Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-03
Spanish Government no Long
err Urges United States to
Assume Cuban Debt.
ONE CONCESSION.
Life and Property In Cuba Until a
Next Subject That of the
Philippines.

! Paris, oct. 21.-The Spanish government
! through its peace commission has ac
guessed in the refusal by the United
states to assume the Cuban debt. Senior
Montero Rios, president of the Spanish
commission and his colleagues with faith
I full ineistence, sought another result, but
finally agreed that the Cuban article of
the protocol shall without conditions
have place in tho ultimate treaty of
peace.
Thus Spain agrees to relinquish sover-
eighty over and claim to Cuba without
either terms or conditions. All questions
regarding Porto Rico and the selection OF
the island of Guam were arranged and
the commissioners found themselves well
night touching the Philippine question
which Will be taken UP next week.
F Washington. Oct. H.-TEc intimution
conveyed by the American commissioners
to the spanish commissioners at Mondays
50 ssiDn of the peace conference in Paris
that the position of the United States
with respect to cuba and the Cuban debt
could not be regarded as subject to change
and that consequently the American COM
misSiOncrs were ready to proceed with the
consideration with other heads under the
protocol the Paris advices show. had the
desired effect. The one concession as to
Cuha that our commissioners will max"
viii he to guarantee for the United States
that life and property shall be secure in
states will assume until SUCH time as y
stable government shall he formed and
operative in Cuba. There will be no per-
petual guarantee on this score.
1t is expected that the commissioners
will now take up the subject of the Phil
ippncs. The Americans have given
this subject mucn attention but
so far 1t has never appeared be-
fore the Joint commission save in the
shape Cf one spdsmodic effort made by
the Spaniards at the very beginning Of
the sessions to have the United States
abandon Manila as a precedent to further
negotiations on ;ha subject Of the Phil
ippincs. The American commissioners,
among other things have been looking in
to the subject of the Philippine debt,
about which there Is much ignorance at
this end of the line. 1t Is unlikely that
the same rule will be applied to that debt
as was insisted upon relative to the Gu
ban debt. In other words If the United
states anneNes the Philippines, which
seems now to be the logical outcome of
the situation 1t might be reasonably con-
tended tnat at least so much of the debt
as represented mon, ys expended for tho
Improvement of the islands should pass
to the United States with the title. The
situation il regarded as materially differ
ent from that in Cuba, where the United
states gains nothing for with the anneXa-
ton OF the Philippines We should acquire
territory almost as large as the Brit
ish Isles with q population of more than
100000 persons. 1t will be for the AM
erican commissioners to arrange the de-
tails of the transfer of the PHILIPPINES to
the United states us 1t is expressly stpu-
lated in the peace protocol that the dis
position OF the Philippines shall be ar
ranged by the peace commissioners so
that there is ample warrant unlike the
case OF Cuba for full discussion of all
T.I..