The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-09-21
TOLD OF HIS PLANS.
Peace Commissioners Are Given
Final Instructions by Prest-
lent Mckinley.

Washington, Sept. 16.-The cabinet
met in special session at three o'clock
Thursday afternoon and adjourned at
four. All of the members were present
except Secretary Alger, who is not in
the city. All united in the statement
made after the meeting that they had
agreed to say nothing more of the re-
suit of the deliberations than that the
peace commissioners had been fully in
structed. On the nature of these in
structions they conveyed not a word.
Each pointed out that to do so would
be extremely impolitic, and would
amount to arming the Spanish commits
sioners in advance against themselves.
The peace commissioners who were APP
preached on the subject made a similar
response, thus closing all official ave-
nues of information.
1t was said that the commissioners
were fully instructed" and upon seek
ing a further explanation of this phase
it appeared that the cabinet had pa
tiently gone over in the discussion with
the commissioners every subject that
in their opinion could be brought into
the proceedings before the joint COM
mission. On each of these the Ameri-
can commissioners were made ac-
quainted with the views and wishes of
the administration. 1t is not to be un-
derstood from this that the commits
sioners GO under ironclad and I'M
changeable instructions at all points,
for there is a certain amount of feXi-
bility in the instructions, also, as n
of the cabinet members put it, the pres
ident might just as well have reduced
his wishes to paper in the form of an ul-
timatum and have sent that to Paris by
a messenger.
All the arrangements have been
completed for the departure of the
commission and its staff. Most of the
party will leave Washington at four
o'clock this afternoon for New York,
but circumstances may detain some of
the commissioners until the midnight
train. The Campania sails at two p.
m. Saturday and explicit instructions
have been given all of the members of
the party as to being on board at that
time. Special baggage tags have been
printed for the belongings of the mem
bers and a small paper paster, showing
red and blue bars crossed on a white
background, gives a handy way of
making a "red, white and blue"identi-
fcation of the personal and general
luggage of the party. A number of
carry the books, pamphlets, type
written papers, ETC., forming a part of
the American case. The chests are
like the shallow steamer trunks, so
that they may be showed under the
berths, and thus be available on the
passage over instead of going with the
baggage in the hold of the steamer.
This will permit considerable work on
the trip, and it is expected that the
commissioners will hold meetings on
shipboard. They will 60 direct from
Liverpool to London, and there stop
for a days rest, then proceeding to
Paris by the way of Dover and
Calais.
Washington, Sept. 16.-Tbe state de-
partment gave out the following state
ment concerning the discussion be-
tween the members of the cabinet and
the peace commissions:
9Th members Of the peace commission,
with the exception of Senator Gray, whose
absence was due to his inability to with
draw as counsel in a case in which he was
engaged some time before his appointment
as one of the peace commissioners, have
spent the greater part Of Wednesday and
Thursday in a free discussion of the duties
with the discharge of which they have
been intrusted by the president. Senator
Gray is expected during the evening, and
before sailing will have a full conference
with the president and his associates.
While for obvious reasons 1t was deter
mined that the nature of the instructions
as to the negotiations about to be entered
upon should for the present be kept secret
and made known only after definite results
shall have been reached, it is possible to
state authoritatively that the commission
goes to Paris fully prepared to follow a
course of action Elapped out for 1t as the re-
suit of the consultations of the last two
days.
"At the very outset it will be made clear
10 the Spanish commissioners that, as in
the case of the preliminary protocol, there
can be no deviation from or modification of
the demands made by the United States.
1.-THE decision arrived at by the presi-
dent after a full consultation with the
members of the commission subsequently
received the cordial and unanimous APP
prevail of the cabinet at a meeting held
Thursday afternoon.
previously announced, the commits
sion sails from New York on the Campania
at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon"