The Indianapolis journal., 1898-03-13
THE SPANISH PLAN.
Scheme to Gain Time and Delay Inter
ventiOn i'm Cuban Affairs.

Scheme to Gain Time and Delay Inter
ventiOn in Cuban Affairs.
ST. LOUIS, March 12.-The Globe-Demo-
Gratis Havana correspondent says: The
Spanish plan of action in the Maine affair
has been agreed upon and the willy dons
expect that they will be able to secure quite
an extension of time before the United
States intervenes in Cuban matters. AS has
been anticipated all along, the Spanish plan
is to question the finding Of the American
court of inquiry, advancing the finding of
their own court to the contrary and de-
manding mixed commission. This, the
Spanish officials think, the United States
cannot refuse.
In order to bolster up this position, all
the Spanish officials here are carefully act
ing part. Captain General Blanco has ca
bled to Sagasta telling him that the Ameri-
can court of inquiry is conducting it's inves-
tigation with the one object of proving an
external explosion, and to support this ver-
dict are distorting evidence which would
tend to prove the Spanish claim of an acci-
dent. Spanish officials grumble a lot at
Captain Sigsbee being allowed to remain in
Havana They say that he should be i'm
prisoned for his carelessness in losing his
ship, as he would have been had he been
published, evidently, by inspiration of the
government officials, and with the idea of
convincing the people that the Spanish
officials have never suspected there could
have been any other cause than careless
ness on the part of the Names officers.
Despite all this, however, Blanco cannot
conceal his worry over the situation
The Spanish investigation has been farci-
cal in the extreme. AT no time has Span
ish diver remained under water over a
quarter of an hour, and the report of the
Spanish court of inquiry, presided over by
Peral, has long been prepared. 1t recites
that the Maine was split open from an in
ternal explosion, and will offer in evidence
bits of shells and broken pieces of plate
found in the bottom of the harbor, which
the members of the court claim prove their
assertions. Comparisons will be drawn with
previous explosions, and, according to the
Spanish report. which was agreed upon be-
fore the Spanish divers had made half
dozen of their brief descents, there is not
shred of evidence to prove anything other
than an accident. This report will be pub
lished when the American. board of inquiry
completes it's investigation, probably before
the report of the American court has been
submitted to the President.
IHlS report, Oh course, may Iool some or
the ignorant Spaniards here and in Spain,
but the Spanish officials are hoping that
diplomatic usage will stand the strain OF
demand for a mixed commission on the
basis of the difference between the Span
ish and American reports. They fear, how
ever, that it will not, and that the United
States government will not accept or ac-
knowledge the Spanish report to have any
bearing on the question whatever, and will
formulate and present it's demands entirely
on the basis of the American report, and
in such manner that Spain will have to
accept crowning humiliation or go to war.
Preparations made by Sagasta and his ad-
visers make every one here think that Spain
will accept the latter alternative; hence
there is anxiety in the place. The Spanish
officials know what the result of war will
be- and they do not expect to remain long
in Cuba.