The Indianapolis journal., 1898-11-22

lieves 1t of the feeling Of obligation to take
certain steps, such as that of payment of
the money contemplated, and it is free to
act now unhampered. This government has
all to gain; Spain has all to lose Spain
has signed the protocol and is now bound
by it to the extent of its provisions we
will proceed to execute it. Spain can offer
no material obstruction to our plan of
execution. Her troops already have evacu-
ated Porto Rico, and none is left on that ISL
and. The evacuation is going on in Cuba
and must be continued. for it is very un-
likely that the Spanish government would
repudiate the protocol The evacuation was
specifically provided for in that document,
and she certainly could not offer any forci-
BILE resistance in those quarters
up to this time the possession Of the
Philippines has been in dispute in Paris.
The action of to-day removes all ground
for dispute for now we will take complete
possession of the islands and give notice
to all corners, practically, hands off, Orders
will go forward to our military and naval
commanders-in -in-chief in those islands to
push forward, and other islands than that
Of Luzon will be occupied. 1t will not be
necessary to occupy anything like all of
them. Probably Panay, Zebu and two or
three others will be all to be included in the
plan of occupancy and possession. We will
deal with the insurgents there. but I do
not anticipate any serious difficulties with
them. Neither will this extension of pos
session throughout the main islands of the
archipelago involve any European compl-
cations, as has been suggested 1t is bare
ly possible that not more than 5000 addition
al troops will be necessary for the purpose,
and these can be readily dispatched. Trans
ports can be got in hand without much
delay, and our forces could soon be in pos
session of all the islands we care to take.
Meantime the Oregon and the Iowa are en-
route to the Pacific and will be added to
our forces there. Whether the Carolinas
or any portion of them will be taken, can
not say. 1 seriously doubt If that will be
undertaken There are reasons that sug-
gest themselves as ground for this opin-
ion."
DISCREDITED BY ALGER.
Secretary Alger expressed his disbelief in
the accuracy of the report, or, rather, he
feels that it was based on the personal ex-
preston of opinion of President Rios, of
the Spanish commission, and that he did
not necessarily represent the formal opinion
of the full commission. STILL the breach, If
breach there has been, would not be mat
ter of surprise to the State Department,
which has shaped instructions to the Amer
lean commissioners so as to bring the nego-
tiations in Paris to a sharp issue, one way
or the other, to-day.
If President Rios did express the deter
mination of the Spaniards, under their in
structons the American commissioners will
promptly pack up and leave Paris for the
United States at once. 1t is said at the State
Department that nearly all Of their work
in such case will go for nothing. The pro-
ceedings before the commission were so con-
Quoted that no one point agreed upon was
to be regarded as binding unless complete
treaty should be made. In other words the
agreement on each point as it was passed
over was tentative and final acceptance was
conditioned upon complete agreement upon
all points. This does not necessarily wipe out
what has been accomplished under the terms
of the protocol. Each article of the protocol
must stand, for it was in no respect de-
pendent on what would follow al Paris, saw
ing the one clause touching the Philippines.
For instance, Spain agreed positively to re-
linquish her sovereignty over Cuba and
Porto Rico and evacuate those islands, and
to cede to us one of the Ladrone islands
for a naval station. Those agreements are
beyond recall and all that was left to be
settled at Paris related to the Philippines.
That is the ultimate position of the United
States government as announced at the
State Department.
PEACE OR WAR?
AS to what shall follow-peace or war-the
officials are not clear and earnest considera-
ton will be given to this subject before any
decision is announced Tt is believed that
the Spanish forces in Cuba will continue the
evacuation of the island, which is now in
progress. 1t is not thought probable they
will attack the United States forces; the
latter will not attack them as long as they
continue to carry out the terms Of the pro-
tocol There is no problem connected with
Porto Rico, which is now completely in our
possession. Guam, one of the Ladrones, can
easily be garrisoned at any time, the Span
ish force there having surrendered This
leaves about the only questions to be de-
termned those connected with the Philip
pines. It is not believed that Spain will
make any effort to reconquer those islands.
Meanwhile the United States military and
naval commanders probably will be directed
to extend their occupation at once to the
whole group of islands, though it is not
clear this can be accomplished without
with the insurgents For some reasons a
speedy decision to undertake this work
would be acceptable to the State Depart
ment. There are foreign interests and
lives and property at stake there, for which
the United States has assumed a moral, if
not a technical responsibility. Such, for in
stance, is the situation in the city of Iloilo,
the second of importance in the Philippines,
which is besieged by large number of in
surgents The small Spanish garrison is
inadequate to defend the foreign interests
in the place, and, although under our con-
struction of the rules, we are not permitted
to act there so long as hostilities are sus-
pended, yet there is some force in the
Spanish plea that we have prevented them
from defending themselves and the foreign
ers in their care from the insurgents
At the British, French, German and 9TH
er foreign establishments the report from
Paris that the president of the Spanish
commissioners had refused to continue the
negotiations. was looked on as presenting
a serious crisis, although the effect of this