The record-union., 1898-07-29
PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.
No Proposals Were Made Before
Tuesday.


WASHINGTON, July 2S.-It can be
stated on the authority of the State
Department and the foreign embassies
that there We're no overtures in behalf
of Spain for peace or a cessation of
hostilities until the French Embassa-
| dor last Tuesday presented the note
to the President. This statement is
made with full knowledge of European
denials, and must be accepted as that
of the Government of the United States.
Therefore all the talk about bad faith
shown by our Government in pressing
the Porto Rican. campaign during the
last few days is absolutely without
foundation, and our Government has
done nothing that can subject it to
criticism on this score.
In addition to the representatives of
the United States Government the per-
sons qualified to speak for the Govern
ment of Spain in this country make an
exactly similar statement and the
charges of bad faith against the Unit
ed States attributed to Premier Sagasta
are discredited as inventions designed
to prejudice the successful progress Of
the present peace negotiations. 1t
could not be contemph : Scr m
i~ent that any mere personal exchange
of views between persons in Europe
could be construed as an overture for
peace; although there may have been
some of this back door gossip" as it
is denominated at the State Depart
ment, it can be again affirmed that the
United States Government has not been
a party to it, Moreover, so far as EN-
bassadOr Cambon is concerned, it can
be stated positively that he made no
direct nr indirect official or
unofficial, relating to peace or to any
phase of peace, prior to 3 O'Clock last
Tuesday afternoon.
Even supposing there had been peace
overtures, which there had not been,
military authorities regard Premier Sa-
gasta's alleged statement that peace
oVertures operate to stay the course
of military operations as little short
of amazing, and as directly contrary
not only to the military law of the
United States, but to the whole recog-
niZed principles of international law In
general the international law writer's
agree that military operations stop
only when a truce or armistice is
actually concluded, and that this truce
or armistice must be in writing. Until
then the mere preliminary overture to-
ward a suspension of hostilites is not
regarded as any warrant for stopping
the war. This is expressed in the
United States instructions for the Gov
ernment authorities in the field:
Article 141. Belligerents sometimes
conclude an armistice while their pleni-
potentiaries are met to discuss the con-
ditions of treaty of peace, but pleni-
potentiaries may meet without pre-
liminary armistice. In the latter case
q ( carried without
abatement"
Another section of the regulations is
as follows:
Article 142. An armistice is not a
partial or a temporary peace; it is only
the suspension of military operations
to the extent agreed upon by the
parties
The military authorities, as well as the
specific regulations of the United
States, hold that there is no suspension
of hostilites prior to the agreement to
suspend military operations. Even then
the agreement is binding on military
commanders only from the time they
receive actual notice of it. In the mean
time military commanders have the
right to push forward and hold such
territory as they occupy The need for
limiting this cessation of hostilities is
obvious, for until a signed agreement
is made there is no knowledge of the
extent of the arrnistice.
In the present case an armistice
might include or exclude the Philip
pines or Porto Rico, as the two parties
might agree. but until they agree there
will be no obligation to abate military
operations in any field of operations.
After the signing of the armistice pre-
liminary to peace. a status quo is es-
tablished, and all military operations
come to a halt at the points designated
and at points not designated the mill
tary operations proceed.
In the present case If the truce is
general General Shafter, General Miles
and Admiral Dewey would simply re-
tain the positions they now occupy,
and moral obligation be imposed not
TO strengthen these positions or make |
secure preparations for more effective
continuance of the war hereafter With
these we'll defined rules of military pro-
cedure accepted by all nations, the as
sertio1 attributed TO Sagasta that mere |
overtures for cessation of hostiities |
would in itself stop hostilities, is re- |
garded as unaccountabe /
II there We're any chance to procrasti-
nate TO secure an armistice without |
committing themselves, in fact to |
adopt any course that would postpone |