Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-11-30
MUCH WORK YET.
The Treaty Cannot be Signed for Some
Days to Come.


Washington, ID. G., Nov. 2S.--The Off
Gals of the state department without hest
fancy accepted as accurate the Associat-
ed press bulletin from Paris announcing
that the Spanish commissioners had ac-
cepted the American terms, although Off
cial advices TO that effect had not been
received at noon.
Secretary Hay has been confident from
the beginning that such would be the out
come, although at times there were signs
or serious dlSagreementS that might have
led to a failure of the commission. 1t is
not understood from the news so far re-
ceived that the commissioners have vet
reached the point of signing a treaty
Much remains to be done in execution of
the last instructions of the state DEPART
ment before the peace treaty itself can he
completed and made ready for signature
The work may be hurried materially,
however. should the state department de-
eide to permit the treatment of the re-
naming questions to be settled in separat tie
conventions. The instructions to the
American commissioners, sent last week
were to arrange for renewal of the de-
nounced trade treaties with Spain, for the
acquisition of Sulu, for obtaining conces-
sions for cable connections in other quar-
ters and for the procurement of religious
liberation in the Carolines.
These things are not likely to be easily
disposed of, SO it may be that the Ameri-
can commissioners will feel that they
have complied with the spirit Of their in
structiOnS if they succeed in including in
the peace treaty a provision binding the
Spanish government to negotiate thereaf-
ter on those subjects on lines that NAV
be very broadly defined in the peace
treaty.
In this case two or three more sessions
of the peace commission should suffice to
complete the work of that body: other
wise it is doubtful whether the work can
be completed before Christmas
The exact text of the agreement reached
in Paris up to this point is not yet known
to the state department, although Of
course it has knowledge of the general
terms of the agreement. Consequently it
is not possible at the present to obtain
here a copy for publication Of this i'm
pOrtant document. Moreover, it is sug-
gested at the state department that if the
customary rules relative to the publica-
ton of treaties befollowed. this particular
treaty must be withheld from the press
until the United States Senate, in it's dis
erection. decides to make it public. There
is no rule or law. however, on this point
and the practice is based entirely upon
rather Old-fashioned conception OF the de-
gree of courtesy which should be exhib-
tied towards the Senate by the executive
branch.
A call at the state department today of
the German charge, Count Won Sternberg,
gave rise to rumor that he had come to
make representations to the department
respecting certain rights claimed by Ger
many IN the Suu islands. Whether this
is true or not could not be ascertained
The department, however has not failed
to take notice of certain indirect and sus-
plclous attempts to ALLEVIATE the Sulu ISL
ands from the rest of the Philippines and
has been forehanded in this matter. 1t
was recognized from the beginning, and
this lesson was learned from the expert
ence of other nations that have gone to
war in recent years, that attempts might
be expected to be made by nations that
were not party to the war to secure ad-
Vantages to which they had not the slight
est equitable claim.
Japan was notable sufferer from this
sort of treatment at the hands of certain
European nations, and consequently pre-
cautions were taken in the case of the
Paris commission to avoid leaving any
loophole for the entrance of any plea or
demand for special privileges either in
the matter of territorial acquisition, or
trade concessions
Accordingly when the administration
decided to acquire the Philippines the
American commissioners were especially
charged to define the limits of the group,
so as to leave no room for misconception
on this point, nor for the settling up of
claims to islands whose inclusion in the
groups might be regarded as doubtful.
10 reduce the American claim to the
clearest possible outlines resort was had
to the definitions Of the boundaries of the
Philippine group by geographical lines
There was reason for this, for at a
very early stage in the war Spain, prob
ably with a foreboding of what the out
come was to be. sought to separate the