[3][4] Although he was not considered a successful lawyer, his writing career and connections within the Democratic party earned him notoriety and the presidency of the Alabama State Bar.

[10] He would first be tested when the Mora case was reopened as the Spanish Cortes blocked payments conceded by Foreign Minister Segismundo Moret over illegally confiscated land from a naturalized U.S.

Antonio Cánovas del Castillo instructed then Foreign Minister Carlos O'Donnell to solicit European support against the eventuality of the U.S. invading Cuba and the Monroe Doctrine.

In the Summer of that year, O'Donnell drafted a memorandum that stated American intervention would ultimately result in the destabilizing and overthrowing of the Spanish Monarchy and its colonial holdings, which would in turn spread to the rest of Europe.

Taylor would then respond by warning O'Donnell that, should he continue with the plot, the Cleveland administration would perceive it as a hostile action which saw the memorandum scrapped.

[11] That same year, Taylor would seek compromise by requesting Spain grant semi-autonomy to Cuba under the rule of Cánovas del Castillo.