The Portland daily press., 1898-10-18
A HUMILIATING PEACE.

cluding what they term "a humiliating
peace, and some of them even suggest
the establishment of military dictator
snip under the present dynasty.
The officials st Madrid deny the report
current on the continent that Captain
General Blnnco has resigned.
AMERICA DECLINES SOVEREIGNTY.
viii Guarantee However to Preserve
Order IN Cuba.
London, October 1s.-The Paris corre-
spondent of the Times says:
At the sitting of the peace commission
this (Monday) afternoon, the American
commissioners oficially-and it would
seem definitely-rejec the idea OF &C.
cepting sovereignty over Cuba for the
United States. The Spanish commission
ers thereupon remarked that Spain, hav-
ing abandoned such sovereignty under
pressure from the United States, and the
United States having denied that sover-
eighty hsnceforth belongs TO them. Cuba
Is de facto in state of anarchy, as an
intermissicn OF sovercignty cannot pc
viewed in any other light" Tho Ameri-
can commissionersr rejoined, that, without
accepting sovereignty, the United States
considered themselves Disputed and bound
to maintain security for all the inhabi-
tants that they would not fall to intro
duce and uphold order and in short, that
they would do all that was necessary to
put the island as speedily as possible IN
state of normal organization, to be
transformed at the earliest moment into
lAgal regularity satisfactory for the
security of all.
Upon this, 1.-THE Spanish commissioners,
with what seems striking logic, promptly
just..madet. to hem and of the United States
undertaking to restore legality, order and
security, the United States were invested
with yeritable sovereignty and conse.
quantly could not refuse to accept the
consequence of such sovereignty, seeing
that they admittedly could not tolerate
the relapse into anarchy of an island
placed under their supervision and dirso-
tion.
Notwithstanding these striking objeo-
tions, the American commissioners In
sisted .in their refusal and declared that
the United States cannot be considered
invested with sovereignty and that they
the oommissioners) could not devlase
from this defnitive declaration. Accord
ing to impressions / have been able to
collect in various circles unconnected
with either side, but entitled to weight,
the refusal of the United States Is not OF
SO positive q character as would at drst
sight seem to result from the formal dec
larations mentioned.
'This reasoning given me Is this:
"The United States have declared that
they made war. not of conquest, but OF
liberation, and order, becauss they could
not allow the prolongation at their very
door. of suate Of things which was. In
their eyes, a blow to the cause OF human
ity and civilization. They. therefore,
made public declaration that the war
was not one of conquest; and they now
consider that by agreeing to be invested
with the sovereignty of Cuba, they would
give themselves the appearance OF having
conquered the island for territorial ag-
grandizement. They refuse to give them
selves the appearance of con que ring ma
tion. Hence they positively efuse to ao'
cept that capacity of sovereignty which
would be inconsistent with the character
of humanitarian disinterestedness esseu-
tial to the honor OF America.
"The United States quite comprehend
that their firm refusal TO accept sover-
eighty does not exclude obligation, on the
footing Of Justice and equity to make
Spain real concessions as to financial
burdens which would be crushing II she
were saddled with the whole Cuban debt,
We may be Ger tain that on this point the
Americans will be less inexora BILE than on
the principle of sovereignty. The proof.
am told, that the United States are dis
posed to meet Spain in an equitable fash
ion, is that the Spanish commissioners,
who would not at first accept an invita-
tion to dine with General Horace Porter
until ths end of the conference, have now
accepted.
"Friends Of the United States here
think it might have been better II they
had proceeded more openly and If, instead
of conquering the Isle indirectly, the
Washington government had frankly &C.
cepted sovereignty in Cuba with all the
rights and obligations involved"
The Paris correspondent of the Daily
Mail says: II hear that the peace prob
lam will soon be settled, America assun-
ing the Cuban six per cent loan Of 1885,
which was tioated entirely for Cuban pur-
poses and rejecting the five per cent loan
of 1890 -