The herald., 1898-09-17
ARE PREPARING TO WITHDRAW
THEIR LINES
LACK OF TRANSPORTATION
May Be the Real Reason for Delay OF
Only an Excuse for Making
Trouble
Press Special Wire.

SAN JUAN Porto Rico, sept. Io'-NDe
,aved IN transm.sson) At their meeting
TODAY the Spanish Evacuation Comnis-
eioners agreed to begin the formal WIFI
drawal of their lines within two Gays.
They will evacuate Lares, San eenastiah
and Agualdlla, in the northwest Oh the 's-
land. withdrawing towards the capi'ai'
Under the armistice they could not Will
draw their outposts without permission
Detachments on the Eleventh Infantry
will occupy this territory and raise inc
American flag The abandonment OF lhe
other outposts will follow. Inc span!sh
commissioners understood perfectly tha'
the evacuation of the islands must De III
accordance with the terms OF the pro'ocoi
as soon as transportation can he seS"ie"'
TRANSPORTS from the fever-nfected ports
of Cuba cannot, they say, be USED 10 con-
vey unaffected troops from Porto Nico'
The troops from Cuba and Porto Rlco are
10 be landed at different ports in SPAN. Inc
Sparish authorities here cannon coh''oi
the transports In this respect. Ihey must
await the pleasure of Madrid. Our COM
missioners realize the force OF th.s arsu-
menr and they are willing to make reason
able concessions.
Plenty of Problems
SAN JUAN DE PORTO RICO, Sept l.
The American commissioners appointed ~
arrange the terms of the evacuation Oh the
islands may encounter many proplems uh-
ficult of solution, as it is the general oel-ei
here now that the Spanish commissioners,
despite the professed anxiety OF some OF
the highest Spanish officials to discuss thls
work and relinquish control as soon as
possible, will exercise their skill 70 secure
every advantage
They are desperate and Will get under our
guard if such a thing is possible W nile
1t is likely that General Brooke may nave
virtual control of this city within rev
weeks, It may be some time before me last
vest.ge of Spanish authority is removed
In fact our commissioners appear con-
WINGED that they will be able to complete
their work inside five or six weeks. Col.
Hunter, secretary Of the commission; Ma
Tor Carson. disburs!ng agent; Mr.. Hunter,
legal adviser of the commission, and one
or two others are here, but some OF the
clerks and stenographers have not yet ar
rived.
Just how the commission will proceed II
will be impossible to guess until the two
sets of commissioners meet. Their in
struct!ons are known only to themselves.
Their functions are purely military and
would seem to be limited under the terms
of the protocol to arranging the details of
~ evacuation and the transfer Of all Span
ish government property 20 the United
States.
At first blush it would seem a simple op
GRAFTON, necessitat!ng only an inventory
of the government property on the island
as distinguished from the property OF the
provinces, the municipalities and the towns,
its transfer to the United States and the
departure of the Spanish troops. But 1t Is
;ntimated that the Spanish authorities,
possibly for their government, but more
probably for themselves hope to save some
thing out of the wreck. Just how they ex-
pect to do this Is past comprehens sion, but
those who are in the councils of the pas.
assert that they will be able to do so. The
cession Of the island to the United States
carries with it all public property, fortiti-
cations, buildings, lands, ETC., but there is
an intima;on that the Spanish will demand
compensation for guns mounted in fortifi-
cations If they are to remain, or In lazy
sort of way for other things.
1t is pretty safe to assume that the in
structions of our commissioners hold them
strictly to the text Of the protocol, and that
any claim made by Spain must go TO the
Paris commission for adjus tment.
Under the instructions the Spanish COM
mssioners will receive-or have received
they can of course raise any question that
they desire. 1t is with the evacuation our
commissioners have to do. Whatever Is
left will be turned over to the American au-
thorities. The examination of goyernme n I
titles will be a laborious work. In addition
to the regular government property, fort!-
fications, buildings, railroads and tele-
graphs the Spanish government owns or
did own, some buildings used as residences
of this emi-property with a claim of crown
land. Some of thia hand is situat ed in San
Juan and is very valuable. There are
tracts in other parts Of the island. Should
1t be found in the future that any of this
property has been sequestered or decided to
private individuals the deeds might be
questioned, but these VIII probably be
matters for the court to adjust later when
the island passes under civil administration
Ii would be possible for the government Of
the United States to create a school fund
for the people of the island by the sale of
lands now owned by the government. And
If Congress should decide that 1; was OK
pedient to continue the ownership of the
railroads and telegraphs these if not SOLD
to the highest bidder, could also be turned
over to the territorial government.