The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-11
AS TO APPOINTMENT OF
PEACE COMMISSIONERS

FcHOC OUVl wi WllSStONLnO
The Negotiations are Bel eyed to be Advanced
far Enough for the President to Tura his At
tention to Selection Of Peace Commissioners.
Secretary Day will Head the Commission. no
Other Name Having Yet been Determined on.
Naval Officers Planning for Reduction Of
Navy to Peace Basis. Gen. Merrtt's Force
in the Philippines to be Increased by Seven
Thousand Troops at San Francisco, Iwoi
Thousand Of Which Sail at Once. Extra ses
sion Of Senate May be Called in November.
Washington, Aug. 10.--The prelimina-
ry negotiations looking toward the con
firmation of peace advanced long step
today when the Secretary of State, and
the French Ambassadors agreed upon
the terms upon which future negotia-
tions for Il treaty are to he conducted,
and reduced these to the form OF Il
protocol. This protocol, it is true is yet
to be signed and is to be submitted To
the Spanish Government before the for
NAL signatures are affixed but the Adj
ministration's view as to the progress
made today was set out i'll Secretary
DAYS sentence: ut is expected that
this protocol will be executed"
There is always the possibility III deal
ing with the Spanish Government that
Il may recede at the last moment from
an implied agreement, but 1t Is scarce
J.; probable that it would be willing to
Involve the French Ambassador III tn"
difficulties that would follow what TO
the world would seem to be repudla-
ton OF his benevolent efforts in behaif
of Spain.
There must be delay-possbly from
q to As hours-before the next step
can be taken and the protocol made
binding upon both the United States
and Spain by the attachment of the sig
nature of the Plenipotentiaries, Secretary
Day for the United States and NJ Cam
bon for Spain. The delay will be large
ly attributable to physical causes. The
protocol is long and must be translated
and turned back and forth Into code and
simple language no less than five times
before it reaches Madrid through the
French foreign office. This work was
not begun until late this afternoon after
it had consumed the best energies Of AS
sstant Secretary Adee, of the state De
parment and NJ. Thiebaut. Secretary of
the French Embassy i'll the preparation
for formal shape of the two copies OF
the protocol, one in English and one III
French. These were prepared very care
fully. the idiOmatic variance in the two
languages necessitating the greatest
caution in order that the identical char
acter of the two copies should be pre-
served The length of the protocol inn
poses Il great amount of labor upon the
cipher clerks, or whoever is charged
with the work of rendering the original
into cipher, so that altogether it is ap-
parent the consumption of time involved
in purely mechanical functions will be
so considerable as to make the rendition
of an very early answer impossible.
As to the character of the protocol 1t
can be stated on authority that the
terms are in all practical points those
set out in the abstract of the Presidenl :
conditions published from the White
House a week ago. From this fact 1t IS
IpuUcItu IIaL Il1e eAtIu Noih'tiobt0 "'
qualifications sought to be imposed by
the Spanish. government were abandon
ed at least in large part by the French
Ambassador This deduction is support
ed blythe circumstances that i'll the early
morning. and before the conference be
tween Secretary Day and Nj. Cambon'
which resulted in an agreement. there
was prevalent impression, based upon
the utteranceS Of public men who had
talked with the President. that the
Spanish answer was unsatisfactory and
that the negotiations looked if they
might terminate suddenly. As this sit
uatiOn changed so suddenly after the
conference, it may be fairly assumed
that the Ambassador abandoned the con
ditions which the President was reported
TO have regarded as unsatisfactory. III
is believed that the protocol carries with.
in itself provision for the cessation of
hostilities. On this point the naval con
tmgenf is urgent that our Government
adopt the NapoleOnic policy of refusing
to enter into an armistice without acquir-