Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-08-11
A RESORT TO DIPLOMACY.
Spain's Acceptance of President.
McKinley's Peace Proposals
Thought to Be Handicapped.
OUTSIDE ISSUES MAY Be INJECTED,
The Fun Reply Received by Ambassador
Cambon, but No Time Fixed for Com
ference-On Its Face an Acceptance.
but with Many Incidental Points In
vOlved.

ference-On It's Face an Acceptance,
but with Many Incidental Points In
volved.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9.-The reply OF
the Spanish government to the peace
conditions laid down by the United
States was received by the French am
| bassador, NJ Cambon, shortly before
three o'clock yesterday afternoon.
The reply came in sections, the dis
patch first received giving only the
opening passages of the Spanish re-
ply, A few minutes later another dis
patch brought another section and
these kept coming uninterruptedly by
process of messengers, until seven
sections of the Spanish reply had been
received,at $50 o'clock, when the last
| part was still to arrive. In the mean
time the cipher experts were at work.
| and, by 4:3O, they were abreast of all
that portion of the reply received up
| to that time, and there was lapse OF
| some time pending the arrival of the
concluding portions.
Speculation is Rife.
Pending the official delivery of the
answer, speculation was rife as to it's
! contents. There was little or no fur
Their doubt that the length of the reply
received meant that Spain had not
given simple and direct affirmative to-
the American conditions. 1t was evil
dent that if the reply was an accept
ance, it was accompanied by extended
discussion and probably by conditions.
| This caused considerable apprehen---
| sion in official circles here, for while it
was felt last week that Spain would
surely yield in every particular, it be-
gan to be felt that possibly there might
be another period of discussion ano
possibly an indirect attempt to open ur
diplomatic exchange on the nature
| If the terms.
Many Incidental Points Involved.
| In the carrying out of this pro-
/ yramme it was believed that Spain.
would seek to secure an understanding
IN many incidental points involved,
some of them of considerable impor-
lance. For instance, some doubt was
| raised as to whether Spains acceptance
| would be operative until referred to.
md ratified by the Spanish cortes, and
it was understood that the reply might.
| .all attention to this condition. The
ame condition, it was pointed out, ex'
SITS as to the United States, for peace
treaty requires the ratification of the
senate to become operative.
Wide Latitude for Controversy.
| In case Spain's answer discussed
| these incidental points there promised
| TO be wide latitude for controversy and p
| delay unless the president and cabinet
| declined to enter the field of discus
sion.
| Accepted In q General Way.
| Late in the afternoon the president
received an indirect intimation that
the Spanish reply had come to the:
French embassy. A cabinet officer
who was with him at this time, said on,
| leaving:
1.-THE information that has come from
Madrid about the action of the Spanish,
cabinet indicates the Spanish have ac
cepted our terms in u general way, but
leaves several question open that we
| did not include in the terms submitted.
The communication Offering those
terms was explicit, specifically stating;
such points as would be left open to
| further negotiations. We will stand
| on these terms"
Personnel of the Commission.
The administration has not vet.
given serious consideration to the per.
| sonnet of the peace commission but it
can be stated that no one not in accord
with the presidents present views as
to the disposal of the Philippines will.
be appointed, and Mr.. Mckinley ia
vors keeping at least Manila harbor
and bay and sufficient territory around.
it for its support and protection, if not
the whole of Luzon island. AS to mem.
bers of the cabinet as members of the,
commission, there are precedents for
their appointment, notably the treaty
of Client.
The Full Reply Received.
The concluding portion of the Span.
ish reply was received during the.
evening, but it was not until a late
hour that it was deciphered as a whole
and gone over by the ambassador
No effort was made to communicate
it to the United States government
last night, beyond a note to Secretary,
Day advising him that the document
had been received, but not disclosinp.
its contents.
1t is probable that the reply will be
delivered to the president before the,
cabinet meeting to-day.
There Ii Complete Reticence In all Quar-
ters.
as to the text of the reply, but there ;s
reason to believe it is not an unouali.
fed acceptance of the American terms
but framed on the theory OF accepting.
the essentials and trusting to a hoped.
for conciliatory spirit on the part Of
this government to moderate to some
extent features which the Spanish gov
eminent seems to regard rs nnna,vo