The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-20
MISS SCHLEY
DECLARES SHE
CAUSED PEACE
Lays Claim to All the
Credit.
HER TRIP TO MADRID DID 1T
CONVINCED THE SPANIARDS OF
THEIR FOLLY.
Promised That if They Yielded at
Once America Would Take Only
a Coahng Station
or Two.
HER TRIP TO MADRID DID 1T
CONVINCED THE SPANIARDS OF
THEIR FOLLY.
specIal Digpatch to The call.

MILWAUKEE, Nov. 1s.-Miss Jessie
Schley, who went to Spain as a dele
gate Of the Women's International
League for Peace, in an effort to bring
the war to a close, issued a statement
to the American press to-day, in which
she takes the credit of influencing
Spain to sue for peace. The letter is
as follows:
To the American Press: Until now l
have not given proof to SubStanuate my
claim that We women, especially we
American women, made the peace be-
tween Spain and our country. / promised
TO do so after the treaty of peace was
signed, but have concluded to give 1t now.
The facts are these: | reached Madrid
as a delegate of the Womens 1nterna-
tional League for Peace, and bearing the
list of names and resolutions for her
Majesty the Queen of Spain on July 2. |
at once began visiting and comforting with
prominent officials. On the 23d his Excel
lency the Minister of State, the Due de
AlmodoVar del Rios, requested me to put In
writing the matter l desired to convey to
him. did so, and sent i to him on the
25th. On that day or the following, l
judged from the newspaper report, the
Queens Cabinet, of which the Due was
member, discussed the communication in
their meeting, and on that day (the 26th)
Spain sued for peace.
out of Madrid, fearing riot against me
when 1t should become known Spain Lad
made OVertureS OF peace. 1t was feared
the Carlists or Spanish jingoes might
make trouble then, and they had already
begun to look for me. The afternoon Of
Due de Almodovar, Minister of State of
Foreign Affairs, in which he says:
Your letter of yesterday has received
my fullest attention with reference to
much of the pressing business"
He praises the high motive inspiring my
journey to Spain. He says again:
The generosity and energy which
prompted you TO make this long excursion
to a strange land for the sake Of peace,
united to your intense patriotism and your
Continuing, he says: 1.-The most ardent
personal desire is to see the speedy ter
mination of this sad conflict, and that
he desired for Cuba system OF humanity
and civilization.
OF course, peace would have come;
Spain was beaten; but she was not ready
to surrender then. She still wanted to
fight for Havana and the Philippines, but
the documents 1 submitted to the Minister
of State decided her to seek for peace
just then, and | believe that you Will
find that these Spanish authorities bear
me out. 1t was only straw, but still
the straw that broke the Gamers PACK.
I told her it was foolhardy to fight the
United States longer: that we would sure
ly beat her: that we had more resources
of all sorts, as well as men: when |
claimed TO know our people had not
sought war q had been much among
them and said many dfsliked the war as
much as l; that many good Protestants
had been Influenced to consent to assist
the war by representations made Of Span
ish cruelty and the continued fighting in
Cuba (which | also thought should cease;
that if she (Spain) continued fighting she
would lose the sympathy of Americans
and Europeans as well, but that II she
sued for peace now she would find how
noble and generous people we were, and
not the mercenary country We appeared;
and we would give her generous terms
which she would not get later advised
her to give us a coaling station or two,
though strictly speaking, we should not
take even that, as we had begun the war
lin the name of humanity" but our Gov
eminent might need them and we had
been put to much expense. In short, l
1 feared l might oYerdo 1t by my blunt
statements, using the word foolhardy,
etc. was certain my country would act
honorably, so you may imagine my NOR
tihcation and chagrin to find we are try
ing to grab all we can.
Following this letter / shall have a
storm of abuse, know, from the jingoes
and the A. 2. AS who have already
written me 50 many insulting letters, but
I defy one of them to show any one who
has made greater sacrifices to maintain
the honor of our grand country. 1t Is
necessary for US to rouse ourselves or IL
will be too late to show the world what
we really are and to defeat the schemes
of the miserable jingoes who are traitors
to our grand republic and seek to draw
US into further difficulties.
This is no time for party strife or Bit
ter religious feeling if we would save
our country. Democrats and Republicans
must act together Possibly II was for
tunate the Republicans won in the last
elections, for among them are many hon
orable men who will maintain our ma
tional honor, and the party that began
the war, in the name of humanity" will
be able to finish it lin the name of hu-
mainly, and not disgrace us by making
terms too difficult for our conquered foe.
JESSIE A. SCHLEY.