The record-union., 1898-08-05
MCKINLEY IS FIRM.
Declines to Modify the Demands
Of the United States.

States Government is now waiting to
hear again from Spain, and this time it
is expected the answer will be final.
Firmly, but courteOusly, the President
has declined the earnest appeal of the
French ambassador to modify the
United States demands, except in slight
and comparatively unimportant re-
spects. There is no doubt that the
peace negotiations are progressing to
the entire satisfaction of the President
and the members Of the Cabinet A
statement to that effect was made to-
day by high official of the Admins
tration, who expressed the belief that
within a very short time there would
be complete cessation of hoStilltleS.
The conference yesterday afternoon
at the White House, in which the Pres
ident, M. Cambon and Secretary Day
participated, was devoted almost en-
tirely to a discussion of details which
are regarded by the President as unim-
partant and hence the requests of the
French ambassador for the most part
Will be acceded to. One of these was
that the commission to be appointed to
settle the terms of peace shall meet
outsiGe of the United States, and pref
erably in France. The President sees
no material objection to granting this
request. and it is said to be practically
settled that the conferences will be
/ held in Paris.
! The Madrid Government, through NJ.
Cambon, propounded number of ques-
| tions as 10 the time when Spain would
! be expected to evacuate Cuba and the
! territory TO be ceded to the United
States, and as to what provision would
1.
tect the interests of Spanish subjects.
NJ Cambon was informed upon all these
points presumably to his satisfaction.
There is one point, however. which
| the Spanish authorities, judging from
their communication to their represen-
! tative here, fail fully to comprehend,
and Secretary Days call upon the En-
bassador last night was for the pur-
| pose apparently of making perfectly
clear this one point, which was that the
evacuation of Cuba, Porto Rico and one
! of the Ladrone Islands, to be settled by
the United States, and the permanent
cession to this Government of all these
| islands, except Cuba, was made a con-
dition precedent to all peace negotia-
tions, mad that not until these terms
had been fully complied with would this
{
peace proposition whatever. This very
important condition does not it is said,
seem to be fully comprehended by the
Madrid authorities. and it was with the
view Of setting them straight upon this
point. that Secretary Day made his call
upon NJ. Cambon last night.
The questions upon which the Span
ish Government has so far asked for
! Cd II i,,fa Ion, Io1 l,r
the Administration as perfectly legiti-
mate and proper, and up to this time
nothing has occurred to bring in the
question of the sincerity of their mo-
\ tlves. Under these circumstances, it
/ is the purpose of the President to deal
with them in a spirit of perfect fair
ness and to make hte road of peace as
smooth for them as the rights and dig
| nifty of this Government will permit
and to this end unimportant conces-
sons will be readily granted.
| 1t was late last night before the con-
cessions of the President regarding the
meeting place of the Peace Commits
sioners was communicated to the Ma
! drid authorities. so that, allowing for
the difference in time. it is impossible for
! an answer TO have been received this
morning. However, it is expected that
the delay will not be long, probably al
\ most not more than day or two. and
/ that the answer, when 1t comes, will. be
I found TO be an unconditional accept
( ance Of the terms as they now stand
/ There does not seem to be occasion for
! further prolonged consideration in Ma
4 drid before making this reply, as the
propositions confronting the spanish
I Cabinet are practically the same as
! those with which they dealt at the pro-
J longed meetings last Sunday and Mon
day
The French ambassador was no. dis
\ appointed in the result OF his meeting
with the President yesterday. He re-
allied that the Spanish plea for an
/ abatement of the conditions would be
7 useless so far as il touches the vital
points of the demand He undoubtedly
reached that conviction at the second
4 interview with the President in going
over with him the terms he proposed
! as a basis for peace had impressed
strongly upon him the determination
of our Government not to indulge in
I quagglng for advantage, not to be
| equipped with two sets of terms, max
imum and minimum conditions. and 70
lay at once the propositions that the
united States deemed to be fair and
I just as a basis for peace, and having
done so TO adhere to them firmly 50
far as all matters of principle We're
/ concerned. But the ambassador felt
that it was his duty, regardless of mis-
personal convictions. to lay the plea of
the Spanish Government before the
President, and that is what yester-
days meeting amounted to.
! Now with the Spanish Government
assured that no further notifications
+ can be expected. there is nothing .e-
naming but an acceptance of the terms
outright or rejection without further
| debate, which is not expected.
Something has been said about an
effort on the part of the Spanish Gov
ernment to secure some guarantee from
1 the United States that the lives and
property of Spanish citizens in con-
quered territory shall he cared for. The
idea of the Administration is that no
such pledge or guarantee is necessary.
Assuming sovereignty over conquered
territory and exercising it either
through civil administration, as will he
the case with Porto Rico in the end.
or through military governorship, as
will be the case in Cuba for an sndef-
fnite time, the United States assumes a