The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-28
PosToFFIcE DIPLOMAT.

TIE administration is carefully de-
| liberating over the formal reply TO be
made TO the peace message presented
through the French ambassador This
| afternoon the president, with Secretary
! of State Day and Postmaster General
Charles Emory Smith, went over the
situation and reviewed the course to be
taken. Weight is given to the counsels
| OF the postmaster general, owing to his
diplomatic experience and study of in
! ternational questions. a final conc!u-
sion will not be reached until the cabi-
net has an opportunity to take up
! SPANS note and our projected answer.
| There viii be no extra session OF the
| cabinet and the matter Will not be
| placed before the presidents advisers
until Friday, when a reply will be
definitely settled. The Spanish govern
ment viii have the answer of this adj
| ministration in its possession by Fri
day night or Saturday morning.
Secretary Day, on leaving the White
House after today's conference, said
that an answer would be made the lat
! ter part of this week.
FEATURES DEVELOPED.
In diplomatic quarters SPANS peace
proposal is the absorbing topic. The
diplomats showed their interest early
today by calling at the state depart
ment and at the French embassy to
learn with more exactness the details
of SPANS proposal. This developed
several features of the proposition
which had not been entirely clear be-
fore. In the first place, no foreign gov
eminent outside of France has been
consulted by Spain in this overture for
peace, and the present movement is
not shared directly or indirectly by
Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia or
Great Britain.
1t can now be stated that the formal
proposition submitted yesterday had
been under consideration at Madrid for
five days previous TO yesterday, during
which time the British as well as the
French authorities were cognizant of
the fact that Spain was about to sue
for peace.
This being settled, it appears that
good natured but keen rivalry Sprang
up between Sir Drummond Wolfe. the
British ambassador at Madrid, and NJ.
Paterenotre. the French ambassador
there, as to which government should
have the honor of initiating the move
ment designed to restore peace to the
world. Owing to the cordiality exist
ing between the governments of Great
Britain and the United States, it was
felt at first that Sir Drummond Wolfe
would be commissioned to approach the
United States. acting at Washington
through Sir Julian Paunceforte. But
Spain appears to have preferred the in
termediation of the French govern
ment and. as a result, the negotiations
finally were entrusted to the French
ambassador at Washington.
SPANS PROPOSITION.
Another sensational report is the ex-
act proposition made by Spain. There |
has beep some misrepresentation over |
this. owing to the publication of an al |
legged text of the proposition and other |
reports asserting that Spain asked |
President Mckinley to state terms of |
peace. AS a matter of fact, the Span
ish proposition does not mention the |
word terms" and there is no request
or suggestion in it that the president |
shall state terms of peace. The direct |
inquiry made by Spain is as to
whether the United States will open
negotiations toward the settlement of
the war and the arrangement of peace.
1t is based on the theory that if the
president answers in the affirmative,
then the negotiations for terms will be
opened between commissioners or par
ties clothed with the responsibility of
bringing about a settlement. Neither
did the Spanish proposition contain any
reference to "armistice." At the same
time it is framed on the idea that if
peace negotiations are entered upon
there will be a suspension of hostilities,
pending an agreement upon the exact
terms of peace. In this connection there
appears to be a distinction made be-
tween the word "armiStice" and "suS-
pension of hostilities'' for while it is
said the former is not asked or ex-
pected. 1t seems to be taken for granted
(COOtipIad From Do