The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-11-23
Washington Letter.
(From our Special Correspondent)


Washington, Nov. 1S-It looks at
last as if our foreign complications
were about to be Strengthened out
and untangled. Hawaii has been
formally annexed and the commission
sent out there last August to formu-
late and arrange for some plan of To-
cal government has returned to the
United States and is now busily en-
gagged upon the preparation Of its re-
port and expects to have it ready to
be submitted to Congress soon after
it conveneS on the fifth proHlmo.
While the form of local government
which the commission has agreed to
recommend is not yet definitely
known. it is supposed that it will be
somewhat upon the order OF our pres
enJ territorial government, which
form will give these islands a governor
who will be appointed by the Presl-
dent of the United States and local
or territorial Legislature, as we'll as
delegate in Congress; but 1t IS proba-
BILE that such delegate will have more
power and greater prisalege than
our other territorial delegates; in
other words, that he will have vote
in Congress upon all measures per-
tanning to his meek of the woods.
Our present territorial delegates
may introduce measures in Congress
and debate them, but they have no
right to vote upon the question as to
whether they shall become law or
not.
Porto Rico is substantially in the
same condition, except that no COM
mission has been appointed to visit
it for the purpose of formulating and
arranging any special scheme Of To-
cal government; but it is more than
probable that Congress will deal with
Hawaii, Porto Rico. Cuba and the
Philippines alike, and provide, sub
stantiallv the same form of local gov
ernment for all of them. While only
Porto Rico and the Sandwich Islands
have been formally made a part OF
our territorial possessions, CUBA ana
the Philippines are practically under
our sovereignty now; Cuba Will be,
according to the terms agreed upon
between onr own and the Spanish
members of the Cuban evacuation
commission, on the 1st day of Ianua
~. 1899, as that is the day that Blan-
co and all of his adherents and fol-
lowers as well as all Spanish soldiers
are to be off of the Island of Cuba
and formally turn it over to the
United States. And the Administra-
ton ordered our representatives on
the Peace Commission at Paris to
Law before the Dons to-day (Satur-
day. this intelligence, informing the
Dons that the United States will not
recognize Spanish sovereignty over
any part of the Philippine archlpel-
ago after this day and date, and that
all questions before the joint commits
sion bearing upon the question OF
sovereignty in the Philippines has
been considered by the United States
settled forever in so far as Spanish
control over or sovereignty in the
group is concerned; and that the
only Philippine question now open
to consideration by the joint peace
commission is one Of compensation
what shall be allowed and paid to
Spain by the United States for the
improvements made IN the Philip
pines by the Spanish government,
Since the administration has about
decided to make compensation to the
extent of such Improvements and no
further.
Although these specific, definite
and final terms were ordered to be
laid before the dons at today's session
of the joint commission, a cablegram
announces that the session of today
was postponed until next Monday at
the instance and request Of the
American commissioners, but no spe-
cial significance is attached to this
delay since it is the opinion in State
department circles that our repre-
sentatives simply wanted more time
in which to specially formulate these
final terms, conditions and instruc-
tions. Of course Spain has nothing
to do but to accede to the very letter
of these terms, since she has practl-
cally no assurance or even hope OF
any sort of support in Europe in any
effort she may attempt to make by
way of warding off the day of her
final downfall. She has been look
ing to France and Germany most,
but France now advises her to sub
init and the Kaiser has practically
turned his back upon her by decid-
ing to return without visiting Spain
the main cause of his doing so be-
ing supposed to be a possible mis-
understanding in the United States
and England of the purposes of his
visit-it being possibly construed
into the very thing which Spain was
anxious to have it appear to have
been made for the purpose of exem-
plifyiug and signifying.