The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-10-20
PARIS PEACE COMMISSION.
The Asking of Delay by the Spanish
 Members

MeWueEA.
 Paris Oct. 19-The Spanish peace commission was unable to meet the United States peace commission at the joint session arranged for to-day and the next meeting of the two commits sions has been fixed for Friday next. Judge Day, president of the American commission, received communication this morning from Senor Montero Rios, president of the Spanish commission, drid made it necessary for him and his colleagues to request a postponement of any further conferences until Friday next. A courteous reply was returned by Secretary Moore, in behalf of the American commissioners, granting the extension of time
 While the deferring of any one con- ference for two days is not in itself an important request, the delay by the Spaniards at this juncture is something more than significant. The game of diplomacy now progressing here has sary that the first move be made by the Spanish commissioners. They are confronted by the plain fact of their protocol agreement to relinquish and evacuate Cuba without ifs" "and's," or 'buts.' It has become clear here that the Spaniards cherished the hope that they could internationally cove nant to follow given path and ulti- mately wander elsewhere and do less or more than named in the protocol compact. The American commission CTS, however have firmly adhered to the boundary lines already mutually established and within which they in- sist the Spaniards as well as them selves shall duly proceed.
 It is not too much to say that Spain now has more light than ever before on the integrity and steadfastness in word and purpose of the United States. Nor Is it wide of the fact to say that the Spaniards are now initally appre- ciating that the United States did not make war on Spain to acquire Cuba as a conquest prize. Of this the Spaniards may not yet be wholly convinced, but the firm refusal of Judge Day and his colleague to assume the Cuban debt, because the United States will not take over the sovereignty has widened Span ish perceptions and has unquestionably hastened their convictions. Wherefore it may in sense be true that for the first time they have a feeling that American pledge and American per- formance are co-equal terms, the Span iards now are practically on the threshold of properly lighted negotia- tions.
 When Spain approached these negoti- ations she was confronted by a wall of fast agreement which she, however, re- garded as possible of break or punc- ture at the point of Castillian diploma cy. Thus she poised and launched against the protocol structure of seem- ing solidity the keen lanceS of her finesse. But they have fallen broken at her feet, and now Spain's commission CTS ask time to assure themselves of their previous misjudgment and also to reform their lines or arrange new ones. | The assigned reason for to-day's re- c.,~-- e.. I-r~-- i~ H01iov-n7 to Laro haap to allow an interchange of communica- tions with Madrid and to formulate a final attitude on the Cuban matter. This attitude of the Spaniards. to be developed on Friday, will be watched with no little interest. Their alterna- tives are few. They may aoeede L. the American attitude, themselves assume the Cuban debt and go forward to con- slider the next protocol point, of Porto i Rico and the choice by the United ! States of an island in the Ladrones 1 group; or they may at this juncture formally ask for arbitration: or, as an extremity, which Is not likely, may re- ] tire from further negotiation.