Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-11-10
THE PEACE COMMISSION.
Paris Papers Think the Spanish
Members Have Cause for Com
plant Against Americans
RUPTURE OF REGOTIA7IOES PROBABLE.

A Member o. the spanish Commission said
To Have REMARKED That Hls Colleagues
Can Never Omit the Claims Of Amer
len to the PhilippineS-Tho American
Answer to spein'S claim.
Paris, Nov. 10-The newspapers Of
this city, after yesterdays meeting OF
the peace commission, seemed to have
gathered from some source or other
the impression that the Spanish com
missioners have cause for complaint
against the Americans because the lat
ter presented their replies to the Span
ish proposals in English and without
Spanish translation of the document.
There is no basis for complaint on the
subject. The president of the Span
ish commission, Senior Montero Rios,
and Judge Day, the president of the
American commission, agreed that,
owing TO the length OF the document,
all concerned might be spared the
reading of matter which is usually
translated in writing into Spanish for
the benefit Of Senior Montero Rios and
the two members of the Spanish com
mission who do not understand Eng
lish.
Each side up to the present has made
its own written translations, but the
Americans alone have supplied an i'm
terpreter The American interpreter
is Arthur Ferguson and the Spaniards
have marveled at the facility with
which he did his work. They have
never once checked him or corrected
him in the slightest degree.
In view Of the facts in the case, some
of the references of the Paris newspa-
pers this morning are interesting.
Regarding yesterdays meeting, the
Figaro says: 1.-THE American commits
sioners contented themselves with
producing long memorandum in
English. After having deposited this
upon the table they left the task Of
translating it to the Spanish commits
sioners, apologizing courteously for its
length and the difficulties of transla-
ton. They then retired. The situa-
ton then, at present, is as follows:
The Americans persist in refusing to
take over the Cuban debt and exact
the cession of the Philippines. The
Spaniards on their side refuse to cede
the archipelago" J
The Petit Bleu says: "A member of
the Spanish commission has remarked
that his colleagues can never admit
the claims of America in regard to the
Philippines. The protocol says the
treaty of peace shall determine the dis
position aud control of the Philippines
and the Americans now claim that
disposition means that he colony
shall be surrendered to America. This
Spain can never admit" The Petit
Bleu also expresses its belief in an
early rupture of the negotiations.
The Rappel says: "A Spanish COM
missioner has declared that the Span
iards will yield only to force in the
question of the Philippines" Continu-
ing the Rappel asserts that it antici-
pates the rupture of the negotiations
at an early date, adding: 1.-THE coun-
try which started out as the liberator
of Cuba now threatc war, although
her demands as to Cuba have been &C.
ceded to, because she cannot annex ter.
ritory which played no part in the
bringing on of the war; We preferred
the liberator of Cuba to the oppressor
OF Spain"
Yesterdays joint session of the peace
commission began at 2:15 p, m and
ended at p. m. When the meeting
opened the Americans presented to
their Spanish colleagues the answer of
the United States to the claims sub
mitted on Saturday last on behalf of
Spain. The document in which the
American answer was set forth con-
sisted of nearly SO sheets of typewrit-
ten matter. 1t was refutation of
the Spanish allegation that, because
the words ''possessiou," Ownership"
or "cession" do not occur in the
protocol clause touching upon the
Philippine islands, the peace commits
sioners have no right to discuss them
here, and that even if they did so, it
must be in the light of the alleged fact
of an exterior agreement that SPANS
sovereignty should not be impaired. 1t
is quits safe to say that the Americans
made no new propositions regarding
the possession of the Philippines, but
confined themselves to a discussion of
| the proposals and assertions made by
Spain at the previous meeting. just
what were the terms of the American
rejoinder cannot of course, be ascer-
tanned.
THE RESULT IN NEBRASKA.
]