The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-29
WILL REMAIN NEUTRAL
NEARLY ALL THE POWERS HAVE
DECLARED THEIR ATTITUDE.
POrtugaI's Delay, However, Has Been
Injurious to Our Interests-Ger-
mnny's Promise Given.

WASHINGTON, April 2S.-The French
embassy has received a cable dispatch from
the Foreign Office at Paris announcing that
a decree of neutrality between the United
States and Spain has been issued and that
a detailed copy will be forwarded by mail
On the receipt of the dispatch the French
ambassador, M. Cambon, wrote to the
State Department informing them of
Frances neutrality. The cable notice is
brief, stating only that the decree follows
the treaty of Parts Of 1856. The State De-
partment has also been informed that Mex
ico Argentine Republic, Corea, and Belgium
have proclaimed neutrality. Coreas neu-
trality is considered important, owing to
her proximity to the Philippines.
The State Department has heard nothing
from Germany, but this causes no appre-
hension owing to the strong assurances
Germany has given that she will observe
strict neutrality between the two bellig-
erentS. This assurance was conveyed TO
Ambassador W hite and is looked upon as
practically equivalent to a formal declara-
ton of neutrality. Germany, Austria and
Portugal are the last of the important Eu-
ropean nations to declare their attitude.
The apprehension as to Portugals course
was considerably removed to-day by the
call OF NiScount DE Santo-ThyrSO, who gave
strong assurances to the State Department
that Portugal would remain strictly neutral
The Portuguese minister expects official
declaration almost hourly. Although Port
ugdl explains her delay on the ground that
the declaration of war was not made until
the "a inst, yet Great Britain declared neu-
trality with unusual promptness. The eff
feet of Great Britains speedy action was to
force the United States fleet to leave Hong
Kong, while the effect of Portugals delay
has been to permit the Spanish fleet to re-
main at the Cape Verde islands. Thus
speedy action in the first case was harmful
to American interests, while delayed ac-
ton in the second case was equally harm
full to American interests.
Attention is now being centered on the
course Of Austria. Her delay in declaring
neutrality causes no material inconvenience
as Austria has no ports at which Spanish
Austria's strong tendencies are with Spain,
owing to the dynastic relations between the
thrones of Austria and Spain.
AS to the reports from London that the
United States mad sent threatening noti-
fication to Portugal that she would be re-
garded as an ally of Spain unless the Span
ish fleet was ordered from the Cape Verde
islands, no confirmation could be secured
to-day from the State Department officials
or from the Portuguese minister. On the
highly improbable. The authorities here
We're gratified at the Portuguese ministers
expression of confident belief that Por-
tugas neutrality would soon be commune
Gated, and this served to allay the growing
feeling of irritation over the delay. When
the minister's attention was called to dis
patches announcing that no reports would
be allowed to leave Cape Verde concerning
this, of course did not apply to official iu-
formation transmitted by United States Of
ficials at Cape Verde and elsewhere to the
United States government, so that the au-
thorities here will not be curtailed in their
sources of information as to the movement
nf Verde feet