The record-union., 1898-11-19

PARIS. Nov. 1S.-The United States
Commissioners are devoting to-day, as
they did yesterday, to formulating their
next presentation for the consideration
of the Spanish Commissioners. While
the Americans are reticent as to their
intentions, it may be said with reserve
that the occasion is near upon which
the exact peace terms acceptable to the
American Commissioners will be laid
before the Spaniards, with time limit
for their acceptance
As previously indicated in the dis
patches, the American Commissioners
viii not involve the United States in
any obligations to the creditors of
Spain in any shape or form. In other
words, the Americans will not guaran-
tee any of the Spanish bonds, even if
they have mortgaged as security the
revenues of the territory to be taken
by the United States.
As set forth in these dispatches on
October 31st, and previously, the Unit
ed States may now balance its war led
ger. debiting to Spain the value of the
battleship Maine, the cost of the naval
and military operations, the losses in
Cured by American commerce and the
other side of the sheet may be placed
SPANS equities and values in the Phil
ippines. If a difference is found to
exist in favor of Spain, this amount in
cash may be offered her by the Ameri-
can Commissioners at the next joint
session here. What this balance may
De IS not definitely known, but it may
be about $2O,O00,000, or, possibly, less
The Americans may also require until
next Monday or Tuesday to prepare
this final presentation of their case,
which was understood at the adjourn
ment of Wednesday last
PREPARED FOR SPAIN'S CONTEN-
TIONS.
WASHINGTON, Nov 1S.-The two
new points laid down by the Spanish
Commissioners in the answer presented
by them at Wednesdays session of the
joint commission will not be permitted
TO change the attitude of the United
States Commissioners. These points
were in substance that the Spaniards
could not permit any question to be
raised as to authority of the Spanish
Government to pledge the resources of
the Philippines loan, and they could
not permit an accounting of the method
in which the proceeds of this loan had
been expended.
There is reason to believe that the
Spanish purpose is to conceal enormous
defalcations- by the Spanish officials
who have governed the Philippines
since the issue of the loan The os-
tensible purpose is to be able to plead
Inability to state what the pacific ex-
penditures" have been on account of
the Philippines, which was all that the
United States proposed to reimburse
them for.
Our Government, however, in antici-
patton of such evasive dealings. has
prepared the American Commissioners
with instructions which exactly meet
this case. They know approximately
the value of the betterments in the
Philippines having ascertained this
from private, but thoroughly reliable
sources. Knowing this, they can afford
to ignore entirely the efforts of the
Spaniards to becloud the facts, and will
adopt the simple expedient of proffer-
ing lump sum-as many million dol
lars as It Is deemed fair and just to
tender for the Spanish properties, re-
quifing and rendering no statement OF
Sd1t tul1lAOA dS OASIS Tor the offer
Thus there will be avoided the danger
of long wrangle over complex state
ments of figures. and the issue will be
made with perfect clearness.
1t is believed that the Spanish Com
missioners finally will accept this of
fer, though it is fully expected that
once the commission reaches the point
of naming a sum of money, and has
left behind it all the irrelevant discus
sion touching sovereignty, the Spanish
Commissioners may make a determin-
ed effort to secure a larger allowance
than the President has sanctioned
Judging, however by the conduct of
the American Commissioners up to this
point, there will be very little latitude
allowed the Spaniards in this matter,
and it is believed that they have come
TO appreciate the fact that the Ameri-
can proposition is in the end just above
Where it was at the beginning, and that
American diplomacy is straightforward
at all points.