The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-30
PEACE COMMISSION INSTRUCTIONS.

PEACE COMMISSION lNSIhbOI1ONS.
The dispatches from Paris respecting the
first meeting of the peace commission are
calculated to create the impression that
the American commissioners have no posi-
tive Instructions In respect to the Philip
pines that in the demands they win make
in respect to them they will be guided, in
a great measure, by Gen. Merritt and that
there is by no means an agreement among
them as TO the course that should be pur-
sued in regard to the islands. il is said
that Senator Davis is an expansionist of
the extreme type and wants to demand
every possession Spain has on the coast
of Asia. on the other hand Senator Gray
favors demanding only a coaling station
in the Philippines The other commission
ers are represented as differing almost as
widely in their views as the two senators
whose positions are given
1t may be that the Information from
Paris is not entirely reliable. The com
mission has not yet reached a point in its
deliberations where an expression of the
views of the commissioners II Necessary.
And it is about certain that th4 american
commissioners will not appear aEaoe meet
ings of the commission to express their
individual views. They will agree upon
their demands outside of the commission
meetings-that is, if they have received
no positive Instructions. In the presence
of the Spanish commissioners they will be
in entire accord.
one reason for thinking that they were
not given iron-clad instructions before
their departure is the remark made by
Senator Frye just as the commissioners
were embarkng at New York. He said
that if the commissioners were not 10 be
allowed any discretion the President
might as well send a lot of school boys
TO Paris The probabilities are that our
commissioners know in a general way
what the Presidents views are in respect
to the Philippines, and that they went to
Paris with the understanding that they
would be guided in the peace negotiations
by what Gen. Merritt had to say about
the islands, and by the condition of public
sentiment in this country when the time
came for telling Spain what would be sat
isfactory TO us in respect to them.
The President is very anxious to effect
a settlement that will be popular. He
wants all parties to be satisfed-that is,
all parties in this country. His own party
has not as yet taken a decided stand in
favor of demanding the whole of the Phil
ippines, though it Is strongly inclined that
way. The state Republican convention
of New York on Wednesday look strong
ground in favor of retaining all of the
islands Several of the state Republican
conventions in the West, however, barely
touched on the Philippine question, and
the state Democratic conventions have
been far from harmonious on that ques-
ton.
If, as it is quite generally believed, the
President wants to do In regard to the
Philippines what will come nearest to sat
isfying the whole country, he knows bet
ter now how 10 advise our peace COM
missioners than he did when they started
for Paris, and he will be in a still better
position to advise them a couple of weeks
hence. He will have plenty of time to get
a fair idea of the wishes of the people be-
fore the peace commission gets very far
along with its labors.