The San Francisco call., 1898-03-31
THE TRUCE IDEA
 NOT FAVORED Neither Side in Cuba Ready to Lay Down
 It's Arms. Gomez and His Men Reap a Harvest in the Rising
 Storm.
Spaniards Believe Firmly That Europe Will Help Their Country Tn
 the End.
Copyrighted. 1898. by James Gordon Bennett.

l Copyrighted, 1898, by James Gordon Bennett. | HAVANA, March SOL have the per sonal assurance of Captain Blanco ana | Dr. Congosto, the Secretary-General or | the Government, that they have no knowledge of any plan for peace ln- volving the declaration Of an armlStlce with the insurgents until october l. | The first intimation received at Ha- vana of such a plan as contemplated was contained in your dispatch stat i ing that the armistice was to last SIX months, the United States meantime to | feed the starving reconcentrados. l showed this dispatch to Dr. Congosto. who received me courteouSly at the pal ace:
 T will be perfectly frank. with you" said Congosto "If there is anything in this proposition I do not know of l it. I have no knowledge that any such plan has been proposed, officially or otherwise"
 I asked pr. Congosto whether he could also speak for the Captain Gen. eral.
 "Yes," he said. You may say the same for General Blanco. am quite sure that he knows no more of any such plan than do I.'
 Could you authorize the statement that there is no truth in the report or that Spain would not consent to such an agreement" I inquired.
 By no means. l cannot go as far as that" pr. Congosto~ replied. T can only say that if such overtures have been or are to be made, the entire af- fair must be in the hands of the Wash ington and Madrid authorities. Please observe, 1 do not say there is nothing in this report. Some such proposition l1,1 IaIi 11ryc IT that if that is the case the Govern ments representatives in Cuba do not know of it."
 Consul General Lee appeared to be incredulous when I showed him the dispatch. He said he had no infor- nation on the subject. and evidently did not place much faith in the idea that Spain and the insurgents might both consent to six months cessation of hostilities. I have outlined the pro- posed plan to many representative Gu bans who naturally prefer not to be quoted by name. None of them believe Gomez would subscribe to such an ar engagement unless with absolute guar antee that the independence of Cuba should follow. The approach of the rainy season has no terrors for Gomez and his Cuban veterans. That has al- ways been his harvest time and the time when the Spanish troops suffer the greatest losses.
 On the other hand, find no greater disposition among Spaniards to sub scribe to any such proposed solution ot the difficulty. The impression is grow ing among them that Spain has the sympathy and is likely to have the support of several foreign powers. So long as this belief exists the average Spanish loyalist will not listen to talk of an arnistice with Maximo Gomez
 La Union Constitutional says edito- rially to-day: 'If it is confirmed that there has been a change in President McKinley's attitude, we must regard it as due to two reasons, namely: First the severe attitude maintained by our Government, never alarmed, knowing as she does, the right and justice of her cause; secondly, the menacing atti- tude of the European powers, which cannot with indifference look upon the United States provoking a war in which their own interests would suffer so severely"