Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-12
First Will Come Suspension of Hos
tilities.
OF PEACE COMMISSIONERS
Judge Day viii Be the Leading
Member.
MANY NAMES SUGGESTED

The signing of the protocol will be fol-
lowed without delay by a suspension of
hos1illues' and then will be announced the
peace commissioners. There is still great
! latitude for speculation as to the character
of this commission, its powers and its in
| struct1ons. 1t is assumed that the two gov
| ernments will have equal representation on
the.commission, and the question naturally
| arises as to how disagreement can be
| settled with the commission divided equally
1t is suggested that Spain entertains the
| hope that a protrscted disagreement may
| be contrived SO as to lead to reference to
| a third party, and that it is with this in
view that she has argued so strongly
| through the French ambassador in favor
| OF having the commission meet at Paris.
| 1t is not the intention of this government
| however, to permit the calling in of any
| third party nor to take any step which
would assume the character of an arbitra-
| ton. While Spain will have equal repre-
| sentauon on the commission, the power of
| acunS Will lie with the American commits
sloners, who. representing the victorious
| country, will dictate the terms and event
| ually the Spanish commissioners will have
| to accept what the commissioners on the
| part of the United States offer or else
abandon their suit for peace. A great many
| minor details will be disposed of readily
and when they come down to the vital
| questions. the United States commissioners
| Will listen to the propositions, and the
| reasons for them, advanced on the part of
| Spain and will have the final determination
| as far as the commissioners are concerned
OF what we will accept or coEcede.
| Secretary Day Selected.
| Many names have been suggested to the
| President and the State Department for
appointment on the commission. but the
| greatest reserve is maintained by the
President and Secretary of State in the
| matter. The only thing that can be &C
| certed as reasonably certain Is that Sec
rotary Day. retiring from the State De-
| partment, will be at the head of the COM
| mission. There is very good authority for
| the suggestion of the names of Senators
| Allison of Iowa and German of Maryland
but their selection cannot be announced as
| agreed upon. Some very strong intima-
| tons have been put out that considerable
feeling will be aroused if, selections being
| made from the Senate, the President goes
outside of the committee on foreign rela-
| items for senatorial representatives on the
| commission The significance that will be
! attached to the selection of Senators for
I the commission outside of the foreign re-
|
| the Presidents contemplated policy Will not
| be entirely in accord with what is known
| to be the sentiment of that committee.
Foreign Relations Committee.
The majority of the Senate foreign rela-
| tons committee have been radical on the
| Cuban question from the first, and early in
| the controversy over Cuba they were far
| in advance of the attitude assumed by the
l
| leading members of the majority of the
| committee since the question of peace has
| been thought of indicate strong and very
| general disposition in favor of wide terri
torial expansion and the development of a
| radical policy in relation with the develop
| ment of our commercial interests in the
| Pacific. This committee will ultimately
| have to pass on the treaty of peace, but
| the Senate itself will stand above the COM
| nlittee, and failure on the part of the
President to select any that COM
mittee to serve on the commission, If any
| Senator is selected, will probably be con-
strued to mean that the President designs
| to carry out a more conservative policy in
| the negotiation of peace than is believed to
| be favor ed by the majority of the foreign
| relations committee.
Military Commission.
Many details remain to De agreed upon
which are not even referred to in the pro-
| tocol Such of these relate to purely
military and naval subjects will be referred
| to military commission.
This commission may encounter some
difficulty in making a disposition of the
| Spanish soldiers, not only those still at
large under Blanco in Cuba and under the
captain general of Porto Rico, but the
military and naval prisoners now in the
United States. The Spanish government is
showing a remarkable unwillingness to pro-
vide for the return OF these soldiers and
sailors to Spain. Indeed. this has gone so
| TAR as to lay the Spanish government open to
| the charge OF indifference to the fate of
the men who struggled 50 bravely for the
Spanish cause. European advices received
here from private sources throw some light
upon this peculiar attitude of the Spanish
government. 1t is apprehensive that the re-
! turning warriors will join the Carlists and
break out in open rebellion against the
present dynasty. 1t is probable, however,
that the military commission will be cloth
ed with adequate power to deal with this
question in the interest of the United