The herald., 1898-11-04
SPANISH HONOR
Renders the Nation Utterly Unable
to Yield

PARIS, Nov 3.--Last Monday the United
States and Spanish peace commissioners left
the definite limitations of the protocol anC
entered upon the wide field of diplomacy
where an open question Is to be decided
Both commissions realize that the area is
ample enough tor some maneuvering
though on the American side the tendency
is to evolutions more compact than those
OF the Spanards. Both would undoubtedly
be gratihed to reach a mutual conclusion
without compulslon. AT Mondays Joint
session the American commissioners laid
down proposition in two parts:
First-That the United States should take
over the Philippines entire.
Second That in so doing they should re
lmburse to Spain the sum of her permanent
and pacific expenditures in the Philippines
The logic of the situation compelled the
Americans to make the first move
Having heard the American proposition
the Spanards might have Immediately de-
cined it, as they certainly will do at to
morrow's session. Whether they will &C
company the refusal with counter PROPOSE
ton had not been definitely ascertained
though at late hour this evening that
course seems improbable. The result will
be that the commissions will retire from
confronting positions until one or the Other
shall have reformed its lines for the next
meeting, which will probably be next week
If the Spanish commissioners entertain q
hope that after the elections in the United
States the American commissioners will re
lax their demands as to the rhinppines they
have not uttered it here for the public ear
nor has anything been said or done by any
member of the United States commission to
warrant such a hope.
The Americans came to Paris with nc
greed for Philippine territory. The fact u.s.
the commisi ioners have felt that the condi
tions precedent render the letting go of the
philippines as difficult as their retention
future of Aguinaldo, his chiefs and follow
ers. The Philippine leader and his immediate
associates in the insurrection accepted exile
and over half million dollars at the hand.
of Spain as an inducement to cease theiI
rebellion. They went to China, but they
were brought back to the Philippines on
board of a United States warship. Aguinal
thousand stands of arms and was put ashore
as an ally of the United States in the wal
against Spain.
The insurgent leaders and his chiefs have
forfeited their lives. Should the United
States return the Philippines to Spain
Aguinaldo and his fighting followers must
be surrendered to death or taken away by
the United States, and the American com
misisoners feel that the transplanting would
practicable from the point of view of the
United States. Territory to shelter them is
felt to be necessary to the Philippines
The American commissioners have not
been unmindful OF the fact that crcum
stances, partly of their shaping, have i'm
posed upon the United States a constructive
responsibility for the Philippines, and that
either this must be forsaken or larger one
assumed. They believe, too that before the
nations of the world the United States has
assumed the higher responsibilities of the
stable control of the entire group. and with
sense of specific and general obligation
they felt compelled to propose to take over
all.
The correspondent of the Associated
Press ascertains from Spanish sources be-
yond question authentic, that before the
Philippine question is settled the Spanish
commissioners will declare that they are
not here solely to save or to gain all the
money possible from the United States
Senor Montero Rios, president of the Span
ish commission, and his colleagues, waving
for argument any classification of the Span.
ish or colonial debts, will point out that
Spain has borrowed on the collateral OF
her colonial revenue. They will concede
that the national guarantee may have been
added, but that, for all the purposes of the
contention, the fact is irrelevant.
IL Will VIC bC IL dHhly uIStu ny ucI COHt
missioners that Spain has pawned the rev
enues of the Philippines and of Cuba; that
she did so in good faith to her creditors, and
this being true, that she has no moral right
to give away or re-hypothecate territory al
ready pledged.
Senior Rios will urge that should Spain
take that course her creditors might fairly
charge her with defrauding them to save
herself the Carolnes, Canaries and Balearit
islands and to avoid possible damage to the
peninsula. The Spanish commissioners will
protest that such transaction would BE-
intolerable to Spain, as it would brand hel
as a robber and potroon. They will de-
clare to the Americans that rather than be
so pilloried by their creditors they will, il
! they must, be deprived of their remaining
colonies and suffer devastation of their
mainland.
If the United States feels it high duty
to retain the Philippines, Spain's envoys
will declare that she has an equally sacred
duty in holding them to the pledge of theil
revenues in honorable indebtedness; and
that, while possibly unable to make good
the indebtedness in dollars, Spain can, il
only by fruitless adherence to high pur
posese, save her name from the brand oi
theft.
| This statement of the Spanish contention
comes from a source which gives it all the
weight possible to any Spanish utterance
and in the presence of these conditions, the
two commissions will meet again tomorrow