The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-18
SENIOR RIOS is BETTER
The United States an Implacable
Conquerer.
MIGHT WITHOUT RIGHT
"An Is Lost but Honor" Ii the Refrain
OF the Spanish Commissioner-As-
serts Tha Misfortune Has
Its Grandeur.

text of the Interview between Senior Mon
tero Rios. president of the Spanish peace
commission. and NJ. de Blowitz. the Par
is correspondent of the London Times.
published in that paper to-day. Senior
Montero Rios is quoted as saying:
I'VE have fulfilled here a very painful
mission. i'm which II is impossible to
dream of looking forward to with any
satisfaction but that of doing our duty.
We depart without other consolation than
the exclamation. Tout est perdu sauf
rhonneur.' (AIl is lost but honor
w knew in advance that we should
have to deal with an implacable conquer
or. who would I'm no way concern himself
with any pre-existing international law,
but whose sole object was to reap from
victory the largest possible advantage.
This conception of international law IL
absolutely new. IL IL no longer a case OF
might against right. but of might without
right. As for us. we had only to protect
ourselves against the abasement which IL
was desired to infict upon US and to
prove, in spite of our blunders and mis-
takes. the proverbial loyalty to the Cas-
tile fatherland.
Misfortune also has grandeur. The
Americans have acted as ~'vainqueurs
parvenus' (upstart conquerors). They do
not yet know the misfortune of defeat,
Dut tnere are tnl1kS WHICH the mOSt ioI-
tunate nations cannot escape later on.
when they. too. will have had reverses.
when they will have become homogen-
eous and no longer obliged to satisfy the
exigencles of political parties. they. too.
will form. like all other nations with a
past, "A code of international rights and
duties and be less infiexible toward those
who nave suffered defeat. They will better
understand that a strict observance OF
conditions agreed to, even in the thick OF
a fight. Is a guarantee and a protection
for all concerned. for the conqueror as
well as the vanquished.
I'VE signed on Aug. 10 a protocol sus-
pending hostilities. and il was on the
l4th that the American general de-
manded the surrender of Manila. The
fate of the Philippines remained unde-
termined and SPANS sovereignty was
still i'm force, since we were still wag-
ing war with considerable force TO sup
press the insurgents. But after a
Journey across a portion of the United
States. President Mckinley changed
his policy and decided upon claiming
the Philippines by right of conquest.
Yet, | repeat, the Philippines, even now
are still unconquered. The two chief
islands. the two richest-Mindanao ana
Iuzon-are not won. Mindanao and
the island Of the Great Lake contains a
population of half-breeds, half Malay
and half Spanish, constituting a mill
tary oligarchy which runs the rest OF
the islands and occupies the richest
portion of the territory on the shores OF
the lake. They are proud, strong and
warlike, and not only are they uncon-
uuered, but their conquest Will nSl be
accomplished quickly. Yet me Unitei
States claimed them, as well ms the
other islands. as IL their conquest was
complete.
but what most pains ne is thai In
All. -,o,, arhfrluTind I'm yhip1 we have
lost all, lost our last armada, there has
been an attempt to deprive MS ~ ar
honor as well. on Dec. l | prop lsed 40
the Americans to appoint a technirll
commission to examine the questlnn OF
the Maine. We said. America will ar-
point an American. an Engllshman n
a Frenchman: and we viii appoint a
Spaniard. an Englishman and a
Frenchman-all specialists-and mat
the commission or n TWO govern
ments appoint a German ana that
these seven men bring In a verdict. If
they declare Spain innocent, the pr"si-
lent of the United States VIII address
a message to the senate declaring
Spanish honor intact. and that SPAN
was falsely accused of having betrayed
the laws of hospitality by blowing UP a
vessel at anchor in one of her ports. 1f
Spain is declared guilty. a Spanish shin
will go to America, salute the United
states flag, and Spain Will pay the
costs.
This is the proposal we made on
Dec. 1. on Dec. 3. i'm his message TO
congress, the president made no allu-
sion to our proposal, but described the
lowin up of the Maine as a suspicious
event. on Dec. 6 the American COM
missioners declared that they "efusod
to discuss the question. This Is what
especially irritated us. We have great
defects-our hot temper and cruelties,
even. But our national is dear
to us. Yet to that honor the Americans
wished TO deal the rudest blow. Wen,
we are now going home to help spain
| to stanch the wound. We have. hap
| pily. at our head a woman whose VIZ
tues, courage and intelligence are our
strength and hope; who is beloved by
all parties: who henceforth has the
heart of a S~paniard.
The latest news from the frontier Is
that all is pretty quiet. Don Carlos
himself Is no Carlist. He has lived 100
long in the most advanced countries TO
b. a r~etroGade. n the Carlists ana
fanaticism have disappeared. Nor are
there any longer men who want a re-
public. Castelar,, Pho y Margal ana
Salmeron are loyal opponents. pair
has ceased to be great Spain; but We
shall abide by our traditions OF honor
and sobriety. Perhaps by the time our
young king, who has been brought up
in the school of adversely under the eye
of a noble woman. attsins his majority.
we will see days of peace and prosper