Washington sentinel., 1898-02-12
De LONE Resigns.

Senior Enrique Dupuy de LONE,
the Spanish Minister to the United
States. has resigned.
This sudden and forced change
in the personnel of the head OF the
Spanish Legation was She direct
outcome of the publication Of a
letter written by the Spanish Min
lister to his friend Canaleias, the
Madrid editor, in which he COM
mented with great severity upon
the President OF the United States,
and made other utterances which
were equally offensive to this Gov
ernment. His comment upon the
President was translated so as to
read:
Besides the natural and inevitable
coarseness with which he mckinley
repeats all that the press and public
opinion Of Spain has said of Weyler' II
(the message) shows once more that
Mckinley is weak and catering to the
rabble, and besides a low politician who
desires to leave a door open to me and
stand well with the Jingoes OF his party
Investigation, informally entered
upon by the State Department,
resulted in the disclosure Of the
fact that the Minister would
not deny the authorship Of the
letter. Thereupon Assistant Sec
retary Day went at once TO the
White House and spent some time
in consulting with the President
Other conferences with the Presi
dent followed, and finally Judge
Day personally waited upon the
Spanish Minister for some expla-
nation. Mr.. Dupuy de LONE
stated, without reservation, that he
had written the Objectionable epis-
tie, and also impaired the informa-
tion that late on Tuesday night,
after learning that it had become
public, he had cabled his resigna-
tion to Madrid,
The State Department has asked
the Madrid Government to deal
with him as he deserves. II it
neglects or delays to do so our
Government will send him pack
ing, and that very promptly.
He has been guilty OF an act out
rageous and insulting to the coun-
try in any case, and peculiarly out
rageous and insulting at a time
when relations between the two
countries are strained almost to the
breaking point.
His letter is not only undiplo-
matte. 1t Isl a vulgar TRADE against
the official chief Of the Government
to which he stands accredited 1t
is insulting and inexcusable in the
last degree.
For such an offense on the part
of Minister recall is no proper
atonement. There should be an
apology from the Madrid Govern
ment, and that apology should be
accompanied by the assurance
tha Dupuy de LONE is never
again to be employed in the diplo-
matte service oi Spain. Lacking
such assurance, we should not ac-
cep, any other Minister in his
place, lest our Government be
treated again with contumelY and
contempt.
AS to DupuY de LONE, the only
wonder is that he was accepted at
Washington as persona grata. For
many years ago he vented in a
book his contempt OF America and
Americans, and especially oi
American women, in terms which
would forever have excluded him
from diplomatic relations with the
Government Of any other country
about which he had said such
things.
There will be "disavowal" by
the Madrid Government, Of course.
That is polite Diplomatic lingo for
lying. It ought not to suffice
Until Dupuy de LONE is punished
and assurances are given that hi:
successor will behave like a gen.
leman, we should receive no sue
eessor to him. We at least can ger
on without any Spanish Ministei
at Washington.