The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-12-02
APPEALS FROM SPAIN.
Special Trade Privileges Asked in
the Conquered Provinces
FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS.

That spain Cannot Immediately
Sever Business Relations SO Long
Maintained with the West Indies.
Paris, Dec. 2-Anxious as both are
to conclude their work, the United
States and Spanish peace commissions
did not hold a joint session yesterday
Their next meeting will be held at 2
o'clock this afternoon.
This delay arose from the fact that
the Spanish commissioners at We'd
nesday's session offered several urgent
propositions which called for special
deliberation upon the part of the Amer
leans. Spain asks the United States
to grant for a term of five years to
Spanish ships carrying Spanish goods
or products to Porto Rico and Cuba
the same privilege as American vessels
engaged in the same trade may have,
and she qualities this request by a
proviso that trade privileges be ex-
tended to Cuba so long as the United
States government Is dominant over
that island.
In support of this request the Span
ish commissioners assert that Spain
cannot, without vital harm, Immediate
ly abandon or cut the business rela-
tions so long maintained between the
mother country and the West Indian
territories. They declare that family
ties and social relations, added to af-
fairs Of trade maintained through CEN
turtles, require gradual dissolution.
They invoke the terms Of the treaty
OF 1919, by which the United States
took over Florida from Spain, and the
18th article of which granted Spain for
II years the right to send her goods and
products to Florida in Spanish ships,
on the same terms as the ships carry
ing thither goods and products of the
United States.
The Spanish commissioners cite fur
ther the fact that the treaty of 1903
with France for the cession of Louisi-
ana granted French and Spanish goods
and products the same terms as Amer
leans in New Orleans and other ports
in the ceded territory.
Finally Spain points to the American
proposed open door" policy in the
Philippines, and asks a guarantee of
the same advantages in her late West
Indian colonies until trade relations
can by degrees accustom themselves
to the change of sovereignty.
This proposition, and the arguments
by which it was supported are con-
sidered strongly stated, and the Amer
lean commissioners desired time for
deliberation. Thus, though busy until
nearly 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon,
they were not fully prepared, and Judge
Day sent a message to Senor Montero
Rios requesting that the joint session
fixed for yesterday afternoon be post
| poned until today.
| Meanwhile the Spanish commission
| ers had been preparing a list Of sub
| jects for negotiation, supplemented by
| suggestions counter to and amenda-
| tory of the subjects the Americans sub
mitted on Wednesday. This came to
the American commissioners yesterday
in Spanish, rendering it even more de-
| sirable to postpone the joint session
in order to give time for translation
and consideration.
1t seems unlikely that the commits
sioners will finish their work as soon
as had been expected. 1t is probable
that the negotiations will last consid-
erably longer. Madrid has instructed
the Spanish commissioners on three
points to which the Americans attach
much Importance. These are the ces-
sion of an island in the Carolines, the
granting of religious freedom over the
whole of the Carolnes and the cession
of cable and coaling station at Ceuta
The Spanish government has in
structed Senior Montero Rios to grant
none of these, and while Spain may
ultimately yield to them all, it is ad-
mitted that the American commits
sioners have no power to enforce their
demands on points not covered by the
protocol. Before Spain does yield the
negotiations are likely to be prolonged
and the United States may have to give
a substantial quid pro quo