Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-03
NO WORD FROM SPAIN
Reply to Our Terms of Peace Not
Yet Here.
FORMAL ANSWER SOON EXPECTED
PreIiminaries to Signing the Treaty
of Peace.
THEY MAY TAKE MONTHS

dOn, stating tQdt SPAN ndu
upon its reply to the demands of the Unit
ed States and that the reply had been sent,
or was the way to Washington, had the
effect of arousing the most lively interest
in all official quarters today
While the reports accepted as show
ing the undoubted tendency of the Spanish
government toward peace as likely to be
borne out in the near future by the formal
response of Madrid, yet it can be stated
positively that far neither the United
States government has received any answer
from Spain, nor has the French embassy
received an answer which will be COM
municated to the authorities here. 1t is ap-
parent from this that the reply could not
have been sent from Madrid Monday,
stated in some of the foreign reports
The nisapprehension doubtless arises
from the fact that the Madrid cabinet af-
ter receiving the American note, desired
more information upon some of the points
involved. This led to a cable communica-
tion to Ambassador Cambon. 1t was not
intended a response to the American
terms, and ii was in sense conclusive
upon the subject matter of the negotia tions.
There was need even of a call by NJ
Cambon at the White House or at the
State Department This continued to be
the situation up to the present time, name
ly. a communication having been received
relative to the American terms, but not one
of such final character as to constitute
answer for submission to the United
States government At the same time,
formal answer is expected soon, and, al
though no official intimation has been Civ
en-, it is within the bounds of possibility
that the decision has been already reached
at Madrid But in any event it has not
reached any quarter in Washington up to
the present time.
Under the circumstances there will be no
occasion for the French ambassadors going
to the White House to present any commu-
nicatton from Spain, and this in itself indi-
Gates conciusively that the negotiations
have not yet reached the stage where the
final response OF Spain is ready for submis-
siOn-
French Ambassadors Call.
At the same time there is likely to be a
wide range Of speculation relative to call
OF Nj CambOn the STATE Department to-
day. This had no reference to the peace ne
gotiatiOns to the affairs of Spain, bur
was for the purpose of discussing a matter
relating to France and the United States.
Some weeks ago United States warship
captured the French merchant steamer
Olinde Rodriguez when she was about nine
miles off San Juan. 1t was claimed she was
running the blockade then existing around
San Juan harbor, and the captured mer-
chairman was taken to Charleston, S. c.,
where she is still detained, with a number
of passengers, freight, and the official mail
of the French minister at Port-au-Prince.
Both the French embassy and the French
Transatlantic Steamship Company asked
for the release of the steamer on the ground
that she was not running the blockade. The
Department of Justice has been considering
the subject, and the prospects are for a
satisfactory adjustment for release of the
steamer if claims for detention are made.
The call of NJ. Cambon at the State Depart
ment related to this subject, and not in any
way to the Spanish peace negotiations.
Preliminaries May Take Months.
Under the assumption that peace is near
at hand some attention is being given to
the steps by which this may be brought
about formally and the measures necessary
TO be adopted Immediately afterward. 1t is
not at all improbable that the preliminaries
leading up to the signature of the treaty of
peace may consume fully three months, so
that it would be we'll along toward the legal
date of the assembly of Congress before
the President will be prepared to submit
such d treaty to the Senate. This allow
ance of time is rather moderate than ex-
cesslve, viewed from the point of past ne
6ouauons- We were two years, from 1IS1
10 1tS5, in arranging d peace with Great
Britain to terminate the revolutionary war
And in the case of the Chinese-Japanese
war it was several months before the com
missioners were able TO perfect the treaty
OF ShimOnisaki, which terminated that war
1t does not follow from this that an actual
state OF war will prevail during this inter
Val of three months for as a matter of
Tact, hostilities will terminate within very
few days after Spain has notified the
United States government of her accept
Gnce Of the terms laid down in the Presf
dents note of last Saturday. But the mil
itary establishment must be maintained
during that time and many acts performed
that are incident to actual warfare
Signing the Protocol
II is expected here that the Spanish
pledge to accePr the broad conditions laid
down by the United States will take the
form of a written agreement something in
the nature of 81 protocol, which while a
very necessary step in the negotiation of a
treaty Is not always part of the docu-
ment- The negotiations are not progressed
su4helently TO indicate who shall be the
FafueS TO thls agreement, rather who
shall represent the principals the United
States and Spain 1t is possible that this
may be signed in Washington as between
Secretary Day and Nj. Cambon, OF on the
other hand, the ambassadors of Spain and
the United States in one of the E,lronesn
Countries, probably in this case France
might meet. and by the authorization of
their respective governments sign this
agreement The protocol, if it might be so
called, would i'll either case not take the
maj of Z
which would be later drawn up by commits
stoners to be appointed for this purpose.
Evacuation of the Islands
Under the terms of the Presidents note.
II they shall be excepted by. Spain, the
Spanish government is bound to imme-
dieteiy evaeuate Cuba and Porto Rico This
action is not to wait upon the work of the
peace commissioners. but is to preeede it,