Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-04
GERMANY HAS COVETOUS EYE
Still Wants to Purchase Some of the Caroline
Islands.
CONFIRMATION OF THE FORMER REPORT
Negotiations Are Said 10 he In Prog.
ress on the Quiet-NO Meet
Ing of the Peace COm-
missions.

PARIS, Dec. 3.-There was no session
OF the peace commissions today The Ameri-
cans however, held three hours meeting.
The report from Berlin that Germany is
negotiating for the purchase Of the Caroline
Islands Is confirmed from several quarters,
although Count Vernon Munster Ledenburg,
the German ambassador here, informed cor
respondent Of the Associated Press that he
knew nothing at all about the matter. The
American commissioners are inclined to be-
lieve the report and It is looked upon as ex-
planning the reluctance OF the Spaniards to
give the Americans an answer In regard to
the Caroline islands as well as on the ques-
tion of religious liberty there and the latest
developments confirm the report that the
Spaniards have been instructed not to yield
on those points until they have made a good
bargain.
The position Of the peace commission,
says an American gentleman, is the same
as two card players, each studying his own
hand and waiting for his opponents lead.
In spite Of this temporary halt in the ne
gotations and contrary to general opinion,
Judge Day, president OF the American COM
| mission, believes the treaty will be signed
next week, but a great deal of work must
| be done before the treaty Is ready for sigma
lures, as after ten weeks OF negotiations
| the only articles accomplished by the COM
mlssioners are the three leading parts, pro-
viding for the cession of the Spanish COL
| onies, and those only In principle and not
| in language
Difference of Opinion.
The adjournment today was at Judge
| Days request, as the long session developed
| a divergence Of opinion. Had the joint ses-
| sion been held the Americans would not
| have entered 1t as a united body. The ex-
act nature Of the difficulty cannot be ascer-
| tained, but 1t is said some Of the commits
sioners are in more yielding mood toward
the Spaniards than their colleagues.
| 1t Is not doubted that the Spanish COM
missioners will on Monday report the ar
| rival Of their governments instructions,
the absense Of which caused Fridays ad-
journment. 1t is believed these instruc-
| tions constitute diplomatic scapegoat put
forward by the Spaniards to cover the delay
necessary to them.
The question of a coaling station OF the
likely to prove serious stumbling block.
The Americans have not made 1t one Of the
| demands whose granting is essential to the
conclls on OF tho treaty of peace. Some Of
them are enthusiastic In It's favor and none
Of then think Germany's negotiations for
the Caro- es are likely to lead 70 complica- =
tions be cen Germany and the United
States. In French official circles it is as
serted that under the pope's award Of 1885
Germany al eady possesses certain rights in
the Carolines which would prevent Spain
from selling us one Of those islands. But
his is a matter which has already been in
vestigated by the Americans, who find that
Germany's rights refer to certain fishing
privileges Of German citizens and their
right to a coaling station to be agreed upon
mutually between Spain and Germany.
MADRID, Dec. 3.-The impartial to-
day, commenting on the state
ment that the United States intends to
fully re-establish relations with Spain. asks
II the United States proposes to send new
ultimatum, Imposing friendship.
| MADRID, Dec. 3.-Additional precautions
lave been taken by the government against
he Carlists in the provinces notably in
aragosa and Biscai.
Busy with Minor Matters.
WASHINGTON, Dec 3-While it is be-
ginning to be recognized that the chances
are against the conclusion of the work OF
the peace commissioners in Paris in time for
the Americans to take the steamer OF De-
cember 10 for home, the officials are not dis
| couraged at the outlook, owing that the
delay In the proceedings Of the commits sion
admits Of a reasonable explanation. Fol
instance, there has been some difficulty in
reaching an agreement as to the disposition
of the public property In the Philippines in.
cluding war material, guns and stores II
seems, however, probable now that the com
missions will agree to adopt a plan for the
disposition of these claims. So it will moi
be necessary, i, is hoped, to send join
evacuation commission to Manila, as was
done in the evacuation Of Porto Rico, bu
the plan laid down by the Porto Rican ocm
mission will simply be adopted.
1t is surmised that the American commits
sioners have been much more concerned b!
Spanish overtures looking to the allowanc,
Of exceptional advantages for Spanish com
merce with Cuba and Porto Rico than abou
other matters of the negotiations whtcl
really seemed to be of larger Importance
The explanation Of this is the realization oil
the part Of the commissioners that an!
agreement on their part to concede such spe
cial advantages might not only arouse tn
y | opposition of the commercial classes OF tn
United States, but bring upon the Unite
States government a series of demands from
the great commercial nations OF the worl
, | with which we have treaty relations for tn
. | allowance OF similar concessions under IN
v operation Of what is known as the mos
favored nation clause in those treaties.
Much of the feeling exhibited by the Ger
: man press toward the United States govern
ment was directly traceabfe to denial b
the State department of just such clair
: preferred by Germany to be exempted froI
', the operations Of the duty in the sugar sec
tions OF the American tariff act on tn
ground that other nations were permitte
!, to send their sugar TO the United States fre
from this duty, and the State department
h has always avoided, wherever possible, an
action that might cause further conflicts
l. this kind.
a VISIT FROM KAISER WILHELM