The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1898-08-13

% llS " III w ItilN'ltb at tIit W ullt htuSt
I between . and Il p. IN.
$50 =. NIT is understood Ambassa
! dor tambon has made an appointment
I with the President to present Spain's re-
! ply and will call within a few minutes.
Washington. II. c.. Aug 9.-Spain's re
] ply is an acceptance of all the conditions
( laid down hy The United States but SPAN
/ presents elaborate views of each point in
/ vulyed and on questions which would nat
! Uraliy arise when the American condi-
I tions wer. carried into execution. Wheth-
cr this will be considered satisfactory re
mains TO be decided.
! Washington, u. G, Aug. 9.-Spain's re-
! ply to the American peace conditions was
( not delivered to the government prior to
I tn" meeting Of the cabinet today. The
! last Of il did not reach here until late
I hoIH last night. and although the cipher
, experts worked until long after midnight
/ there was still some doCIphcrlng 10 be
done today. Moreover. the early assem-
| bling of the cabinet at il u'ciock made it
| incXpedicnt TO hold a conference before
! that hour which might be protracted by
/ the Importance of the questions Consld-
| erCd
In the meantime, the government had
! been Informed that the reply had been re
! ceiYcd by the French ambassador, but
! nv 'pHlfiiiS u lH' ftHiN bI It's St'litI1i
4 nature was not made known to Secretary
| liay or any other official of the govern
mont The plan was to present the com
/ munlCatlOn later in the day and no doubt
/ existed that by evening the government
/ would be in full possession of SPANS po
/ stion
/ Under the circumstances it was evident
! that the ca binet, at most could not con
/ slider the situation with all the light
l which the text of the reply would give,
/ and at most the only consideration would
/ Il" as to the policy of entertaining Incl
/ dental questions which might be raised
/ by the reply.
May Require "A Direct Answer.
As to this. official opinion appears TO
/ be divided. The general drift Of senti-
! m"nt was toward standing strictly on the
/ conditions first laid down by the United
/ states and requiring direct answer, ac-
/ ccptIng or rejecting, without any ConSid
"ration Of incidental questions which
/ ~pain's reply might raise
| Hut on the other hand there was be-
! Ii"vcd to be "A considerable and Influential
/ cement OF the administration desirous Of
/ q radiation Of the present prospects Of
/ peace, 50 long as every vital and essential
rcndition laid down by this government
! was accepted. even though the Spanish
reply sought to dispose of other incidental
| POINTS involved in transaction of this
/ vast magnitude. So far as the reply itself
! i concerned. even the best-informed gov
| crnment officials had no information and
/ there was little but conjecture as to It's
! contents.
| But there We're several points appar-
entity established beyond question. First
! If these was that the reply was 50
! framed rs TO be considered by those who
/ drafted 1t an acceptance of all the coudl-
| tiuus laid down by the United States
/ Second. it was established that this ac-
/ t, ura u rpuprpl oh a
If the document as whole and that in
making the acceptance Spain had pre-
scented elaborate views on each point in
v0lvcd and on questions which would
naturally arise when the American CON
dfiuns were carried into execution. This
TJiecd question aS to whether the re
Fly would he accepted as completely re-
sFGnSiyc To the American terms. or as an
| Indirect opening OF negotiations on subor-
diuatr points.
\ determination on this matter cannot
h." reached until the administration has
he text Of the reply and is able to meas
urc the seriousness of the incidental
points raised. II the points are purely in
cidental and formal, strong hope is en-
tertaiued in official quarters that peace
viii he realized aS a result of the present
negotiations. but If Spain seeks to impose
important conditions there is a prospect
of delay. and possibly refusal TO accept
the reply as responsive. The latter Condi-
tion il hardly expected, however, i'll any
quarter.
No Reason for Any Alarm.
Some of the Madrid advices have sug-
gcSted that the reply might bring a crisis
N at least one point involved. and lead
to sharp and immediate answer from
this government. From the best infOrma-
tion obtaInahle here there is nothing to
warrant the view that the reply contains
any great surprise or any far reaching
conditions outside of those which have
hccn the suhjec, of general comment.
II is probable that the circumstances
under which the Spanish army Will be
withdrawn from Cuba will he one of the
incidental points raised by Spain's an
~Wer Just as II was when Gen. Toral
surrendered his forces at Santiago. The
Spanish general. while ConCcding the Vi
tai point Of surrender. was tenacious that
there should be no undue humiliation of
his forces. aud he pleaded for the re-
tputiCn Of arms and ammunition.
In the general evacuation of Cuba praC-
tiCally the sam" conditions arise on
larger scale. The American terms de-
mauded simply the evacuation of Cuba
without specifying. So far as can Le
he treated when they evacuated. wheth-
vr rs prisoners of war, without arms or
with their arms and ammunition.
1t iS probable that Spain seeks to be-
assured that her forces Will depart with
their equipment. arms and flags She
having yielded the main point Of eyacuat-
ing II iS possible that the officials here
may look upon II as reasonable that Spain
should know what Will become of her
troops and their equipments. In this con-
nrctiCn II is pointed ont that voluntary
retirement from 4 country might natu-
rally Cntltle the retiring forces to more
con>idaration tnau those who retired aft
er battle hy surrender or otherwise It
IS said that the usual military custom. on
voluntary retirement from IA country. is
for the retiring party To carry their arms
and flags. and specific instances of this
are cited in recent wars.
The Cuban Debt.
The question Of the Cuban debt il was
thought. might raise a serious issue. but
while this is still possible. the present in
licafious are that this matter has not
reached a direct, controversial issue al
though il involves elements making an is
sue possible at a later stage. There are
said to he precedents of International law
by which the debt of an evacuated coun
try continues a charge upon that COun-
Try. There are specific instances. also
ut exceptions to this rule.
There is no present indication Of an eN-
tya cabinet meeting to consider the Span
ish reply. 1t viii be in the hands of
the President and Secretary Day by to-
night and they doubtless will go over the
subject before calling it 10 the attention
nt IN" cabinet. Up to midday no ar
ranGemtntS had been made for a call for
conference between the President and Am
haSSaior Camhon. II may be that no
formal conference VIII he held and that
he Spanish reply will he delivered by the
ambassador To Secretary Day, for it is