Evening star., 1898-03-12
Attempt to Turn This Governments
Policy.
OPINION IN CONGRESSIONAL CIRCLES
No Further Autonomy Pretenses
Believed Possible.
S Q B Z l. E DIPLOM ACY

Several things published this morning
coming fror, remote quarters and discon-
nected, are regarded in congressional cir
cies as Indicative of last desperate effort
to give a tLrn TO the policy of this gov
ernment favorable to the interests or
Spain. They are regarded as significant of
the effort, not of it's SUCCESS First is the
report of the speech of Senior Moret at a
banquet in Madrid in which he said that
the patriotism of the Spanish people would
preserve Spain from the loss of an Inch
OF territory" Another is the interview
with Captain Peral, president of the Span
ish board of inquiry in the Maine disaster,
in which 1t is declared that the investiga-
ton of the Spanish officials has shown
that the explosion was internal, but which
very adrotly leaves the way open for the
Spanish board to make different finding
at the conclusion of it's examination. An
other is the announcement of the arrival
in Havana of the Austrian ship Donau,
"one OF the five promised to Spain in case
of war" Still another is a curious sug-
gestion of autonomy's being forced upon
the Cuban Insurgents by this government,
which was sent out by the Associated
Press, with the assertion that it has
celVed the approval in a general way of
leading men whose counsels have weight
with the administration and which is
supported by long anonymous interview,
hostile to the recognition of the independ-
ence and insistent upon the propriety OF
Spanish sovereignty being preserved in
Cuba.
How the Suggestion is Regarded.
This latter would attract no attention
were it not for the fact that it is known
to be the policy of the Associated Press
not to handle such matter anonymously
except upon very high authority. No sug-
gestion that has been made with respect
to the settlement of the Cuban question
has met with more evidence of disapproval
in congressional circles, and it is not be-
Heved that the President would for mo-
ment contemplate an attempt to force upon
Cuba another dose of Spanish autonomy
p,etenses. The acknowledged failure of
autonomy in Cuba, the horrifying condi-
tons on the island, the treacherous de-
struction of the Maine and the moral GER
tainty, established by past experience, that
as long as the Spanish remain in Cuba the
Cuban question viii be present to irritate
ard injure us, render any suggestion which
ccntemplates the perpetuation of Spanish
control in Cuba, under any conditions,
utterly abhorrent to the prevailing senti-
ment Of both houses of Congress.
The suggestion is regarded as final
move in the diplomacy of Spain, backed
up by the bluff of Morets eioquence, Aus
trian ships aud Capt. Perars premature
report on the Maine disaster.
The arrival of the Austrian vessel at
Havana and the account of its enthusiastic
reception is confrmatory of the statement
made q long time ago that Austria would
pi ovide Spain with five vessels in case of
war. This is regarded as more likely, If
than to alarm this government into
change of policy toward Cuba. The decla-
rations of Capt. Peral as to the cause of
the destruction of the Maine are regarded
as utterly of no consequence. The United
States is not depending on Spanish inquiry
to determine the cause of that explosion.
War Situation More Grave.
If the utterance of Capt. Peral is to be
interpreted as meaning that Spain will in
sist upon the accident theory, and IL SeEor
Morets speech really means that Spain will
not yield an inch of territory, it only rem
ders the war situation more grave. These
two things, 1t is said, are all that is neces-
safy to render war inevitable. 1t is prac-
tically the universal opinion in Congress
that the only possibility of avoiding war
would lie in Spain's making reparation for
the loss of the Maine, and acknowledging
the Independence of Cuba, or at least. of
not res entfng the recognition of the inde- |
pendence by the United States.
: Another play which is being made, ap-
parently for the purpose Of weakening the |
policy of this government, is the myst.r-
fous intimation that other foreign nations |
would become involved in a war between |
Spain end the United States. No alarm 10 |
felt by Congress on that point The Euro |
pean situation is such as to preclude ag-
gresive interference on the part of any |
tfons interesting them much more vitality |
and with the sympathy Of most OF thu |
European nations with the United States, |
the opinion is held that ii would be an in |
conceivable folly on the part Of Germany,