Mr. Woodford to Mr.
Sherman.
Legation of the United States,
Madrid, February 14,
1898.
No. 140.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt on Sunday morning, February 13 instant, of telegram from the
Department as follows:1
I have this Monday morning, February 14 instant, telegraphed you as
follows:1
This note to the Spanish minister for foreign affairs was delivered at
his office and receipt obtained this Monday morning at about 10 o’clock,
so that it can be considered by the council of ministers, which, as I
understand, has been called for to-day at 12 o’clock.
To complete the files of the Department I inclose herewith complete copy
of such note.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure in No. 140.]
Mr. Woodford to
Señor Gullon.
Legation of the United States,
Madrid, February 14, 1898.
No. 63.]
Excellency: On the afternoon of last
Thursday, the 10th day of February, and after the adjournment of His
Majesty’s council of ministers, I had the honor to call upon your
excellency and to read to you a copy of a telegram which I had
received that morning from my Government, and which related to a
letter written by the Spanish minister at Washington. I then stated
that I would communicate to my Government at once by telegraph such
answer as your excellency might make, and I left with you a copy of
such telegram and statement. I understood your excellency to reply
that the Spanish Government sincerely regretted the indiscretion of
the Spanish minister at Washington,
[Page 1013]
and that his resignation had been asked and
accepted by cable before our then interview.
I telegraphed to my Government at once that the resignation had been
asked and accepted by cable before our then interview.
It is possible that I misunderstood your excellency in what was said
about the minister’s resignation having been asked by your
Government.
It is now the fourth day since I had the honor of calling upon your
excellency, and I have not yet had the satisfaction of receiving any
formal indication that His Majesty’s Government regrets and disavows
the language and sentiments which were employed and expressed in
such letter addressed by the Spanish minister at Washington to a
distinguished Spanish citizen.
It is my hope and pleasure to believe that the Spanish Government can
not have received the text of the letter written by Señor Dupuy de
Lome to Señor Canalejas, in regard to which I called upon your
excellency last Thursday, and it therefore becomes my duty to
acquaint your excellency with the following extracts from such
letter, which are notably objectionable to my Government:
- First: “El mensaje ha desenganado á los insurrectos que
esperaban otra cosa y ha paralizado la acción del Congreso,
pero yo lo considero malo ademas de la natural é inevitable
grosería con que se repite cuanto ha dicho de Weyler la
prensa y la opinion en España demuestra una vez más lo que
es McKinley debil y populachero y ademas un politicastro que
quiere dejarse una puerta abierta y quedar bien con los
jingoes de su partido.”
- Second: “Seria muy importante que se ocuparan aunque no
fuera más que para efecto de las relaciones comerciales y
que se enviase aquí un hombre de importancia para que yo le
usara aquí para hacer propaganda entre los senadores y otros
en oposición á la junta y para ir———emigrantes.”
The last word before “emigrantes,” and which I have indicated by a
dash, is almost illegible.
I beg to point out to your excellency the insulting character of the
first passage and the insincerity which underlies the suggestions of
the second.
I avail myself, etc.,
