The Portland daily press., 1898-11-05

Paris, November 4.-The Spanish COM
missioners in the course Of two hours
session today fatty refused to accept Mon
days proposition by the Americans to
take the entire Philippine group and to
REIN burse Spain for her" Pacific expsndi-
tures' there. This negative decision was
expected. The Spanish commissioners
had also number of positive declara
tions, which filled some 81 sheets of a
typewritten presentment. In this state
nlent the Spaniards held that the United
States had no ultimate rights in the
Philippine archipelago and could have
none, save by the consent of Spain in
these negotiations and upon terms salts
factory to her. According to the Spanish
contention in the formal statement the
United States entertained no thought of
annexing the Philippines when the pro-
tocol was signed. or it would have been
expressed in the protocol as clearly as the
conditions regarding the cession of terri
tory In the Antilles and the Orient.
M. Cambon, before the signature of the
protocol received from Madrid the pre-
sentiment alleged, cable message clearly
setting forth that the maintenance of
Spain's authority over the Philippines
should not be affected by the protocol, to
which reservation the United States
made at that time no protest or objection.
This dispatch to M. Cambon as the
Spaaiards claimsd today, embodied also
the view that the United States had No
valid basis for claims in the archipelago.
1t was further held today by Senor Rios
and his colleagues that the oapitulation
OF Manila, having occurred after the
signing of the protocol and thus after the
suspension of hostilities, was invalid.
With ell this for groundwork the Span
iards made their first positive move
against this Americans and it constituted
their counter proposition. They charged
upon the United States wrongful appro.
priation of public moneys belonging to
Spain by seizing the tariff duties at Me-
nila, and they formally demanded the re-
turn of these moneys, the sum of nearly
. million dollars. On the same premises
the United States were today declared to
have made and held as prisoners, the
Spanish troops at Manila in violation of
International law, because done after the
suspension of hostilities under tho proto-
col. A further charge was that by the
imprisonment Of the Spanish troops at
Manila, the United States had prevented
Spain from quelling the insurrection and
had thus contributed to the violence
against Spain, after the cessation of
hostilities.
Today's Spanish presentment also Cited
the refusal of the Americans to consider
the Cuban debt on the ground that it was
rot mentioned in the protocol and de-
,nanded an adherence to this as prece.
dent In the discussion of the Philippines,
regarding cession Of which the Spanish
commissioners held the protocol to make
no mention.
In support of these assertions, argu-
1ments and demands, the Spanish resent
ment invokes Spain's record in the CORE
spondence, by mail and telegraph. though
it is not known unofficially whother the
Spaniards produced the message said to
have been sent from Madrid to NJ. Cam
bon, at the time the protocol was signed,
In which, it was affirmed today, Spain
reserved her Philippine sovereignty.
The preseutment was read by Inter-
prefer Ferguson, being rendered from tn z
Spanish. in which it was written into
English. At the close of the reading the
Americans said they wished to have the
Spanish statement rendered into written
English for more careful consideration
and an adjournment was taken to Tues
0av