Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-15
SPANISH OFFER TO CUBANS
United States and Spain Said to Have
Reached an Agreement,
PARDON FOR ALL OF THE INSURGENTS
Sweeping Reforms In the Admiuistrn-
tion of Affairs ON the island Com
ditioncd on Cessation of Hos
tilitics--TrcRty All Ready.

NEW YORK, Jan. 1i.-Thc World today
publishes a dispatch from Washington say
! ing the agreement between the United States
and Spain regarding the terms to be granted
the Cuban insurgents has practically been
concluded 1t is neither a treaty nor
diplomatic memorandum. 1t is a com
pact, or agreement, between the United States
and Spain upon the terms that Spain Is will
ing to grant the insurgents. 1t provides !or
capltuation and pardon OF the insurgents,
for whom General Gomez is expected 20
sign the treaty. There are three parties
to the agreement The United States repre-
sents the insurgents. There are still some
details to be arranged, and these may occupy
ten days more. BY the end of January the
terms will be complete. They will then he
laid before congress in special message
from Cleveland. simultaneously they viii
be promulgated in Madrid and in havana
The provisional draft of the new terms was
embodied in a lengthy communication ad-
dressed to Senor de Lone from the premier
Senior Canoyas This was brought by Senor
Pablo Solar y Guardlsta, who arrived mere
from Madrid on Monday.
1t included not only the amendments 10 the
! reform law of 1885 professionally stated)
that Spain is now willing to grant, but also
draft of a treaty between Spain ana the
Insurgents in which the reforms are TO go
into effect The first draft of this proposed
treaty of capitulation read as follows:
Article 1.-The political, organic ana ad-
ministrative reforms contained in the reform
law Of March 23. 1895, with all of the amend
ments agreed 20 between the United states
and the legal representatives oil the CUBAN
revolutionists and the government oil SPAN
shall be Immediately established in Cuba.
Article 2--Trce pardon for all the politicai
offenses committed from 1865 TO date ana
freedom for these who are under lhulctmclI
from the Spanish army regardless OF natlon
ality this clause being extended to lnclNde
all those who have taken part directly OF
indirectly in the revolutionary movement
Article 3--No Individual who by virtue OF
this capitulatlon shall submit TO ana re-
main under the authority OF the Spanish gov
ernment shall be compelled to render eny
military service before peace Is established
over the whole territory.
GIVEN FREE PASSPORTS.
Article 4-Every individual who by virtue
of this capitulation may wish to depart irohl
the island shall be permitted to do so ana
the Spanish government shall provide MIN
with the means therefor without lassing
through any town or settlement If he de-
Sires.
Article 5-The capitulaton of each force
shall take place in an uninhaoltod spot
where beforehand the arms and munitions OF
war shall be deposited.
Article Elm order to further the accept
ance by the insurgents of the other Depart
ments of these articles of capitulAt;0H the
commander-n-chief of the Spanish army
shall furnish them free transportation by
land and sea over all tho lines within his
control to the central department.
Article This compact with the legal
representatives of the Cuban insurgents shall
be deemed to have been male with all in
rebellion against the authority of the
Spanish crown who may accept It's condl-
tions.
1t is the expectation that General Gomez,
with a committee of other Cuban leaders
will meet the representatives of Spain at
time and place not yet settled and sign this
treaty. Its terms are similar to that of the
capitulation of Zanjoan at the close of the
ten years war.
While the details offered to the reform
edict of March, 1895, cannot now be def
nitey stated, inasmuch as they are still
open to change and modification, it can be
safely asserted that the concessions which
General Gomez demanded through Senor
Sagasta have received marked consideration.
Tho points which remain unsettled refer
to the insurgents and their immediate ac-
ceptance of the peace treaty. While 1t is
hinted at the Spanish legation and substan-
TALLY corrOboratod at the State department
that General Gomez has promised to lay
down his arms in the event of the United
States becoming in a moral sense guarantor
of these conditions. preliminary under
standing between Ine insurgents Onu tne
United States Is not definitely settled
Spain clings to her old position of dictat-
ing her own terms and absolutely forming
her own policy. Nevertheless she has been
forced by the complicated circumstances of
the case to acknowledge the United States
as party to the Cuban war, and in sub
hitting to the treaty she proposes to make
with her rebellious subjects she also ac-
lnowledges tacitly the position of the United
States as a mediator and as a guarantor of
the observance of the treaty terms.
Another report says IL is positively denied
that Spain and the United States have praC-
tically concluded an agreement regarding
terms to be offered the insurgents for the
settlement of the Cuban rebellion. 1t is
denied also that special envoy OF Spain is
to be sent to the United States as private
negotiator with special instructions from
Senior Canovas and the duke of Tetuan.
1t is said that this latter report probably
arises from the fact that Senior Solar has
arrived in Washington recently to succeed
one of the secretaries of the legation. Senor
Solar was formerly the secretary to the duke
of Tetuan, and when his coming was first
announced a report similar to the present
one was circulated and officially denied
INDEPENDENCE OR NOTHING.
WASHINGTON. Jan 14.-Mr. Quesada of
the Cuban junta today received a long letter
from his uncle. Salvador De Cisneros, the
president of the Cuban republic, which, by
inferences, gives a denial to the reports that
the insurgents are willing to negotiate terms
Of peace on any other basis than absolute
independence. The latter says in part:
81 am very glad to see the people and
congress of the United States will continue to
show sympathy for Cuba. / am preparing
an appeal in which the government of the
republic will ask for the recognition of the
independence of the island
'Wo will renew our offensive campaign In
a few days Gomez has left me to enter
Santa Clara with relnforcements and muni-
tlons of war. He will go further west Our
situation Is rost prosperous and If we had
plenty of ammunition, not only for rifles, but
for cannon, and In Camaguey a dynamite
cannon, the railroads would be destroyed
and the few garrlsoned inland towns would
be abandoned by the enemy and they would
be confined to the coast. AS | expect to
receive these war materials from abroad we
very soon will drive them to the coast and
be in a position to give them. when they
depart, our last goodbye"
Senior Quesda declares there Is absolutely
no truth Inv the reports of a plan for COM
promise on a basis of home rule for the
Cubans and says: THE Cubans are deter
mined to fall like men, rather than shame
fully and with cowardce renounce our
purpose by entering into or accepting any
agreement which would mean the abandon
ment forever of the high ideal of complete
emanclpatioon To all such projects the
Cubans will respond now and always with
their motto Independence or Death'"