The record-union., 1898-08-13

missions, first, the peace commission,
which will meet in Paris; and, second.
the military commission, which will
meet in Havana Province within fifteen
days The military commission viii be
created Immediately on the signing of
the protocol. Its duties will be of great
Importance. 1t will settle the details Of
the evacuation of Spanish armies from
the West Indies, and will decide all
questions relative to the removal Of all
submarine mines, the immediate relin-
quishment to the United States of the
great fortresses at Havana, San Juan
and other points, and the transfer of
possession of Manila City itself The
protocol provides:
First-That Spain will relinquisn all
claim of sovereignty over and title to
Cuba.
Second-That Porto Rico and other
Spanish islands in the West Indies, and
| island in the Ladrones, to be se-
lected by the United States, shall be
ceded to the latter
Third-That the United States will
occupy and hold the city and bay of
Manila, pending the conclusion Of a
treaty of peace, which shall determine
the control, disposition and government
of the Philippines.
Fourth-That Cuba, Porto Rico and
other Spanish islands. in the West In
dies be Immediately evacuated, and
that commissioners to be appointed
within ten days shall within thirty
days from the signing of the protocol
meet at Havana and San Juan, respect
lively, to arrange and execute the de-
tails of the evacuation.
Fifth-That the United States and
Spain will each appoint not more than
five commissioners to negotiate and
conclude treaty Of peace. The COM
missioners are to meet at Paris not
later than the 1st of October.
Sixth-On the signing of the protocol
hostilities will be suspended, and notice
| to that effect will be given as soon as
possible by each Government to the
commanders of it's military and naval
forces.
The above is the official statement Of
the protocols contents, as prepared and
given to the press by Secretary Day.
While the document signed to-day is
properly enough described as a proto-
col, it is still technically something
more than that. 1t is an agreement
usually intervenes between active war
and final peace. So far as it goes this
protocol is absolutely a peace treaty.
Thus. having proveded for the DISPOSE
ton of Cuba, Porto Rico and of the
Ladrone Islands. there is nothing more
for any peace commission to do in re-
lation to those subjects. Their fate is
sealed, and the protocol in that respect
is as binding as any definitive treaty
of peace. 1t was such a protocol as
this that was signed by President
Theirs and Prince Bismarck to ter
inmate the Franco-Prussian war, and
the conditions therein laid down were
not even subject to revision at the
hands of the peace commission that
/ followed.
Many details remain to be agreed
upon which are not even referred to in
the protocol. Such of these as relate
to purely naval subjects will be de-
ferred to the military commission. This
commission may encounter some diff
Guilty in making a disposition Of the
| Spanish soldiers in Cuba and Porto
Rico and Tx military and naval pris-
oners now in the United States. The
Spanish Government is showing a re-
markable unwillingness to provide for
the return of these soldiers and sailors
to Spain. This has gone so far as to
lay the Spanish Government open to
the charge of Indifference to the fate
of the men who struggled for her cause.
European advices received here from
private sources throw light upon this.
saying that the Spanish Government is
apprehensive that the returning war
riors will join the Carlists and break
out in open rebellion against the po-
litical dynasty. 1t is probable that the
military commission will be clothed
with adequate yower to deal with this
question in the interest of the United
States.