Rock Island Argus., 1898-09-16
FULLY INSTRUCTED
Is All Officialdom at Washington
Will Say as TO the Peace
Commissioners.
THEY SAIL FOR EUROPE SATURDAY

4 with Their Minds stored with the Desires
| OF the Administration as to the Cutting
| Up of the rs-Representatives of the
| Saratoga Foreign Policy Conference Gail
the President just in the Nick OF
Time-Omcial Statement.
Washington, Sept. 16. - The cabinet
| met in special session at o'clock yes
| terday afternoon and adjourned at }.
| All of the members were present except
Secretary A!ger, who is not in the city.
| All urited IN the statement made after
the p.eeting that they had agreed u
say Pothing more of the result of the
deliberations than that the peace COM
| missioners bad been fully instructed.
OF the nature of these instructions they
conveyed ret a word. Each pointed out
that to DO So would be extremely i'm
polite ard would amount to arming the
Spanish commissioners in advance
against the Americans. The peace COM
nissiouers who were approached on the
subject made a similar response. thus
closing ali official avenues of informa-
tion. 1t was said that the commission
ers were fully instructed" and upon
seeking further explanation of this
phase ii appeared that the cabinet had
patiently Gone over in the discussion
with the commissioners every subject
that in their opinion could be brought
into the proceedings before the joint
commission.
Not Under Ironciad Instructions.
On each CT these the American COM
missioners were made acquainted with
the views and wishes of the administra-
ton. 1t is not to be understood from
this that the commissioners GO under
ironclad and unchangeable instructions
at an oints, for there is certain
amount of feXib.l.ty in the instructions,
without wmSh, as one of the cabinet
members put it, the president might
just as well have reduced his wishes to
PAPER in the form of an ultimatum and
have sent that to Paris by messenger.
The peace commissioners are in no
sense mere mouthpieces, but having
chosen with the greatest care and con-
sidera.ion five men in whom he puts the
most implicit confidence, the president
feels that they are to be trusted with
the interests of the United States.
Can Somewhat shape the Policy.
1t is not expected that they will have
n free rein in the larger questions Of
policy. but with ample opportunities fur
consultations by cable and otherwise
there is no reason why the oonmis-
sioncrs Shculd not be able to carry out
the desires Of the administration AMI at
the same tine have the opportunity to
somewhat shape those desires by con-
veying information. they may acquire
For instance, IL is expected that at
Paris the commissioners will meet Gen
eral Merritt, fresh from Manila and in
addition they wiki there have the beRe-
fit of a special report from Admiral
Dewey. These will be of the greatest
value for the commissioners are not
acquainted with the Philippine ques-
tion in detail, and even the information
that is to be acquired from the Span
ish peace commissioners is not to be
despised when it takes such an official
form that it can be relied upon as to
New York on the Campania at p. m.
Saturday.
Why Send Commission Then?
The state department last night gave
out the following statement concerning
the discussion between the members of
the cabinet and the peace commission
yesterday: While for obvious reasons
1T was determined that the nature of
the instructions as to the negotiation
about to be entered upon should for the
present be kept secret and made known
ONLY after definite results Shall have
been reached, it is possible to state au-
that the commission goes
to Paris fully prepared to follow a
course of action mapped out for it as
the result of the consultations of the
last two days. At the very outset it
will be made clear to the Spanish COM
that. as in the case of the
protocol. there can be no
deviation from or modification of the
made by the United States"