Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-12-02

EMINENT TO GRANT ONE OF
THE DEMANDS REGARDING THE
CAROLINES.
Paris, December Anxious as both
are to conclude their work, the United
| States and Spanish commissions did
| not hold joint session to-day. Their
| next meeting will be held at o'clock
tomorrow afternoon.
This delay arose from the fact that
the Spanish commissioners at yester-
days session offered several urgent
| propositions which called for special
elaboration upon the part of the
Americans. Spain asks the United
States to grant for term of five years
to Spanish ships carrying Spanish
goods or products to Porto Rico and
Cuba, the same privilege as American
vessels engaged in the same trade may
have, and she qualities this request by
| a proviso that trade privileges be ex-
| tended to Cuba so long as the United
| States government is dominant over
that island.
In support of this request the Spanish
commissioners assert that Spain cannot
without vital harm, Immediately aban-
| don or cut the business relations so
| long maintained between the mother
! country and the West Indian territor-
| les. They declare that family ties and
| social relations added to affairs of
trade maintained through centuries, re-
quire gradual dissolution. They in
woke the terms of the treaty of 1919
| by which the United States took over
| Florida from Spain and in the fifteenth
article of which granted Spain for
| twelve years the right to send her
goods and products to Florida in Span
ish ships on the same terms as the
ships carrying thither goods and pro-
ducts of the United States.
The Spanish commissioners further
| the fact that the treaty of 1903 with
France for the cessation of Louisiana
granted French and Spanish goods and
products the same terms as Americans
| in New Orleans and other ports in the
| ceded territory.
Finally Spain points to the American
| proposed ''open door" policy in the
| Philippines and asks a guarantee of
| the same advantages in her late West
| Indian colonies until trade relations
can, by degrees, accustom themselves
| to the change of sovereignty.
| The proposition and the arguments
| by which it was supported are consid-
| cred strongly stated, and the Ameri
can commissioners desired time for
| elaboration. Thus, though busy until
| nearly o'clock this afternoon, they
| were not fully prepared, and Judge
Day sent message to Senior Montero
Rios requesting that the joint session
| fixed for this afternoon be postponed
| until tomorrow.
Meanwhile the Spanish commission
ers had been preparing list of sub
jects for negotiations, supplemented by
suggestions counter to the amenda-
| tory of the subjects the Americans SUBJ
mitted yesterday. This came to the
American commissioners to-day in
! Spanish, rendering it even more de-
in order to give time for translation
and consideration. The translation is
being made this evening, and the sub
| ject will be laid befort the American
commissioners tomorrow morning
Now that the first gust of grief and
chagrin has past, the Spanish COM
missioners are meeting the Americans
! in a frank spirit that is helpful to an
early completion of the negotiations.
Midnight.-From information which
comes to the correspondent of the AS
sociated Press from a well-authenti-
Gated source, late this evening, it seems
unlikely that the commission will finish
| their work as soon as had been ex-
pected. 1t is probable that the nego-
| tiations will last considerably longer
Madrid has instructed the Spanish
commissioners on three points to which
| the Americans attach much import
| ance These are the cession of an is
land in the Carolines, the granting of
| religious freedom over the whole of
| the Carolines and the cession of
cable and coaling station at Ceuta.
The Spanish government has in
structed Senior Monterio Rios to grant
none of these, and while Spain may
ultimately yield to them all, it is adj
mitted that the American commission
| ers have no power to enforce their de-
mands on points not covered by the
protocol. Before Spain does yield, the
negotiations are likely to be prolonged
and the United States may have to give
a substantial quid pro quo.
THE CAROLINE ISLANDS.
Germany DickerIng With Spain for Their