The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-18
THE PEACE COMMISSION.

1t is evident the President is exercising
great care in selecting the members of the
commission who are to negotiate the treaty
OF peace with SPAIN 1t is well he should
do so, for the duty devolved on the commits
sion will be one of very great Importance
The treaty which it is expected to formu-
late will mark a new departure in our his
tory and involve consequences which will
extend through generations. Aside from
questions relating to the acquisition of ter
ritory and the assumption of new political
and administrative duties there will be 9TH
ers relating to debts and claims which will
have to be handled with great care, and the
correct settlement of which will require the
highest order of ability to prevent our being
trapped by the Spanish commissioners and
committed to some hidden construction of
points that may involve tedious and costly
results. Spanish diplomatists are adopts in
this kind of diplomacy and in the present
case they will spare no effort to get the
better of US where it is possible. For this
reason the American members of the COM
mission should be men Of the highest abil-
ity that can be induced to accept the duty,
ence to their equipment for the work. It
has been more than hundred years since
the United States has been called upon to
enter into treaty With foreign power as
important this one will be or requiring
as great legel and diplomatic skill in its
preparation to protect American interests
from open attack and insidious approach.
No doubt President Mckinley appreciates
these considerations and will give them due
weight In appointing the commissioners.
A former experience in treaty making be-
tween the United States and Spain may
serve to show how hard it is to bring that
government to terms On the 22d of Feb
ruary, 1919, treaty was concluded between
authorized commissioners of the two coun-
tries, covering claims, boundaries and other
open questions of nearly twenty years
standing. This was the treaty that ceded
Florida to the United States. President
Monroe, in his annual message in Deem
Der, 1919, ten months after the treaty had
been ratified by the United States, referred
to the subject as follows:
Great losses had been sustained by citi-
zens of the United States from Spanish
cruisers more than twenty years before,
winch had not been redressed. These losses
had been acknowledged and provided for
by treaty as far back as the year 1892,
which, although concluded at Madrid was
not then ratified by the government of
spain, nor since, until the last year. when
1t Was suspended by the late treaty, more
Sc rsfactory provision to both parties,
was presumed, having been made for them.
The faith of Spain was therefore
pledged, under circumstances of peculiar
force and solemnity for it's ratification
On the part of the United States this treaty
was acceded to in a spirit of Cancellation
and concession The indemnity for injuries
and losses so long before sustained and
now again acknowledged and provided for
was to be paid by them without becoming
a charge on the treasury of Spain.
1t being known that the treaty was formed
under these circumstances and the same
having been ratified by the United States,
not doubt was entertained that his Cath
olic Majesty would have ratified it without
delay. l regret to have to state that this
reasonable expectation has been disappoint-
ed; that the treaty was not ratified within
the time stipulated and has not since been
ratified. In the course which the
Spanish government have on this occasion
thought proper to pursue IL is satisfactory
to know that they have not been counte-
nanced by any other European power On
the contrary The opinion and wishes, both
of France and Great Britain, have not been
withheld either from the United States or
from Spain, and have been unequivocal in
favor of the ratification.
This policy of quibbling and delay was
puIsueu LOT TWO years dIter the treaty had
been ratified by the United States, and it
was not until February, 1921, that it was
ratified by Spain, and even then not till she
had succeeded in getting the United States
to recognize class of claims not included
in the original treaty, and bringing the two
nations to the verge of war. This is the
sort of thing that our commissioners and
government should be on their guard
against now.