the country should re-
quire lis to adopt different course, we must
bow to its will and obey"
Such, in brief, are the principal incidents
! which marked the day on which the catas-
| trophe of the humiliation of Admiral Ger
vera's squadron becam KIN own in Madrid
day that will be remembers as one of the
d ark est for Spain of the dark days of the
closing century. Public excitement has
since then quieted down to some extent, OF
at least is existence its less apparent gut
! perhaps while the feeling against the