A difficulty immediately arose. Spain has placed certain Custom-House duties on this class of goods. Our Government sent to the Spanish representative, and asked that these duties be remitted, as the goods were not being sent for sale, but for charity.
The Spanish officers said they were extremely sorry to be unable to oblige us, but declared that they had not the power to remit the duties.
They said that such action could only be taken by the Spanish Cortes (the Congress) or by a special decree of the Crown.
They said that owing to the annoyance felt by Spain over the passing of the Morgan resolution, it would not be safe to ask the Cortes for any such concession. Such a request would be likely to raise a storm about Cuban affairs that might overthrow the Ministry, and encourage Carlist uprisings.
The Spanish Minister declared that it would be just as dangerous to ask for a Royal Decree. The enemies of the Government would rise against it, and insist on a change of Ministry.
Whether this statement is true or false, it puts us in the very unpleasant position of having to pay a large part of our Relief Fund to the Spanish Customs, or to keep our poor countrymen waiting for the help they so sorely need until the matter can be arranged.
The Spaniards say that when they offered to help
us in distributing the Fund they had no idea but that the supplies would be purchased in Cuba.
While this tariff affair is annoying and distressing us, other difficulties have been cleared out of the way of getting the supplies to Cuba by the generous action of the owners of the Ward line of steamers.
One of the directors of this line called at the State Department in Washington, and offered the Government the use of one of its steamers to carry the food and provisions to the starving Americans in Cuba.