The record-union., 1898-10-31
SENIOR MONTERO RIOS ILL.
MAY WITHDRAW
FROM NEGOTIATIONS.
They May Prefer War to Surren-
dering the Whole Of the
Philippines.

PARIS, Oct. 30.-Senor Montero Rios.
President of the Spanish Peace Com
mission, is ill. This causes some doubt
this evening as to whether there will
be joint session of the commission
tomorrow. If he is able to attend it
is unlikely that the Spaniards would
consent to enter the conference to take
up the Philippine question for initial
consideration
There is strong impression which
has been growing here recently, that
the Spanish, upon receiving definite as
suranceS of the American determine
tion to take the entire Philippine group,
would quit the conference, and all ne
gotiations are modified by the atti-
tude of the Spanish Cabinet papers
which arrived here to-day.
These are found to have wheeled in
to line with the "Epoca" of October
9th, which demanded that the Span
ish Commissioners should sign a treaty
in Paris, no matter how onerous the
conditions imposed by the Americans.
Nevertheless, despite this attitude in
the Madrid press, and despite the de-
nial given on Friday last to the cor
respondent of the Associated Press by
that the Spaniards had any intention
of withdrawing, the Americans here
will not be surprised if one or more of
the Spaniards resign and close the ne
gotiations.
This feeling is based on the fact
that Senior Rios early last week would
have resigned if his so doing would
not have imperiled the Sagasta Minis
nd fle tie
pressing the Cuban debt, which is not
mentioned in the protocol and which
the Spanish Commissioners insist
should not be left to Spain alone.
Senior Rios were inclined to resign, he
might in the open field of contention
as to the Philippines feel that resigna-
ton would help Senior Sagasta, on the
ground that the demand of the United
States for the entire Philippine group
would be extortionate. 1t is believed
here tonight on the eve of taking up
the main question that the Spanish
Commissioners are not likely to ac-
quiesce in any treaty that the Ameri-
cans would sign. In the Philippine
discussion two prominent questions are
likely to be raised by the Spaniards.
The first is on the protocol phrase,
Control, disposition and government
of the archipelago, the Spaniards
doubtless holding that the word dis
position" does not involve possession,
though they know that possession
was originally written in the protocol
and changed to disposition on NJ.
Cambon's insistence in behalf of Span
ish sensibilities.
Collateral to this is a second con-
tention, possibly to be merged with
the first, that when the protocol was
signed there was an exterior moral
agreement between M. Cambon and
Judge Day that neither the protocol
nor it's terms should, in the treaty ne
gotiations, involve Spanish sovereignty
in the Philippine archipelago.
On this point Judge Day, through
the Associated Press, has already
pointedly denied the existence of an
actual conservative or implied under
standing outside of the protocol either
verbally or in correspondence, and
this denial is supported by the French
yellow book.
NJ Cambon, however, has given the
matter some significance by attempt
ing to deny the note, which was print
ed in the Paris papers.
The joint session. if it is held to-
morrow, will begin at 2 D. M The
American case is ready for presenta-
ton.