The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-08-02
Leo XIII and the Spanish War
His Efforts to Avert It, and President
McKinley's Attitude.


Was President Mckinley. or was
he not, dragged into the war with
Spain by hot-heads in both branches
of Congress? The question, though
not a new one, Is again being dis
cussed in view of Leo XIII's death
and his well-known attempts at avert
ing the war Some details Of his eff
forts on that occasion are given in
an article published in the "Revue
Historique" for July-August.
According to the writer of the ar
ticle, NJ Vialate, the Spanish min
lister TO the Vatican telegraphed to
the minister of foreign affairs at Ma
drid that he had just had a call from
Cardinal Rampolla. In behalf of the
Holy Father, the cardinal said:
The news received from the United States IS
very alarming The President Is DESTROYS Of
adjusting the controversy, but he IS dragged
along by Congress. The difficulty is 70 find
some one who may request the suspension Of hos
tilities. The President appears strongly dis
posed to accept the aid Of the Pope.
His holiness thereupon asked if
his intervention would be acceptable
to Spain. The reply was favorable,
and the result was that the Spanish
government offered ''to proclaim an
Immediate and unconditional suspen-
sion of hostilities in the Island of
Cuba" This offer was communicated
by Minister WOodford to the Presi-
dent on April 5, 1898. The latter. so
the "New York Evening Post" as
serts, was by that time $50 much
further dragged along by Congress
that he did not even mention the crit
zeal dispatch, nor was it deemed pru-
dent TO publish it at all until after
the lapse of three years"
NJ Viallate tries further to show
that the Government of the United
States came very near asking the in
tervention Of the Pope On April 4.
be says, the Spanish minister in the
United States telegraphed that he
had just had an interview with Arch
bishop ireland. That prelate had
come to Washington "on the orders
of the Pope" He had seen the Pres
ident twice, who "ardently desired
peace" but was afraid that Congress
would vote war, which the helpless
man would finally be obliged to Weld
(eeder) A final effort must be
made, etc.
We are unable to discover anything
new or startling in what NJ. Viallate
has to say regarding that stirring
period in our country's history; nor
are the comments by the Evening
Post upon the results Of that writers
researches" in the archives of the
Spanish government calculated 10 in
spire us with confidence in the sound
ress Of It's judgment or to impress us
by its familiarity with events preced-
ing the outbreak of the war
On the contrary, the deductions Of
the Post" seem not only TO be singu-
larry weak, but to be based on abso-
lutely wrong premises. War was in
evitable, in our opinion, from the
moment the Maine sank to the bottom
OF Havana Harbor-inevitable, we
say, because it is not conceivable that
Spain would ever have admitted re-
sponsibiIity for that act Of treachery.
To argue that the offer to suspend
hostilities" furnished grounds for
nverting war is % leave out Of ones
calculations the Cubans, and the po-
sition they occupied. They were
then, as we know, in possession Of the
open country. The Spaniards
squatted in and about half dozen
fortified towns. They were on the
defensive; practically, on the run.