The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-15
A QUESTION or DETAILS.
shafter Had Full Power to Arrange the
Terms of Surrender.

washington. July 14.-while there were
many rumors as TO the exact conditions
at Santiago, IL was not until IL O'CLOCK
that Acknowledgement Corbin returned
from the white house. He then gave out
the brief bulletin stating that General To-
raj had asked for a commission 10 agree
on terms of surrender, and had himseh
named his commissioners. The bulletin
ala not give the text OF General Skaters
message, or whether the Spanish PROPOSE
ton would be accepted or rejected, or
what effect our action would have on the
bombardment which was to begin AZ noon
to-day. The lack of different Information
led to many wild reports. one was 10 ths
eject that the Spanish proposition had
been sumamrily rejected, and that IL TOOK
only a few minutes for the white house
conference TO determine on the rejection
and TO notify General Shafter. rms re-
port was contradicted by officials in au-
thority at the war department.
They said there had been no rejection
except so far as 1t related TO any oeiay
or parley over the question of surrender.
The orders sent to General Shatter made
II perfectly clear to him that III the Span
ish commander was seeking TO gain time,
or wanted a commission 10 treat on the
question OF surrender itself. then the
proposition was not TO be considered, but
N the Spanish general conceded surren-
dsr and desired the commission merely 10
agree upon the details and formalities OF
the surrender. then the plan was accept
ed, as all this government has contenoed
for has been a surrender. ana IL was rec
ognized that a commission would be APP
propriate to carry out the formalities OF
SPANS laying down of arms.
The exact terms of the Instructions 10
General Shafter were not disclosed. but
the foregoing was given as showing the
general lines on which he was TO pro-
coed. Acknowledgement Corbin looked
upon the matter as settled, and said as
much Immediately upon his return from
his conference with the president at the
white house. In his opinion. the only
thing that remained was to agree upon
certain essential details, such as whether
the Spanish troops should surrender IN
town or march out on the plains and there
lay down their arms. IL was also possi-
BILE, he said, that the question OF time
| might enter into the matter. as to whether
the evacuation OF the town should begin
exactly at non. or whether the actual
surrender should occur at that hour. or a
short time thereafter. He said that the
use of the term commissioner was APT
TO be misunderstood TO NEAR a formal
commission sitting In deliberate session fol
DAYS. Such was not the case In the pres
ent instance. Commissions to arrange th'
details of a surrender after IL had beer
agreed upon are common in military
quarters, and commissioner 10 the usua
military term given 10 persons charged
with such duties.
General Corbin said that under tn
army regulations General Shafter had ful
authority TO arrange with General Tora
for the appointment of one or more com
missioners for the purpose indicated. II
stated positively that no instructions o.
that particular point had been sent 1
General Shafter one way or the other, an
Shafter was expected 10 act entirely 4
accordance with his original instruction
contemplating the unconditional surren
der of The Spanish forces.