The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-06

Paris, Dec. 5.-The American peace
commission had a long conference, be-
ginning at 10 o'clock, and only had
/ a brief recess for lunch before going to
the foreign office to meet the Spanish
| commissioners at 3 o'clock D. m. The
Americans apparently had changed the
| form, if not the substance of some Of
their demands, as a result of the delio-
erations during the past three days.
| Secretary Moore of the United States
commission was engaged far into the
night in revising the draft of the treaty
of peace.
The Joint commission was in session I
| for over four hours. Much Of the dis
cussion concerned details as to the
guaranteeing of the rights of Spanish :
citizens in the ceded colonies. Ihe de-
| bate was occasionally energetic, ana
the Spaniards, on adjourning, appeared
1 to be detected.
Secretary Ojeda of the Spanish COM
mission, when questioned after the
meeting as to the progress made, an
swered, excitedIy: L am almost mad.
1 cannot talk. We are making prog
ress."
The American commissioners declined
to say anything, further than that the
progress made was satisfactory.
The Spanish authorities have received
| authority to bind their government on
| certain matters, but there are yet i'm
! portant questions on which their in
| structions are unsatisfactory, and it
is likely that many Of the details in
4. volved in the change of sovereignty in
/ the Spanish colonies viii be left for
settlement in the regular diplomatic
process, when relations between the
two governments are resumed.
AMERICANS EXAsPERATED.
The history of the document which
will certify the passing of the Oldest
colonial power in the world, and the
| advent of the newest, was eDitomized
by Judge Day this evening, in a single
sentence: "a peace treaty may contain
anything which the victors put into
! it."
The Americans had listened for hours
! with their customary patience to the
technicalities cOnvOked by the S0an-
iards, with their customary shrewd-
ness and persistency, against every pro
posal for the dismemberment Of their
empire. Darkness had come on, and
| the liveried attendants modified by
the French authorities had placed a
I tiny lamp at the elbow of each commls-
| sioner. Senator Frye, whose uncon-
I cealed contempt for diplomatic quib-
| punctillious Castihans, had stalked
| home, his patience exhausted.
The burden of the Spanish arguments
| We're that matters outside bare cesSiOn
/ and evacuation Of the conquered terri
] tories which the Americans proposed
to cover by the treaty, were beyond the
legitimate and customary scope of q
/ peace treaty Behind this bulwark
! Senor Montero Rios, president of the
I Spanish commission, fortified himself,
/ bombarding his opponents with SUD-
/ ply of arguments and precedentS which
inspired the freely-exQressed adnira-
tion of the Americans. Finally Judge
] Day summarized the American position
/ in the foregoing memorable utterance.
| 1t was given and taken in good s0irtt.
and from that. moment the proceedings
/ were entirely friendly. The session ac-
complished much. Eight open questions
We're canvassed, seven being practically
settled without noteworthy friction.
NO CAROLINE ISLAND.
The commissioners decline to say
what conclusion was reached, but the
bargain for a. cOaling station in the
CarOlineS was not cemented, and. ac-
cording to present prospects, it is likely
to fail. The temper Of the Americans
in this matter is:
I'VE made you a good offer for an
island. You may take it or leave it.
The Spaniards seem disposed to leave
it. The Americans do not regard it az
a, prize which they can demand as on6
of the natural fruits of the war, while
the whole policy of the SpaniardS is to
confine the negotiations as narrowly d9
possible to the letter of the protocol
I signedw in Washington, and to exclude
all extraneous matters. The result of
this policy may be the leaving of many
details involved in the change Of Sow
ereignty over the various possessions
to settlement by the regular diplomatic
processes when normal relations be-
tween the two governments have been
/ resumed.
The Spanish commissioners insisted
at the previous meeting that the settle
ment of the status of the Spaniards
who remain in colonies was a problem
so closely akin to cession that it could
not be logically separated from the
matter, but should be considered next
to the question of cession and before
such matters as cOaling stations and
religious liberation. They appealed to
the Americans, having gained all the
great points, to be generous on the
minor ones. Accordingly. the Amer
lean commissioners, as fOreshadowed
by the correspondent OF the Associated
Press, were conciliatOry today on the
order Of procedure as to the status Of
Spaniards remaining in the lost colo
MES.
+ FIGHTING FOR SANTIAGO.
The Spanish commissioners continue
fighting with tooth and nail TO procure
} every possible pecuniary and other con-
cessions The Americans had already
promised to guarantee the return of
Spanish prisoners in the hands of the
! FilipinOs. Today Senior MonterO Rios
proposed that the United States should
pay the expenses of shipping them to
Spain, arguing with his customary in
genuity that this was the duty of the
Americans, as matter of course The
Americans thought the request unrea-
, sonable, and good deal of time was
consumed in discussing the question.
! Another problem entailing long de-
bate was the disposition to be made OF
the Spanish munitions Of war in a num-
Der of military posts outside of Manila,
which the Americans have not cap