The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-11
PEACE NOW NEAR AT HAND
4 LONG STRIDE IN THE PRELIMI-
 NARY NEGOTIATIONS.

The Agreement of Secretary Day and Which Alone Remains to be Signed Before the Cessation of Hostilities Spain Has Practically Conceded Every President Turns His Attention to the Appointment of Commissioners.
 Washington, Aug. 10.-The prelimi- nary negotiations looking toward the confirmation of peace advanced a long stride to-day when the secretary of state and the French ambassador agreed upon the terms upon which fu- ture negotiations for treaty are to be conducted and reduced these to the form of a protocol. This protocol, 1t is true, is yet to be signed and is to be submitted to the Spanish government before the formal signatures are affix- ed, but the administrators views as to the progress made to-day was set out in Secretary Days sentence: Tt is ex- pected that this protocol will be exe- cuted.'
 There is always the possibility in dealing with the Spanish government that it may recede at the last moment from an implied agreement, but it is scarcely probable that it would be will ing to involve the French ambassador in the difference that would follow what to the world would seem to be repudi- ation of his benevolent efforts in behalf of Spain. There must be delay-pos- sibly from twenty-four to forty eight hours-before the next step can be talk en and the protocol made binding upon both the United States and Spain by the attachment of the signatures of the plenipotentiaries. Secretary Day for the United States and M. Cambon for Spain.
 The delay will be largely attributable to physical causes. The protocol is long; it must be translated and turned back and forth into code and simple language no less than five times before it reaches Madrid through the French foreign officers. This work was not be- gun until late this afternoon, after the best energies of Assistant Secretary Adee of the state department and M. Thiebaut, secretary of the French em- bassy, had been exerted in the prepara- tion in formal shape of two copies of the protocol, one in English and one in French. These were prepared very carefully, the idiomatic variance in the two languages necessitating the great est caution in order that the essential character of the two copies should be preserved. The length of the protocol imposed a great amount of labor upon the cipher clerks, or whoever is charg- ed with the work of rendering the orig inal into cipher, so that altogether it is apparent that the consumption of time involved in purely mechanical functions will be so considerable as to make the rendition of a very early answer inl- probable.
 As to the character of the protocol, it can be stated on authority that the terms are in all practical points those set out in the abstract of the presidents conditions, published from the White house week ago. From this fact it is deduced that the extra conditions or
 
 the Spanish government were abandon ed, at least in large part, by the French ambassador. This deduction is SUD- ported by the circumstances that in the early morning, and before the confer ence between Secretary Day and M. Cambon, which resulted in the agree ment, there was prevalent impression based upon the utterances of public men who had talked with the presi- dent, that the Spanish answer was un- satisfactory and that the negotiations looked as if they might terminate sud- denly As this situation changed so suddenly after the conference, it may be fairly assumed that the ambassador abandoned the conditions which the president was reputed to have regarded as unsatisfactory. It is believed that the protocol carries within itself pro- visions for the cessation of hostilities. On this point the naval contingent is urgent that our government adopt the Napoleanic policy of refusing to enter into an armistice without acquiring some substantial pledge to secure the consummations of peace. What they particularly desire is that our govern ment shall demand as a condition of the cessation of hostilities the surren- der to the United States military forces of Morro Castle at the entrance of the Havana harbor and some such points of vantage at the other important ports in the territory soon to fall under our control.
 The peace negotiations are now be- lieved to be advanced to a point where the president has felt warranted in turning his attention to the selection of the commissioners to be charged by the Tinted States with the drafting of a treaty of peace. So far as can be gathered, but one name has been posi- lively determined upon, namely, that of Secretary Day, who will head the com mission. Beyond that point there is no certainty, although some prominent names have been brought forward. MT. Woodford, our minister to Spain, has