The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-11
ACTION AT WASHINGTON.
No Reply Expected For Possibly
Forty-eight Hours.

No Reply Expected For Possibly
Forty-eight Hours.
Washington, Aug 1O.--The prelimi-
nary negotiations looking toward the
confiT nation of peace advanced a long
step today, when the secretary of state
and the French ambassador agreed up
on the terms upon which future nego
tiations for treaty are to be conducted
and reduced these to the form of a pro-
tocol. This protocol, it is true, is yet
to be signed and is to be submitted to
the Spanish government before the for
NAL signatures are affixed, but the adj
ministration view as to the progress
made todey was set out in Secretary
Days sentence: 1T is believed that
this protocol will be executed
There is always the possibility in
dealing with the Spanish government
that it may recede at the last moment
from an implied agreement, but il is
scarcely possible that it would be will
ing to involve the French ambassador
in the difficulties that would follow
what to the world would seem to be a
reputation of his benevolent efforts
in behalf of Spain.
There must be delay possibly from
"a to 4S hours before the next step can
be taken and the protocol made bind
ing upon both the United States and
Spain, by the attachment of the sigma
lures of the plenpotentiary, Secretary
Day. Tor the United States, and NJ.
CambOn for Spain.
h The delay will be largely attributable
to physical causes. The protocol is
long. 1t must be translated and turned
back and forth into code and simple
language no less than five times before
it reaches Madrid, through the French
foreign office. This work was not be-
gun until late this afternoon, after 1t
had consumed the best energies of As
Sistant Secretary Adee of the state de-
partment and NJ Thiebaut. secretary
of the French embassy. in the prepar-
ationtin formal shape of two copies of
the protocol one in English and one in
French. These We're prepared very
carefully. The length of the protocol
imposed a great amount of labor upon
the cipher clerks. or whoever is charged
with the work of rendering the original
into cipher, so that altogether ii is ap-
parent the consumption of time involv-
ed in purely mechanical functions will
be SO considerable as to make the rem
dition Of very early answer improba-
bic.
NO CHANGE IN TERMS.
AS to the character OF the protocol it
terms are in all practical points those
set out in the abstract of the presi-
dents conditions, published from the
White House a week ago. From this
fact, it is deduced that the extra con-
ditions and qualifications sought to be
imposed by the Spanish government
were abandoned at least in large part,
by the French ambassador This deduc-
ton is supported by the circumstance
that in the early morning, and before
the conference between Secretary Day
and NJ Cambon, which resulted in the
agreement, there was a prevalent i'm
preston, based upon the utterances of
public men who had talked with the
president, that the Spanish answer was
Unsatisfactory and the negotiations
looked as if they might terminate sud
denly. AS this situation changed SO
suddenly after the conference, it may
be fairly assumed that the ambassa-
dor abandoned the conditions which the
president was reputed to have regarded
as unsatisfactory
Although no definite statement could
be obtained from any one acquainted
with he details of the situation, ii
was surmised that the ambassador,
having presented certain Spanish re-
quests yesterday in connection with
the acceptance of the four bases of
peace laid down by the president, had
been authorized TO modify or withdraw
such Of these additional representations
as should prove unacceptable to the
United States.
1t is believed that the protocol car
ries within itself provision for the ces-
sation of hostilities. On this point the
naval contingent is urgent that our
government adopt the Napoleonic pol
icy OF refusing to enter into an armi-
stice without acquiring some substan-
tial pledge to secure the consumlna-
ton of peace. What they particularly
desire is that our government shall. de-
mand as a condition the cessation of
hostilities, the surrender TO the United
States military forces of MORO castle,
some such points of vantage at the
other important ports in the territory
soon to fall under our control.
PEACE COMMISSIONERS.
The peace negotiations are now be-
leved to be advanced to a point where
the president has felt warranted in
NtGrning his attention to the selection of
the commissioners to be charged by
the United States with the drafting of
a treaty of peace. So far as can be /
gathered but one name has been posi-
lively determined upon, namely, that
commission. Beyond that point there
is no certainty, although some promi- /
nent names have been brought for
ward Mr. Woodford, our late minis |
ter to Spain, has been so mentioned, |
though as he is credited with entertain- |
ing desire TO return to Madrid in the