The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-10-28
SPAN YIELDS TIE POINT
Her Commissioners Accept Refusal
Of United States tc Assume
Cuban Debt.
GIVE UP ONLY AFTER BITTER STRUGGLE
Are Finally Brought to Believe That
the Americans Meant Exactly
what They Said When They at
First Refused - Philippine Ques-
tion Now to he Taken Up.

Paris, Oct. 27.-The Spanish peace
commissioners have accepted the
negative view of the United States
commissioners towards the proposed
assumption by the United States of the
Cuban debt.
The American commissioners have
firmly but courteously declined to as
sumo for the United States the entire
or joint responsibility for the Spanish
financial conditions, and the Spanish
4 commissioners have finally abandoned
the effort and have agreed that the
Cuban article OF the protocol shall.
without conditions, have place in the
ultimate treaty of peace. 1t was not
until Monday that they became actual
~ convinced that the Americans, who
had from the outset made refusal
to accept the Cuban debt, meant exact
~ what they said.
In spite of the fact that the Spanish
commissioners had, as background
OF their efforts, doubts of succeeding,
their hope of so doing has been so keen
and their contention has been so vig-
& orously prosecuted that the final con-
viction of their inability to win their
point brought to the Spaniards such
q shock and depression that, consist
! emily with these dispatches at the
time, there were grave doubts as'to
the continuance of the negotiations.
Nearly Caused Rupture.
In support of these statements is the
fact that Senor Montero Rios, after
4 Mondays session, and on Tuesday last,
would have resigned the presidency of
the Spanish. peace commission, had he
not believed that his so doing may
have grievously shaken, even if it had
not unseated, ,-Senor Sagasta's. govern
y ment. From this standpoint, if for no
other reason. Senor M0ntero Rios re-
tanned his position, and at Wednes-
]. days session, acting under the con-
viction arrived at on Monday, the
Spaniards announced that they would
forego further argument on the Cuban
debt and agreed that, practically in
the terms and absolutely in the spirit
of the protocol, the article about Cuba
should go forward into the final
treaty.
Thus Spain agrees to relinquish SOW
ereignty over and claim to Cuba
without either terms or conditions.
All differences, if any existed, re-
garding Puerto Rico and the selection
Of the island of Guam, were also ar
ranged by mutual understanding,
and the commissioners found them
selves well-nigh touching the Philip
pine question, which will be taken
up next week.
.A. The session of the joint commissions
which began Thursday at two p. m.
ended at four p. m.
NOW FOR THE PHILIPPINES.
United states May Agree to Assume
at Least Part of Islands Debt.
Washington, Oct. 81. The intimation
conveyed by the American commits
eioners to the Spanish commissioners
ut Mondays session of the peace con-
ference in Paris, that the position of
the United States with respect to
Cuba and the Cuban debt could not be
regarded as subject to change and that
consequently the American commits
sioners were ready to proceed with
ahe consideration of other questions
under the protocol, the Paris adj
vices show had decided effect.
The one concession as to Cuba
that our commissioners will make will
be to guarantee for the United States
that life and property shall be Sc
cure in Cuba. This responsibility the
United States will assume only until
such time as stable government shall
he formed and operative in Cuba.
There will be no perpetual guarantee
on this score.
It is expected that the commission
ers will now take up the subject of
the Philippines. The American COM
missioners have given this subject
much attention, but so far it has never
appeared before the joint commission
save in the shape of one spasmodic
effort made by the Spaniards at the
very beginning of the sessions to have
i the United States abandon Manila as
precedent to further negotiations on
the subject of the Philippines.
The Philippine Debt.
The American commissioners among
other things have been looking into
the subject of the Philippine debt
about which there is much ignorance
at this end of the line. 1t is unlikely
that the same rule will be applied tc
that debt as was ipsisted upon relatiiyfe
to the Cuban debtzeltln ne ct her woGdqs j
the United States anAfeSes nlAlfes The R,A4iilip
pines, which seems new TO be the the log
ical outcome of the situation it might
be reasonably contended that at least
so much of the debt as represented
moneys expended for the improvement