Evening star., 1898-12-17
WHY RIOS is 50 SAD
Spanish Commissioner Says His
Country's Honor is Assailed.
ADVERfS TO THE MAINE INCIDENT
He Calls the United States an Up-
start Conqueror.
THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION

LONDON, December 1.-THE following ls
the full text of the interview between Senor
Mcntero Rios, president of the Spanish
peace commission. and NJ. De Blowitz. the
Paris correspondent of the London Times.
published in that paper this morning. Senor
Montero Rios is quoted as saying:
We have fulfilled here very painful
mission, in which it is impossible to dream
of looking forward with any satisfaction
but that of doing our duty We depart
without other consolation than the excla-
nation:
" Tout est perdu sauf rhonneur"-(AIl IL
lost but honor.D
We knew in advance that we should have
TO deal with an implacable conqueror, who
would in no way concern himself with any
pre-extstinS international law. but whose
sole object was 10 reap from victory the
largest possible advantage. This concpp-
tion of international law is absolutely new.
IL is no longer case of might against
right, but of might without right As for
US, we had only to protect ourselves against
the abasenient which ii was desired to in
fict upon Us, and TO prove in spite of our
blunders and mistakes. that we had not
compromised the proverbial loyalty to tho
Castilian fatheriand.
Grandeur I'm MisfortuBe.
Misfortune also has grandeur. The
Americans have acted as vainqueurs par
venus upstart conquerors). They do not
yet know the misfortune of defeat hut
there are things which the most fortunate
natives cannot escape later on-when they,
too. will have had reverses-when they will
have become homogeneous and are no long
er obliged to satisfy the exigencies OF po-
htical parties they. too, will form. like all
other nations with past. a code OF inter-
national rights and duties. and be less In
e1lNi
feat. They will better understand that a
strict observance of conditions agreed to,
even in the thick of fight, is a guarantee
and protection for all concerned. for the
conqueror as well the vanquished.
Nations do not count by days or weeks
but by centuries, and in the course Of their
existence events assume various complex
ions.
I'VE signed, on August II. a protocol sus-
pending hostilities. and IL was on August
IA that the American general demanded the
surrender of Manila. The archipelago had
not been won and has not yet been con-
quered The fate of the Philippines re-
mained undetermined and Spanish sover-
eighty was still in force, since We were still
waging war with considerable forces to
suppress the insurrection. But, after a
Journey across a portion of the United
States, President Mckinley changed his
policy and decided upon claiming the Phil
ippines by right of conquest. Vet, repeat,
the Philippines, even now are still uncon-
quered. The two chief islands, the two
richest-Mindanao and Luzon-are not won.
"Mindanao and the island of the great
lake contain a population of half breeds,
half Malay and half Spanish. constituting
military oligarchy which rules the rest
of the islands and occupies the richest
portion OF the territory on the shores OF
the lake. l know the country and its in
habitants. They are proud. strong and
warlike, and not only are they uncon-
quered, but their conquest will not he
complished quickly. Yet the United States
cl as isl
as though their conquest was complete.
Their Honor Attacked, Too.
But what most pains me is that in this
great whirlwind In which we have lost all,
lost our last Armada, there has been an
attempt to deprive us OF our honor Ms
well. On December j I proposed to the
Americans to appoint technical commits
sion TO examine the question of the Maine,
We said America will appoint an American,
an Englishman and a Frenchman, and We
will appoint Spaniard, an Englishman and
Frenchman, all specialists, and that the
commission, the two governments, APP
point a German, and that these seven men
bring in verdict. If they declare Spain
innocent, the President of the United States
will address a message to the Senate de-
claring Spanish honor intact and that
Spain was falsely accused of having be-
trayed the laws of hospitality by blowing
up a vessel at anchor in one of her ports
will go to America, salute the United
States flag and Spain will pay the costs.
This is the proposal we made on Decem-
ber l. 1t could have been and must have
been telegraphed, for it could be put into
two hundred words. On December :, in his
message to Congress, the President made
no allusion to our proposal, but described
the blowing up of the Maine as a suspi-
ciouS event
"On December 6 the American commis-
sioners declared they refused to discuss this
question. This is what especially irritates
us. We have great defects. Our hot tenn
per- and cruelties even; but our national
honor is dear to Yet at that honor the
Going Home to Help Spain.
We'll, we are now going home to help
Spain stanch the wound. We have, hap
PLY, at our head a woman whose virtues,
courage and intelligence are our strength
and hope, who is beloved and esteemed by
all parties who henceforth has the heart
of a Spaniard.
1.-The latest news from the frontier is that
all is pretty quiet There are, moreover,
really no Carlists but the priests, who re-
call the g,oomiest period In our history.
Don Carlos himself is no Carlist- He has
lived too long in the most advanced coun-
tries to be retrogade, and the Carlists and
fanaticism have disappeared. Nor are there
any longer men who want a republic. Cas-
telar Piuy Margai and Salmeron are loyal
opponents
We shall abide by traditions OF honor
and sobriety. Perhaps by the time our
young king who has been brought up ia
the school of adversely under the eye of "a
noble woman. attains his majority, We will
see days of peace and prosperity return"
NO TROUBLE IN CHINA.