The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-01

Paris, Oct 31.-The American peace
commissioners, each carrying a port
folio containing records and personal
memoranda, left their headquarters in
| the Continental hotel for the meeting
with the Spanish commissioners at the
foreign office. shortly before o'clock
this afternoon. The president of the
Spanish commission, Senior Rios, whose
| health at one time was so precariOuS
as to threaten an indefinite adjourn
| mer1 of the sessions of the commits
sions, had improved to the extent of
enabling him to attend today's meet
| ing He arrived at the foreign office
| in a closed carriage, with his col
| leagues. shortly after the Americans
reached the meeting place Shortly af-
| ter 3 O'Clock the commissioners con-
fronted each other across the table on
which, in 1888, Benjamin Franklin and
| his colleagues signed the treaty Of in
| dependence Of the Unites States.
| The Americans were removing their
wraps when the Spaniards entered the
ante-room, and polite and cordial
| greetings were exchanged as the two
groups, co-mingling, passed through
| the grand salon. where a buffet was
/ spread, and entered the conference
/ chamber, in which, before leaving, the
/ Spaniards would learn the attitude Of
! the United States toward the Philip
pines.
The Spanish commissioners took their
| accustomed places at the historic ta-
| BILE, the afternoon light full in their
faces, while the Americans ranged
| themselves opposite, with their backs
! to the light, and with the interpreter
standing at the end of the table on
the right of Judge Day and the left of
Senior Montero, and, between the two
secretaries, Mr.. Moore and Senor
Ojeda-
| Secretary Moore, upon the request of
| Judge Day, passed to Mr.. Ferguson,
the Interpreter. the formulated de-
mands of the United States regarding
the Philippines, which were read to
! the Spaniards in their own tongue by
rapid rendering from the English, in
which they were written Although the
| Spanish commissioners did not betray
anxiety, their attention to the reading
was keen. They had anticipated that
! the United States would take over the
| islands, but the terms and details Of
the transfer had all along been a sub
ject of speculation.
WILL KEEP PHILIPPINES.
The reading disclosed the fact that
i the United States government had de-
termined to possess for itself certain
/ territory and parts of land bounded by
! and lying within such parallel and Of
/ latitude and longitude as mark the
I limits of the Philippine archipelago
Tie United States do not propose as
suming the Philippine debt of $40, ,000,
coo. but they are willing to be respon-
sible to- Spain for a, sum of money
equal to the actual expenditures by
Spain in the Philippines for the advan-
| tage of the islands, and for the good
if.r no
ments and for improvements, both ply
sical and mental.
The reading of the presentment speci-
| fies that the United States will reim-
burse Spain to the extent of her pa
/ cific expenditures made in the archi-
pelago. This phrase pacific expendi-
| lures is employed to dimerentidte the
expenditures by Spain in combating
instructions in the Philippines.
The one is felt by the commissioners
to be a fair burden on the acquiring
power, while the other and latter class
of expenditures is held to have been
! logically assumed by Spain in the in
evitable hazard to a nation resorting
to arms to enforce order in it's own
territory.
DETAILS LEFT TO DEVELOPMENT
Such is the vital portion of the pre-
sentiment made by the American COM
! miSsiOnerS today, and it is to be OBJ
/ served that while the main proposition
as to possession and financial respon-
! sibility is clear and definite. MANY de-
! tails have been left TO the develop
ments of the discussions between the
two commissions. Thus. while the
/ Spaniards are tonight quite certain
that the United States intend to reim-
burse them for pacific expenditures. ."
they remark that they are not enlight-
ened as to whether the Americans ez-
pect to endorse the Spanish Obliga-
tionS TO the extent of pacific expeh1i-
lures" in the archipelago or whether
they will hand Spain a lump sum of
gold large enough to cover Spanish
outlay so designated. Possibly the
American commissioners themselves
are not at this moment fully deter
mined on this point 1t is unlikely, how
ever, that the Americans will care to
become identified IL the slightest de-
gree with Spain in her responsibility
to her creditors. The clearer method
seems to be to hand to Spain spot cash,
or something as good, and to bid her
apply it on her debts by whatever
name known. or to put it in her wallet
for whatever use she may elect.
While the United States have desig-
mated pacific expenditures" as those
they will reimburse 10 Spain. the pre-
sentiment of the American commissions
ers today did not demand either a
schedule or an inventory of the same
from the SDaniards. But the sugges-
ton naturally raises an inquiry as 20
the kind and quantity of Spain's "paci-
fic expenditures in the Philippines.
and some light may be given on that
matter now.
TRAFFIC OF THE ISLANDS.
There is considerable traffic between
the islands, and some time ago a sys-
tenn of lighthouses became necessary.
Spain set out to supply this and 9ro-
jected As light stations OF these she
has already constructed II of the first
class and 16 Of the second class. What
they. cost is not yet known here. but in
american waters those of the first class
cost from $4,000 to S250.000 each, so
/ that. on an average basis of the mini
mum cost in the United States, Spain's