The Wichita tribune., 1898-10-29
SPAIN HAS Backed DOWN.
Americas Stand on the Cuban
Debt Question Accepted.
TAKE THEIR MEDICINE AT LAST
The Spanish Commissioners Decided Mon
day That There Was Nothing to Gain
The Philippines Next.


In Opposing the American Proposals
The Philippines Next.
PARIS, Oct. 2S.-The Spanish peace
commissioners have accepted the neg
ative view Of the United States COM
missioners toward the proposed as
sumption by the United States of the
Cuban debt
The American commissioners have
firmly but courteously declined to as
sumo fol the United States the entire
or joint responsibility for the Spanish
financial conditions. and the Spanish
commissioners have finally abandoned
the effort and have agreed that the
Cuban article of the protocol shall,
without conditions, have place in the
ultimate treaty of peace. 1t was not
until Money that they became actu4
ally convinced that the Americans,
who had from the outset made re-
fusal to accept the Cuban debt, meant
exactly what they said
In spite of the fact that the Spanish
commissioners had doubts of succeed
ing, their hope of so doing has been SO
keen and their contention has been SO
vigorously prosecuted that the final
conviction of their inability to via
their point brought the Spaniards such
shock and depression that there were
grave doubts as to the continuance Of
the negotiations.
In support of these statements is
the fact that Senor Montoro Rios,
. after Mondays session and on Tues
day, would have resig57 ID the presid-
ency of the Spanish peace commits
sion had he not believed that his do
ing SO may have grievously shaken, II
it had not unseated, Senor Segasta's 8
government. From this standpoint, t,
if for no other reason, Senior Rios re-
tained his position, and at yesterdays
session, acting under the conviction
arrived at on Monday, the spaniards
announced that they would forego fur
ther argument on the Cuban debt and
agreed that, practically in the terms
and absolutely l. the spirit of the pro-
tocol, the article about Cuba should go
forward into the final treaty.
Thus Spain agrees to relinquish SOW
s;gnty over and claim to Cuba without
either terms or conditions.
All differences, if any existed, re-
garding Porto Rico and the selection
of the island of Guam were also ar
ranged by mutual understanding,
and the commissioners found them
selves we'll nigh touching the Philip
pine question, which will be taken up
next week
The session of the joint commissions,
which began to-day at ? p. M, ended
at p. m.
Late instructions had been received
by Judge Day and his colleagues on
the commission to positively refuse to
consider the question of the Cuban
war debt, and to insist on the part of
the United States that only questions
subject to discussion in the protocol
must at once be taken up, with the
implied threat that should further pro-
crastination on the part of Spain be
indulged in, negotiations between the
two governments would cease.
THE NEWS IN WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, Oct 2S.-The Paris
dispatches show that the intimation
was conveyed by the American com
missioners to the Spanish commission
ers at Mondays session of the peace
conference at Paris that the position
of the United States with respect to
Cuba and the Cuban debt could
Lot be regarded as subject
to change and that conse-
quently the American commissioners
were ready to proceed with the consid
Grafton of other questions under the
protocol. The one concession as tC
Cuba that our commissioners will make
VIII be to guarantee for the United
States that life and property shall be
secure in Cuba. This responsibility the
United States will assume only until
such time as a stable government shall
be formed and operative in Cuba
There will be no perpetual guarantee
on this score.
Undue significance has been at
tached to the dispatch of specia
messenger from Washington yesterday
to the President at Philadelphia
Almost every day a long report ha:
come by cable from Judge Day, telling
what had been accompiish> |, what tht
Spanish commissioners were seeking
and what the American commissioner:
propose to do at the next meeting
The President has gone over these re
ports very carefully, in company will
Secretary Hay, and sometimes will
military or naval experts, l
their advice seemed to be necessary
, Yesterdays report was very long, an'
to have reduced it to cipher code TO
the purpose of telegraphing it to Phil
adelphia would have consumed NOR
time and been less satisfactory in re
suits than the services of messenger
AS vital stage had been reached, i
was thought advisable not to della,
until the Presidents return, and $
Assistant Secretary Cridlers contiden
tial clerk was sent to Philadelp phi
with the daily report.
, 1t is expected that the commission
ers will now take up the subject OF tn
! Philippines. The American commls
sioners have given this subject muc
attention, but so far it has never ap
peared before the joint commissio
save in the shape of one spasmodic et
fort made by the Spaniards at the yer
beginning of the sessions to have tn
United States abandon Manila as
precedent to further negotiations o
the subject of the Philippines.
MAY BE A PHILIPPINE DEBT.
The American commissioners, anon