The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-17
ANSWER ASKS ARBITRATION.
SPANIARDs STILL HANG ON THE
PROTOCOLS CONSTRUCTION.

ANSteruASs session hrle1 ana Al
JOurnment Taken Until Saturday.
spaninrds' Reply a Long Document
Which VIII BE Considered at To-
days Meeting of Americans-It
Asks Arbitration on the Construc-
tion to he Placed on Article B.
Paris, Nov. 16.-The meeting to-day of
the Spansh-American commissions began
at 2:l5 p. m. and ended at p. m. The
Spanish commissioners presented a long
document in answer to the American ar
gument, which was submitted last week.
BY mutual consent, the memorandum of
to-day was handed to the Americans with
out being read, the meeting adjourned un-
til Saturday next. The Spanish commits
sion will be translated this evening. and
it's contents win be discussed by the Uni
ted States commissioners tomorrow at
their daily session.
The Spaniards, in their communication
to-day, reaffirmed the position which they
have assumed against the discussion here
of Spain's Philippine sovereignty. They
insist that the words shall determine the
COIlEOll ulSpOS-lFJu anu BONSA LAiASnA VI tilb
Philippines" as article of the peace pro-
tocol, did not warrant any reference 10
Spain's withdrawal from the Philippines
except on her own terms, and, therefore,
the Spaniards propose arbitration on the
construction to be placed on the words
"the control, disposition and government.
In signifying their willingness to submit
the Philippine article of the protocol TO a
third party for construction, the Spanish
commissioners urged to-day that as there
was obviously a difference of opinion re-
garding the phrase "the control, dlsposA-
tion and government of the Philippines"
possibly the result of a misunderstanding,
the Spaniards should no more be asked to
surrender their view than the Americans
to surrender theirs.
The memorandum points out that a.
deadlock exists which might be broken by
arbitration on the contending views, to
which the Spanish commissioners are quite
ready to submit. The latter declare. that
they have no idea of suggesting arbitra-
ton as to the main issue, which touches
national honor on hoth sides, but they are
willing to accept exterior aid to clear the
path of negotiation.
1t is safe TO say that the American COM
missioners will not consent to invoke ex-
terror aid to construe terms of their own
protocol.
Another part of to-day's Spanish memo
randum fatty asserts, upon the authority
of M.Cambon's report of the protocol nego-
tiations between Washington and Madrid
through him, that President Mckinley at
no time objected to Spain's reservation of
her sovereignty in the Philippines. This
allegation is directly opposed to the Amer
lean record on the same subject. The
American commissioners now hold that the
protocol Itself was born of Spains attempt
to reserve her Philippine sovereignty,
though the Spanish memorandum to-day
squarely challenges the contention.
Moreover, the Spanish commissioners to-
day have alleged that President McKin-
leys objection to Spain's phraseology in
accepting the peace terms was based sole
w. so far as was made known, upon this
sentence in the Spanish acceptance: "They
accept the proffered terms subject to the
approval of the Cortes Of the kingdom, as
required by their constitutional duties"
The Spanish memorandum to-day holds
that NJ Cambon answered the American
objection to this by pointing out that the
Americans terms were preferred subject
to the approval of The Americans, but
that President Mckinley replied that he
did not desire to involve the internal af-
fairs of Spain in the proceedings in hand
The Spanish memorandum asks also
why. if the United States objected TO
Spain's reservation of sovereignty, they
did not say so in the protocol and s4eave
no room for argument. 1t asks why
Judge Days note of Aug. 10 did not de-
clare that the United States would not
recognize such reservation and that the
protocol was necessary to prevent a mis-
understanding on that point.
II also asks why did Judge Days note
practically ascribe the inexplicit form of
Spain's acceptance of the peace terms TO
telegraphlc errors, while the exact terms
of Spain's reservation of sovereignty, as
had in Washington before the protocol,
are now being quoted in the proceedings
here
This portion of the Spanish memoran-
DUN Is based upon letters written by NJ
Cambon at the time, purporting to de-
scribe interviews and transactions at
tending the peace terms and protocol.
On Saturday, the date fixed for the next
meeting, the Americans will make their
response, in the course of which 1t is not
unlikely that the exact terms and precise
time limit Of their acceptance will be com
inundated