Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-08-05

Continued from First Page.

are regarded by. the President as unim-
portant, and hence the requests OF the
French ambassador, for the most part,
will be acceded to. One of these was
that the commission to be appointed
to settle the terms of peace shall meet
outside of the United States, and pre-
ferrably in France. The President sees
no material objection to granting this
request, and it is said to be practically
settled that the conference will be held
in Paris
The Madrid government, through
M. Cambon, propounded a number of
questions as to the time when Spain
would be expected to evacuate Cuba
and the territory to be coded to the
United States, and as to what provi-
sion would be made by the United
States to protect the interests of
Spanish subjects in these islands
while the evacuation was in progress.
M. Cambon was informed upon all of
these points presumably to his salts
faction. There is a point, however,
which the Spanish authorities, judg-
ing from their communication to their
representative here, fail to fully COM
prehend, and Secretary Days call up
on the ambassador last night was for
the purpose, principally, of making
perfectly clear this one point, which
was that the evacuation of Cuba,
Porto Rico and one of the Ladrone
Islands, to be selected by the United
States, and the permanent cession
to this government of all these
islands except Cuba, was made a con-
dition precedent to all peace negotia-
tions, and that not until these terms
had been fuzzy complied with would
this government consent to entertain
any peace propositions whatever.
This very important condition does
not, it is said, seem to be fully COM
pretended by the Madrid authorities,
and it was with the view to setting the
ambassador straight upon this point
that Secretary Day made his call upon
M. Cambon last night. The questions
upon which the Spanish government
have so far asked for additional infor-
nation are regarded by the administra-
ton as perfectly legitimate and proper
and up to this time nothing has oc-
Cured to bring in question: the SINGER
ity of their motives. Under these cir
President to deal with them in spirit
of perfect fairness and to make the road
to peace as smooth for them as the
rights and dignity of this government
will permit and to this end unimport-
ant concessions will be readily granted.
1t was midnight last night before the
concession of the President regarding
the meeting place of the commissioners
was communicated to the Madrid au
thorities, so that allowing for the diff
ference in time, it was impossible for
an answer to have been received this
morning. However, it is expected that
the delay will not be long, probably at
most not more than a day or two and
that the answer when it comes will be
found to be unconditional acceptance
of the terms as they now stand. There
does not seem to be occasion for further
prolonged consideration in Madrid be-
fore making this reply, inasmuch as
the propositions that confront the
Spanish cabinet are practically the
same as those with which they dealt
at the prolonged meetings last Sunday
and Monday. The French ambassador
was not disappointed in the result Of
his meeting with the President yester-
day. He realized that the Spanish plea
for an abatement of the conditions
would be useless so far as it touched the
vital points of the demand. He un-
doubtedly reached that conviction at
the second interview when the Presi-
dent in going over with him the terms
he proposed as a basis for peace had
impressed strongly upon him the de-
mination of our government not to in
dulge in haggling for advantage; not to
be equipped with two sets of terms,
maximum and minimum conditions
but to lay down at once the PROPOSE
tions that the United States deemed
to be fair and just as basis for peace
and having done so, to adhere to them
firmly SO far as all matters of prin-
ciple were concerned. But the French
ambassador felt that it was his duty
regardless of his personal convictions,
to lay the plea of the Spanish govern
ment before the President and that is
what yesterdays meeting amounted to-
Now, with the Spanish government as
sured that no further notifications can
be expected, there is nothing remaining
but IN acceptance of the terms out
right or a rejection without further
debate, which is not expected.
Something has been said about an
effort on the part of the Spanish gov
eminent to secure some guarantee from
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