The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-11-04
SENIOR MoNTERo RIOS.

SENIOR MONTERO RIOS.
question with them has seemed to be
rather to find the right path and to
walk In 1t than by a bold use Of power
to wrench the utmost advantage from
q distressed opponent.
The fact IL, the commissioners have
felt that the conditions precedent
render the letting go Of the Philip
pines as difficult as their retention.
There is, for instance, the question Of
the future Of Aguinaldo, his chiefs and
followers. The Philippine teader and
his immediate associates in the insur-
rection accepted exile and refused over
half million dollars at the hands Of
Spain as an inducement to cease their
rebellion. They went to China. but
they were brought back to the Phil
!ppines on board a United States war;
ship. Aguinaldo received from Admiral
Dewey several thousand stands of
arms and was put ashore as an ally of
the United States In the war against
Spain.
The insurgent leader and his chiefs
have forfeited their lives. Should the
United States return the Philippines to
Spain Aguinaldo and his fighting fol-
lowers must he surrendered to death
or taken away by the United States
and the American commissioners feel
that the transplanting of them would
be as severe toward them as 1t would
be impracticable from the point Of view
of the United States. Territory to
shelter them is felt to be necessary in
the Philippines.
fat
Spanish sources. beyond question au-
thontic. that before the Philippine
Question is settled the Spanish commits
sionrrs viii declare that they are not
here solely to save or to gain all the
money possible from the United States
Senior Montcro Rios, president Of the
Spanish commission, and his colleagues
waving for argument any classical
ton of the Spanish or colonial debts,
will point out that Spain has borrowed
on the collateral of her colonial reve-
Iuc They will concede that the ma
tonal guarantee may have been added,
but that for all purposes of this con-
tention the fact is-trrevelant.
It will then be frankly urged by her
commissioners that Spain has pawned
the revenues of the Philippines and of
Cuba: that she did so in good faith
to her creditors. and this being true,
that she has no moral right to give
away or rehypothecate territory al
ready pledged.
Senior Rios will urge that should
Spain take that course her creditors
might charge her with defraudlng
them to save the Canaries, Carollnes
and Balearic Islands, and to avoid pos
siblc damage to the peninsula. The
Spanish commissioners will protest
that such a transaction would be in
toierable to Spain. as 1t would brand
her as a robber and poltroon. They will
declare to the Americans that rather
than be so pilloried by their creditors
they will, II they must, be deprived Of
heir remaining colonies and suffer de-
vastation of their mainland.
II the United States feels 1t high
duty to retain the Philippines SPANS
ENJOYS will declare that she has an
equally sacred duty In holding them to
the pledge of their revenues in honor
able Indebtedness and that, while pos
sibly unable to make good the in
debtedness in dollars, Spain can, II
only bv fruitless Adherence to high
purpose, save her name from the brand
of theft.