The Portland daily press., 1898-11-04
Have No Right to Sign Abdications
Which Have Been Sought.
DO. Not Desire a Formal Rupture As 1t
Would Give America Pretext to Bonn
bard the Coast OF EurOpe-They With
draw Convinced That Their Attitude
Will Have No Effect Upon Their Con-
Querers.

! from confronting positions until one or
the other shall have reformed Its lines for
the next meeting, which will probably
occur next week. If the Spanish COM
missiopers entertain a hope that after the
elections in the United States the Ameri-
can commissioners will relax their de-.
lnands as to the Philippines, they have
not uttered it here, for the public ear n or
| has anything baen said or done by any
| memter of the United States commission
to warrant such hope.
| The American commissioners came to
Paris with no greed for Philippine terri
| tory in SO. To an unofficial bystander the
question with them has seemed to be
rather to lind the right path and to walk
| in it, than by a bold use of power to
wrench the utmost advantage from dis
tressed opponent.
| The fact is the commissioners have felt
| that the conditions precedent render the
letting go of the Philippines as difficult
as their retertion. There is. for instance,
| the question OF the future of Aguin aldo,
| his chiefs and followers. The Philippine
leader and his immediate associates in
the insurrection accepted exile and over
half million dollars at the hands of
Spain as an inducement to cease their re-
| belIions. They went to China; but they
wore brought back to the Philippines on
board United States warship. Agui-
naldo received from Admiral Dewey
several thousand stands of arms and was
put ashore as an ally OF the United States
in the war against Spain.
The insurgent leader and his chiefs
have forfeited their lives should the
United States return the Philippines to
Spain. Aguinaldo and his fighting follow
ers must be surrendered to death or taken
away.by the United States and the Amer
ican commissioners feel that tranplants-
ing them would be as severe toward them
I,c oti tiocb a
point of view of the United States. Terri
tory to shelter them is felt to be necessary
in the Philippines.
The entire group might not be necessary
for this purpose; should then the United
States detain Luzon as their place OF
refuge?
TO do this would BIZ to take the must
valuable portion of the archipelago, an
act which might furnish basis for the
dual charge of greed in taking the best
and of cowardice in evading responsibility
for the remainder The American COM
missioners have been unwilling to place
the United States in such position.
Again there arose the pregnant question
of undesirable neighbors. should only
Luzon be taken. An aggressiveIy disposed
power might acquire Mindoro which Is
almost within cannon shot of Luzon and
thus create q most difficult situation.
Could then a wiser division Of the islands
be made? Pursuing this inquiry the most
feasible division seemed to be Luzon,
Mindoro and Ralawan, forming chain
free of neighbors on the western bound.
ary, but so closely tangled on the eastern
side s to make impossible line OF
geographical division at once equitable
and safe.
The American commissioners have not
been unmindful of the fact that circum-
stances, partially OF their own shaping
had imposed upon the United States
constructive responsibility for the Philip
pines and that either this must be for
saken or larger one assumed. They
have believed, too. that before the nations
of the world the United States have as
sumad the higher responsibility of the
stable control of the entire group and,
with sense of specific and general obli.
cation, they felt compelled to propose to
take over ALL
On the question of the Spanish debt, by
whatever name known the American
commissioners seem to take broader
ground than the mere question of dollars.
It is evident they do not favor coupling
any power in debt responsibilities. They
seem inclined to direct adjustments on
the plain basis of facts and equities
Whether the war ledgers of Spain and the
United States are TO be balanced in the
present negotiations does not appear; but
the americans face the situation open
eyed and with minds free to any argu-
ment based upon justice to Spain and fair
treatment of their own national interests
The correspondent of the Associated
Press, ascertains from Spanish sources,
beyond question, authentic, that before
the Philippine question is settled. the
Spanish commissioners will declare that
they are not here solely to save or to gain
all the money possible from the United
States. Senior Montero Rios, president OF
the Spanish commission and his col
tication of the Spanish or colonial debts,
will point out that Spain has borrowed
on the collateral of her colonial revenue.
They will concede that the national guar
antee may have been added, bpt that, for
all the purposes of this contention, che