The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-05
THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION
REFUS44L OF AMERICAN DEMANDS
 BY STAINS COMMISSIONERS.

The spaniards CIain, That 1t Was
 Understood That spain's Authority
 in the Philippines Should Not be
 Affected by the Protocol-It Is Also
 Manila Was Invalid.
 Paris, Nov. 1.-The Spanish commits sioners, in the course of two hours session of the peace conference to-day, flatly refused to accept Mondays prop osition by the Americans to take the entire Philippine group and to reim- purse Spain for her pacific expendi- lures" there. This negative decision was expected. The Spanish commits sioners had also a number of positive declarations, which filled some thirty seven sheets of typewriter present. ment. In this statement the Spaniards held that the United States had no ul- innate rights in the Philippine archi- pelago and could derive none save by the consent of Spain. According to the Spanish contention in the formal state ment, the United States entertained no thought of annexing the Philippines when the protocol was signed, or it would have been expressed in the pro- tocol as clearly as the conditions re- garding the cession of territory in the Antilles and the Orient M. Cambon, before the signature of the protocol, re- ceived from Madrid-the presentment alleged-a cable message clearly setting forth that the maintenance of Spain's authority over the Philippines should not be affected by the protocol, to which reservation the United States made at that time no protest or objec- tion.
 This dispatch to M. Cambon, as the Spaniards claimed to-day, embodied also the view that the United States had no valid basis for claims in the archipelago. It was further held to- day by Senor Rios and his colleagues that the equalization of Manila, having occurred after the signing of the pro- tocol and thus after the suspension of hostilities, was invalid. With all this for groundwork the Spaniards made their first positive move against the Americans, and it constituted their counter proposition. They charged up- on the United States a wrongful ap- propriation of public moneys belonging to Spain by seizing the tariff duties at Manila, and they formally demanded the return of these moneys, in the sum of nearly a million dollars. On the same premises the United States were to-day declared to have made and held as prisoners the Spanish troops at Ma nila in violatio nof international law, because done after the suspension of hostilities under the protocol. A fur ther charge was that by the imprison- ment of the Spanish troops at Manila the United States had prevented Spain from quelIing the insurrection and had thus contributed to the violence against Spain after the cessation of hostilities. To-days Spanish presentment also cit ed the refusal of the Americans to con- slider the Cuban debt on the ground that it was not mentioned in the pro- tocol and demanded an adherence to this as precedent in the discussion of the Philippines, regarding cession of what the Spanish commissioners held the protocol to make no mention. In support of these assertions, arguments and demands the Spanish presentment invokes Spain's record in the corre- spondence, by mail and telegraph, though it is not known unofficially whether the Spaniards produced the message said to have been sent to Mad rid to M. Cambon at the time the pro- tocol was signed in which 1t was affirm ed to-day, Spain reserved her Philip pine sovereignty. The presentment was read by Interpreter Ferguson, be- ing rendered from the Spanish, in which it was written, into English. At the close of the reading the Americans said they wished to have the Spanish statement rendered into written Eng fish for more careful consideration and an adjournment was taken to Tuesday next.
 This evening the Spaniards affect to believe that the Americans had plan- ned to develop the spirit of their Phil ippine demands before the American elections, put they decllned lo say whether they expected easier terms af- ter the election The entire clerical force of the American commission will be busy part of the night in handling the Spanish presentment and the coun- sel to the commissioners will at the same time examine it with view to to-morrow's private session of the American commission, when a response will be formulated.
 It may be again asserted on the high est authority-as bearing on the Span ish argument that when the protocol was signed there was no understanding verbal or otherwise which the proto- coI does not show forth. Nor have the American commissioners at any time on the other hand held or believed that the protocol in SC determined anything aeainst Spain's sovereignty in the Philippines. he American representa- lives have. however held and doubtless will hold that the protocol was meant to provide and does provide, for de- cision by the Paris conference regard ine, the ownership of the Philippines. rpoopS DESIGNATED FOR CUBA.