The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-23

| Washington. March 22.-The cabinet
meeting today lasted over an hour and
was devoted to the Spanish situation in
general and to the forthcoming report OF
the Maine court of inquiry i'll particular.
The tone of the discussion indicated a
firm determination that there must come
an end to the present state OF affairs IN
Cuba.
| Secretary Long authorized the state
ment that the understanding before the
cabinet was that the report would reach
Washington next Thursday or Friday that
| IL was very yoluminous and that its pub
lication and transmission to Congress
would not occur until next Monday OF
Tuesday, as the P-.sident would require
that much time to give the document the
mature consideration its character re-
quired. Other cabinet officials stated that
the general plan included the sending OF
presidential message along with the re-
port, stating that Spain had been called
upon to make suitable responses to the
case presented by the court of inquiry.
While the Cabinet associates OF the
President maintained their usual reserve
as to the exact character of the celibera-
tions, it was conceded>t5at the discussion
proceeded ON the theory that the coming
report would show that the Maine ex-,
plosion was not the result OF an accident
but was due to external causes. There Is
NO doub6 that substantial unanim1ty ex-i
lists an the cart of the President and all
his Cabinet, both as to the Maine ques-
| tion and the general subject OF cuba.
| The instability of a recourse TO lnGerVen-
tion in case Spain declined to make suit
able response to the representations tne
/ President will make after receiving the
! Maine report has been fully discussed, al
4 though necessarily it has been an abb
| stranf discussion thus far and no conclu-
sionshas been reached or is possible until
| the courts finding is before the President
and Cabinet. At the same time there Is
an evident intention to consider all
eyentualities, including the recourse to
Intervention, the recognlelon oi inuepene, -
ence and other methods which appear 20
suitably meet the requirements of such
| a condition. 1t is believed to be the in
tention of the President, however, to
bring about very material and saels-
factory change of condition IN CUBA py
what shall seem to be the best anu mosp
nracticable method of obtaining this end.
r. Is the hope of the administration that
Snain herself will so tar realize the sltua-
tion as 70 see the necessity for such radical
| action on her part with respect to Cuba
as shall co1pmand the appreciation OF this
country.
Pending discussion on the govern
ment's final policy no overtures OF ln1i. III
nations have been conveyed TO 0he
Spanish government and there IS no
official knowledge as to how Spain would
reyar1 n recognition OF Cuban lndepend-
ence or intervention. The Spanish min
ister, Senior Polo, requested today tnat
statement be made that reports attrlDut-
| ING to him expressions on the subject OF
inSenendence were unwarranted and un-
true. Senior Polo Gays ne has not discussed
this or any other of the pending questions.
Outside of the Cabinet meeting the day
was exceptionally quiet. Secretary Long
was able to clear his desk at $50 for the
fret time since the Maine disaster oc-
Cured and he left the department. before
Office hours closed to take walk.
During the afternoon the bureau posted
the notice that the battleship Massachu-
setts had sailed from Key West for Hamp-
ton Roads, following Texas. bout the
same time Commodore Schley VINO mas
been suggested as the probable command
er of the "Flying squadron, centereo al
Hampton Roads, called at the department
and had conference with Assls'ant
SECRETARY Roosevelt. The cruiser BrcoK-
lyn is Mt Newport News and the monitor
Puritan is under orders to proceed there
40 that these vessels will be near the
HAMPTON Roads rendezvous, II IL IS oetef-
-1,iy,eg to establish squadron there. Or
ders tIel for th movement have not yet been
a,a5a however. nor has Commander
Snniey - rsceived any information from
offi iaie that he would be placed in com
mand of the squadron. The navy depart'
ment continues t2 keep informed as 10 the
Snanish torpedo fiotilla, now stopping at
tbe Canary islands. Word Of its depart
are has rot yet reached the. department
It can be stated positively that the report