The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-21
spaniards VIII Be Informed To-day
that the United States Will Not
Accept Arbitration.
PROTOCOLS TERMS so CLEHR
THAT A EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGIST II
NOT NEEDED TO DEFINE THEM.
@2O,OOO,OOO Thought to BE the Sum
that VIII he Onered Spain-Ru-
NOR of an Agreement.

PARIS Nov. a.-The Spanish peace COM
missionerS have been notified that the
United States commissioners will be ready to
treat with them in joint session tomorrow
afternoon. Unless the Spaniards have an
adequate reason for further delay, the two
commissions will join IN the most impor-
tant meeting thus far held. The American
commissioners, in a written communication,
will declare that the third article of the
protocol. regarding the Philippines. is capa-
bic of only one fair construction-that no
arbitration is needed to elucidate its terms,
and that the United States cannot admit
any other power to figure here purely as a
lezicologist. They will maintain that the
two commissions are charged to determine
whether Spain on the United States shall
in future own the Philippines. This will be
accompanied by the clear declaration that
the United States will possess the Philip
pines. Following this declaration the Amer
lean commissioners will lay before the Span
tards two alternatives:
First-To accept a sum OF money from the
United States and to cede and evacuate the
Philippines.
Second-To lose the Philippines to the
United States by conquest, with the possi-
bility OF other territorial losses to indemnify
the United States for the added expense Of
conquest
This communication may not be formally
designated as an ultimatum. but it viii lack
naugbt OF the conclusiyeness indicated by
that word. This wiz be so plain that the
Spanish commissioners will scarcely haggle
for money en- the first alternative nor cher
ish any doubt of American action under the
second, should the first be declined.
No one here. except the American COM
faufn hOrxx
dered Spain as the cheapest and most hui
name way of settling the difficulty. She is
exceedingly anxious to escape the Phillip
pine debt, and possibly the sum to be Of
fered may be determined by an analysis of
that debt, which consists of $4O,OOO,OOO in
bonds, on which she realized $S6OO0,0VU. OF
the latter amount she is believed to have
expended some $10OOO,OOO or $11,OOO,0OO in
fighting the United States and a part in at
tempting to quell the Philippine insurrec-
tion. A reasonable guess at the sum to be
rendered would be $20.0OO,0OO, although it
may fall below that.
The Cuban question may come up again
tomorrow. The American commissioners
had thought the discussion on that point
finished but tha Spanish commissioners
are reported to have declared last week that
the mortgages imposed by Spain on the
Cuban, as well as on the Philippine rev.
enues, must not be impaired or questioned.
This would compel the American commits
sioners soon, and probably tomorrow, to
demand whether Spain means to repudiate
the plain compact of the protocol to relin-
quish sovereignty over and title to Cuba.
Three weeks ago the Spanish commissioners
accepted the Cuban articles in the protocol
without conditions. save that it's embodi-
ment in the treaty should depend only on an
agreement here on all the articles in the
protocol. Recently, however, Spains repre-
sentatives have said that the Cuban mat
ter had been only temporarily passed and
was still In allegiance.