The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-11-02
TERMS ACCEPTED.
This Country Assumes no Portion
of the Cuban Debt.
PHILIPPINE ISSUES NEXT.
Demands of Protoco! IS to Puerto
Rico and Guam Agreed To.
No Trouble Over Other
Clauses.
PHILIPPINE ISSUES NEXT.

The Spanish peace commissioners
have accepted the negative view of the
United States commission toward the
proposed assumption by the United
States of the Cuban debt.
The American commissioners have
firmly but courleously declined to as
sumo for the United States the entire
or joint responsibility for the Spanish
financial conditions
Senior Montnro Rios, the president Of
the Spanish commission and his col
leagues, with faithful insistence, sought
another result. But they failed to at
tain it and nave finally abandoned the
effort and have agreed that the Cuban
article of the protocol shall. without
condition, have place in the ultimate
treaty of peace Though, through sew
eral sessions the Spanish commission
ers have had before them the irrevoca-
bic presentation of their American col
leagues, it was not until Monday that
they became absolutely convinced that
the Americans had from the outset Of
their refusal to accept the Cuban debt,
meant exactly what they said.
In spite of the fact that the Spanish
commissioners had, as background to
their efforts, doubts Of succeeding.
their hope of so doing has been so keen
and their contention has been so vigor-
ously prosecuted that the final conyic
tion Of their inability to win their point
brought to the Spaniards such shock
and depression that, consistently with
these dispatches at the time, there
were grave doubts as to the continuance
of the negotiations.
In support Of hese-statements is the
fact that Senor Montero Rios, after
Mondays session, and on Tuesday last,
would have resigned the presidency Of
the Spanish commission, had he not
believed that his doing so may have
previously shaken, even if it had not
unseated, Senor Sagastas government.
From this standpoint. if for no other
reason, Senior Montero Rios retained
his position, and at Wednesdays ses-
sion, acting under the conviction ar
rived at on Monday, the Spaniards an
nounced that they would forego furth-
er argument on the Cuban debt, and
agreed that practically in the terms
and absolutely in the spirit of the pro-
tocol, the article about Cuba should 60
forward into the final treaty. Thus
Spain agrees to relinquish sovereignty
and claim to Cuba without either terms
or conditions.
All differences, if any existed, re-
garding Puerto Rico and the selection
of the island of Guam, were also ar
ranged by mutual understanding, and
the commissioners found themselves
well nigh touching the Philippine ques-
ton, which will be taken up next
week.
1t should be said that the adjust
ments already accomplished will stand
in the final treaty, unless opposing
views and positions on the Philippine
question should develop hereafter to
bring to naught the efforts Of the fu-
>ture and at the same time the results
already obtained.
The session Of the Joint commission
ers which began Wednesday at 2 p. m,
ended at N.
THE ONE CONCESSION MADE.
The intimation conveyed by the
American commissioners to the Spanish
commissioners at Mondays session of
the peace conference in Paris, that the
position Of the United States with re-
;spect to Cuba and the Cuban debt
could not be regarded as subject to
change, and that, consequently, the
American commissioners were ready to
proceed with the consideration of other
heads under the protocol, the Paris ad
vices show, had the desired effect. The
one concession as to Cuba that our
commissioners will make will be to
guarantee for the United States that
life and property shall be secured in
Cuba. This responsibility the United
States will assume only until such time
as stable government shall be form
ed and operative in Cuba. There will
be no perpetual guarantee on this score.
THE PHILIPPINES.
1t is expected that the commissioners
will now take up the subject Of the
Philippines. The American commits
sioners have given this subject much
attention, but Sc far it has never ap-
peared before the joint commission
save in the shape of one spasmodlc eft
fort made by the Spaniards at the very
beginning of the sessions to have the
United States to abandon Manila as a
precedent to further negotiations on
the subject Of the Philippines. The
American commissioners among other
things have been looking into the SUBJ
ject Of the Philippine debt about which
there is much ignorance at this end OF
the line. It is unlikely that the same
rule will be applied to that debt as was
insisted upon relative to the Cuban
debt. In other words if the United
States annexes the Philippines, which
seems now to be the logical outcome OF
the situation, it might be reasonably
contended that at least so much Of the
debt as represented moneys expended
for the improvement CT the island
should pass to the United States with
the title. The situation is regarded as
materially different from that IN Cuba,
where the United States gains nothing
substantial, for, with the annexation
of the Philippines we should acquire a
territory almost as large as the British
Isles with teeming population Of
more than 5000, 600 people. It will be
FOR the American commissioners to ar
range the details Of the transfer Of the
Philippines to the United States, as it
is expressly stipulated in the peace
protocol that the disposition of the
Philippines shall be arranged by the
peace commissioners, so that there is
.art nliLn the nasn of Cuba