The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1898-12-10
ALL SETTLED
Judge Day Announces the Practi-
cal Conclusion Of a Treaty
With Spain.
Mondays Joint Session Of the
Peace Commissions Was
Important,
Though It Left the Participants
in Rather a Bad Frame
of Mind.
Americans Yielded One Point
But They Flatly Refused
Another.
Spanish Ships Not Given Special
Privileges in Cuba or
Porto Rico.

PARIS, Dec. THE joint commission
met at p. m. and is still sitting as this
dispatch is sent. It has developed that
Mondays session was of far greater inn
portance than generally supposed. Il
resulted in the Americans uncompro-
misingly rejecting Spain's request tlat
for term of years the ships Of that
country and its products be admitted to
Cuban and Porto Rican ports under the
same regulations and customs tariffs as
American ships and products.
The Spanish commission for some
days has been playing for time. The
Americans were anxious for a decision
on the question of coaling station in
the Caroline islands, religious tolerance
in the Carolines, and the release of polit.
ical prisoners. The Spaniards were un.
willing to answer these points until they
heard what the Americans proposed tc
do for their industries which had been
built up by the Cuban and Porto Rican
trade.
This is where Spain contended that
the articles of the treaty he disposed 81
in their order, while the Americans
wanted first to settle their pressing
needs. The session was practically q
fight on the order Of procedure. Finally
the Americans yielded and the Span
iards proposed their shipping and com
mercial question, which the Americans
rejected in its entirety. The session
then adjourned with neither side in ar
especially amiable frame of mind.
Were Instructed to Refuse.
It is learned that there were differ.
ences of opinion among the Americans
on the shipping questions and numer.
ous kilograms were exchanged with
Washington. Finally the American
commission was instructed to refuse
the principal reason being that Porte
Rico is about to be declared within the
coast line of the United States, while as
regards Cuba, authorities at Washing.
ton would make no promises, as the
American occupation there is not fixed
and the future Cuban government may
make it's own treaties.
Exactly what Spain required was that
her ships and products should be &C.
corded the same privileges in Cuba and
Porto Rico for a period of 10 years, az
had been conceded to Spain in the Phil.
ippines. This request was supported by
the precedents in the case of Louisiana
and Florida, when the products and
ships Of France and Spain were admitted
to the ports of New Orleans, Pensacola
and St. Augustine, for 10 years, the
same as the United States. In the case
of the purchase of Louisiana the same
rules were extended to the products and
ships of Spain because she had ceded
louisiana to France three years pre-.
viously.
All Questions Settled.
When the commissioners emerged
from the foreign Office after very long
session, Judge Day, president Of the
American commission, announced that
all questions had been settled, and that
the treaty would be signed in three OF
four days. The work remaining con.
sists largely in drafting into language