The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-09
FEELING AT MADRID.
How the News from Santiago and Ma
Mia Was Received.

Mia Was Received.
LONDON, June 9-The Madrid corre-
spondent of the Times teegraphing to-day,
says: 1.-THE news from Santiago produced
little or no excitement. At first there was
feeling of sadness because only Spanish
losses were announced. Gradually the feel
ing changed on learning that the Americans
also suffered, although their losses have not
yet been reported in detail. In any case
there was justification for patriotic satsfac-
ton in the fact that the attack had been
successfully repulsed with fewer casualties
than have sometimes occurred in insignifi
cant skirnishes with the insurgents. This
is the tone adopted by to-day's morning pa
pers Ell Liberal says: 1t is a new failure
for the Americans, but considering the re-
suits, we must not attribute to it the i'm
portance of a real victory
THE specialists, of course, are endeavor-
ing to determine the object the Americans
had in view of expanding such large guam
tity Of valuable ammunition. Some are in
clined to regard it as simply another mani
festation of the prevalent 'bombardomania,'
another sop thrown to the impatient anna
teur stratagists who are ignorantly clamor-
ing for greater military and naval activity
Others believe that the real object was to
occupy the attention of the Santiago garri-
son while landing of troops was effected
This view is confirmed by the news that a
landing was attempted at two separate
points, namely-Punta Cabrera and Aqua
dores. Unfortunately, the dispatches on
this subject hitherto received are very
meager, but they agree in stating positively
that at both points the Spanish forces eff
fectually prevented the intended embarka-
ton.
In the absence of trustworthy news from
the Philippines the widest rumors are
again ahoat. Credulous patriots cling to
the view that Admiral Ceryera can work
miracles, and they believe, despite all evil
dence to the contrary that his squadron is
we'll on the way to the Philippines The
peace possibilities continue to be discussed.
Some sanguine people urge that negotia-
tionS might be opened at once. During the
last few days several influential persOnages
psychologique has arrived, but 1 confess
am still skeptical. All sensible people con-
tinue to say, as they have been saying for
weeks past, that short of miracles, there
is no doubt of the final result of an unequal
struggle, and that the longer the struggle
continues the greater will be the sacrifices.
But still fail to perceive in any influential
quarter a readiness to act on this convic-
ton. When l ask my friends why they do
not propose to make peace they reply that
Spain. being the aggrieved party. cannot
take the initiative.
ON Analysing the opinion that the
psychological moment for starting peace
negotiations has arrived, I found it was
based, not on the consciousness that Spain
is rapidly exhausting her resources, but on
the Deller That the great majority OF Amer
leans have already tired of the war that
President Mckinley is, consequently, be-
coming unpopular and that the peace sug-
gestions of the Paris edition of the New
York Herald were inspired by President
Mckinley himself AS for Spain, my friends
maintain that she is in no hurry, as recent
events have shown her powers of passive
resistance to be far greater than has been
supposed. The conquest of Cuba, they say,
will require two years at the least, and
probably much more, and if the island is
ever conquered it will be, they argue a white
elephant for the United States The conclu-
sion is that America has much more reason
than Spain to desire a termination of hos
tilities. Such is, if | diagnose it Alright, the
present state of public opinion among most
reasonable people here Such an attitude is
hardly likely to serve the cause of peace.
Il venture even to declare that during
the recent days we have drifted away from
rather than towards the goal all reaSona BILE
people desire to reach. The Spaniards natur-
ally shrink from adopting a conciliatory at
tltude, when they find platonic expressions
about the desirability of seeking some hon
orable solution of their international diff
Guilty only excite the offensive and sbluster-
ing tendencies of American Journalism ex-
pressed in such headlines as Spain Crying
for Peace and SPANS AFFECT Poverty on
the other hand, the Spaniards have still to
learn that the Americans, in spite of their
clustering propensities, have some of that
logged tenacity of purpose which forms the
dominant trait of their own national char
acter."