The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-06
THE TREATY NEGOTIATIONS
JOINT COMMISSION IN SESSION
 TOUR HOURS YESTERDAY.

TOUR HOURS YESTERDAY.
 After Listening to Lengthy Arguments
 Judge Day Told the spaniards That
 Ca Peace Treaty Can Contain Anv-
 thing Which the victors Put Into It'
 This UtteraMce-seven More Questions
 Practically Settled.
 Paris, Dec. 5-The joint cona:ission was in session for over four hours to- day. Much of the discussion concerned details as to the guaranteeing of the colonies. The debate was occasionally energetic and the Spaniards, on emerg- ing, appeared to be dejected Secretary Ojeda of the Spanish commission when questioned after the meeting as to the progress made answered excitedly: II am almost mad. l cannot talk. We are making progress The American commissioners declined to say anything further than that the progress made was satisfactory.
 | The Spanish commissioners have re- ceived authority to bind their govern ment on certain matters, but there are yet important questions on which their | instructions are unsatisfactory, and IL | is likely that many of the details in- volved in the change of sovereignty in the Spanish possessions will be left for | settlement by the regular diplomatic processes, when relations between the two governments are resumed. The history of the document which will cer- tify the passing of the oldest colonial power in the world and the advent of the newest was epitomiZed by Judge Day this evening in a single sentence: "A peace treaty can contain anything which the victors put into it."
 The Americans had listened for hours
 with their customary patience to the techncalities convoked by the Span iards with their customary shrewdnesS
 and persistency against every proposa
 making for the dismemberment of then
 empire. Darkness had come on, ane
 the liveried attendants mobilized by
 the French authorities had placed
 tiny lamp at the elbow of each com
 missioner Senator Frye whose uncon cealed contempt for diplomatic quib
 blings excites the astonishment of th
 punctilous Castilians, had stalket
 home The burden of the Spanish ar guments was that matters outside tn 7 bare cession and evacuation of the con ; quered territories which the American , proposed to cover by the treaty wer
 beyond the legitimate and customar.
 scope of a peace treaty. Behind thi , bulwark Senor Montero Rios, presiden of the Spanish commission, fortife : himself, bombarding his opponents wit a supply of arguments and precedent
 which inspired the freely expressed ad miration of the Americans. Finall I Judge Day summarized the America
 position in the foregoing memorable ut terance. It was given and taken i I good spirit and from that moment tn
 proceedings were entirely friendly. Tn session accomplished much. Eigf i, open questions were canvassed, seve f being practically settled without note n worthy discussion. The Americans q
 not regard the settlement of any ques
 tion as difficult.
 The Spanish commissioners insisted a the previous meetings that the settle n ment of the status of Spaniards who re ' main in the colonies was problem g h closely, akin to cession that it coul S not be logically separated from tn h latter, but should be considered next Ii cession and before such matters a .- cosling station and religion. They al f. pealed to the Americans, having gaine l. all the great points, to be generous 0 q the minor ones. Accordingly the Amel n jeans were concliatory to-day on tf n order of procedure as to the status n Spaniards remaining in the lost colo
 nies.
 The Spanish commissioners continue : fighting with tooth and nail to procu1 n every possible pecuniary and oth' W concession. To-day Senor Montero Ri' W proposed that the United States shou J. pay the expenses of shipping the. pri le oners of war In the Philippines a Spain. Another problem entailing Tor o debate was the disposition to be mat l. of the Spanish monitors of war
 number or military posls oulsiue
 Manila, which the United States ha'
 not captured. The Spanish commissio 1T CTS contended that Spain should be pc a mitted to ship such munitions hon le The Americans replied that as u n limited States had conquered the Phlli
 pines these munitions were spoils
 war. The Spaniards finally waived the
 ouihb1e. They appear resigned to t d inevitable and now seem to realize tn
 their best policy is to save as mu !, from the wreck as they can on teehni