The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-21
ENGLAND'S TIMELY HELP.
SECRET OF HER CONDUCT IN THE
 SPANTSH-AMERIC WAR.
Refused to Join European Coalition Against the United States Were Made but the British Goyern- ment Would Have Nothing to Do With Them Willing to Aid Any Friendly Proposition.
Friendly Proposition.

London, Jan 20.-In the house of
 commons to-day, amid an absolute si-
 lence which was a striking tribute to
 the deep interest felt in the matter,
 Lord Cranborne, under secretary for
 foreign affairs, made the first official
 statement which has ever emanated
 from the British government regarding
 it's private attitude toward the United States in it's war with Spain
 The subject of proposed European intervention in the Spanish-American
 war was brought up by Henry Norman i 0iberaD in the form of a question ask 1 ing whether any communication pro-
 posing or concerning joint or collective of the outbreak or expected outbreak 1 of the late war between the United 1 States and Spain was received from l the Austrian or any other government
 and if so what was the nature of the reply of her majesty's government. MT Norman further invited Lord Gran
 borne to lay the papers in the case on the table
 Lord Cranborne in reply said no such communica tion had been made to the government after the outbreak of the war, but immediately before the war communications were received from other powers suggesting the presenta-
 tion of joint note to the president of the United States. The government agreed to join with the other powers in a note expressing the hope that further negotiations might lead to a peaceful settlement, accompanied by guarantees acceptable to the United States for the preservation of order in Cuba. The gov ernment first took steps to ascertain whether the presentation of the note as well as it's terms, would be accepta- be to the president,
 Her majesty's government, Lord Cranborne continued, declined to asso- ciate itself with other subsequent pro posals which seemed open to the ob- jection of putting pressure on the gov ernment of the United States and of fering an opinion on it's action He concluded by saying that he was una ble to lay the papers in the case on the table
 This statement was received by q burst of ringing cheers such as seldom | greets the mere ansWed of a parlia- mentary question.
 Regarding the much disputed point as to what powers were previously pre- pared to sign this note had Great Brit ain acquiesced. therein the following statement from a high official of the foreign office, through whose hands all secret dispatches had passed, had best be given in his own words This o1i- cial said:
 we have no documentary evidence ! to prove any power other than the one who approached us was concerned in this effort to send collective note to the United States, the purpose, how ever polite the wording must natural ly have been that of threat
 we had at the time. however ev- cry reason to believe that this power was merely put forward as a sort of buffer in order to sound us and that France, Germany and Russia were ha- hind her and only awaiting her assent formally to announce their own We nave never had reason to change that ! being, which in the case of France amounts to moral certainty"