Waterbury Democrat., 1902-02-06
WHAT POWERS DID.
A Paris Authority Declares English
 Statement False.

Statement False.
 PARIS, Feb. 6.--The following state ment regarding European action at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war ts made by an official who held very high position during the early days of the trouble, and it is undoubtedly au- thentic:
 "The Spanish government believed that Queen Victoria would support any step taken with view to preventing the war and coming to the aid of the queen regent. It attributed at that time perhaps too great an importance to the intervention of the queen in the councils of the British government 1t was not ignorant of the fact that MT. Chamberlain was in agreement with Lord Salisbury in the desire to endeav- or to render the United States a signal service. but information of very con- hdential character which reached it conveyed to the Madrid government the idea that any mission of pacif1ca- ton would be well received by Eng land. English society entertained the most hostile spirit toward the United States. It had not been able to forget the Venezuela affair, and in London it was thought the proper thing to sup port the Spaniards.
 Thus the principal diplomatic effort If Spain was brought to bear on the central European powers and more particularly Russia. It was not thought a hat England would take the initiative Il it's favor; but, being convinced, and,
 it appears, justly so, that England would not dare to stand aloof from a common action undertaken by Europe 10 bring about peace, Spain thought before everything else to win over Russia to her cause.
 .'The Austrian emperor for family motives had taken the initiative In pro- posing to the various powers an inter- yention tending to induce Spain to grant concessions and by averting war to strengthen the dynasty. France and Germany were first we'll disposed to the Austrian proposal, and an accord of the continental powers would un- doubtedly have been possible had Rus sia given her support The Spanish diplomats of whom have already spo- ken told me that at Madrid those who were in touch with the negotiations anxiously awaited the upshot of the conversation that the Spanish enbas- sador at St. Petersburg was to have with Count Muravieff. When the re- suit became known, the disillusion was all the more bitter because hope had been so high.
 If such step,' said Count Mura- vieff, 'is confined to simple council, it will have no result, and if 1t implies anything resembling threat the re- suit obtained will be contrary to that desired.' This reply quickly undeter- mined the friendly disposition that France and Germany had at first shown toward Spain, and the pacific action of the powers, instead of being exercised collectively and of great mor- al authority reduced itself to indiyidu- al advice counseling Spain to make concessions.
 England was not, therefore, called upon to declare itself The sympathies of certain statesmen in the Conserva- i've cabinet were certainly for the United States, but they were not re- quired to display them. They aftcrwurd insinuated that their role had been te hold Europe in check to the advantage of the United States. As is seen from the foregoing they did nothing of tho kind"