The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-11-18
ish Leaving Cuba.

Paris, November 1.-THE meeting
today of the SpanishAmerican COM
missions began. at 2:15 o'clock p. m.
and ended at 8 o'clock p. m. The
Spanish commissioners presented a.
long document in answer to the Amer
ican argument which was submitted
last week. BY mutual consent, the
memorandum of today was handed to
the Americans without being read and
the meeting adjourned to Saturday
next The Spanish communication
will be translated this evening and it's
contents will be discussed by the
United States commissioners tomorrow
at their daily session.
The Spaniards, in their communica-
tion today reaffirmed the position
which they have assumed against the
discussion here of Spain's Philippine
sovereignty. They insist that the
words shall determine the control,
disposition and government of the Phil
ippine" in article three of the peace
protocol did not warrant any reference
to Spain's withdrawal from the Phil
ippines, except on her own terms, and,
therefore, the Spaniards propose arbi-
tration on the construction to be plac-
ed on the words 'the control, disposi-
tion and government"
In signifying their willingness to
submit the Philippine article of the
protocol to a third party for construc-
tion, the Spanish commissioners urged
today that, as there is obviously diff
ference of opinion regarding the
phrase 1.-The control disposition and
government of the Philippines pos
Sihly the result of misunderstanding,
the Spaniards should no more be asked
to surrender their view than the Amer
leans to surrender theirs. The meme
randum points out that a dead
lock exists, which might be broken
by arbitration on the contending
views, but to which the Span
ish commissioners are quite ready to
submit. The latter declare that they
have no idea of suggesting arbitration
as to the main issue, which touches ma
tional honor on both sides, but they
are willing to accept exterior aid to
clear the path of negotiations.
1t is safe to say that the American
commissioners will not consent to in
woke exterior aid to construe the terms
of their own protocol.
Another part of today's Spanish
memorandum fatty asserts, upon the
authority of M. Cambon's report of the
protocol negotiations between Wash
ington and Madrid through him. that
President Mckinley at no time object
ed to Spain's reservation of her sOver-
eighty in the Philippines. This allega-
tion is directly opposed to the Ameri
can record on the same subject. The
American commissioners now hold
that the protocol itself was born of
-Spains attempt to reserve her Philip
pine sovereignty, though the Spanish
memorandum today squarely chal-
lenges the contention.
Moreover the Spanish commissioners
today have alleged that President Nc
Kinley's objection to Spain's phrase
ology in accepting the peace terms was
based solely, so far as was made known
upon this sentence in the Spanish &C
,ceptance: They accept the prOffered
terms subject to the approval of the
scortes of the kingdom as required by
their duties"
The Spanish memorandum today
holds that M. Cambon answered the
American objection to this by pointirg 6
out that the Americans terms were
proffered subject 10 the approval Of the
Americans, but that President McKin-
ley replied that he did not desire to
Involve the internal affairs of Spain
IN the proceedings in hansl.
The Spanish mem orandum asks also
why, if the United States objected to
Spain's reservation of sovereignty,
they did not plainly say so in the pro-
tocol and leave no room for argument
1t also asks why Judge Days note of
August 10th did not clearly dee lare that
the United States would not recognize
such reservation and that the protocol
was necessary to prevent a misunder-
standing on that point 1t also asks
why did Judge Days note practically
ascribe the inexplicit form of Spain's
acceptance Of the peace terms to tele-
graphic errors, while the exact terms
of Spain's reservation or sovereignty,
as had in Washington before the pro-
tecol, are now being quoted in the pre-
ceedings here
This portion of the Spanish memo
ranGum is based upon letters written
by M. Cambon at the time, purporting
to describe interviews and transactions
attending the peace terms and protocol.
On Saturday, the date fixed for the |
next meeting, the Americans will make
their response, in the course of which |
It is not unlikely that the exact terms !