The record-union., 1898-08-02
PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.
French Embassy Makes a State
ment Of It's Action.


WASHINGTON, Aug 1.-At the
French Embassy the following author
lied statement was made to-day:
when the French ambassador went
on Sunday to the White House he went
fully enabled to discuss at the Spanish
Government point of view the PROPOSE
tions of the Government of the United
States. These views of the Spanish
Government We're received by NJ. Cam
bon subject to his first visit of Thurs
day to the President"
The following constitutes all that the
French Embassy would say with au-
thority on the subject, and it is the
only statement obtainable from an au-
thorized source, other than those Of
anonymous character which will give
an understanding of the measure of the
ambassadors authority in representing
the views of Spain on the settlement Of
peace.
Aside from the foregoing authorized
statement and without giving them any
authorized form because of their juX-
taposition with the foregoing, con-
sidei able sht can be thrown up
on the official character in which
the French ambassador had his three
hours conference with the President
on Saturday. AT the first meeting of
the ambassador and the President NJ.
obon's authority was strictly lin
to being the bearer of Spain's
communication. He had no authority
Whatever to speak in the name of Spain
beyond presenting Spain's communica-
ton. In view, however, of the fact
that the United States Government
would make speedy reply to the Span
Ish proposition. it was deemed desir2-
bic that NJ. Cambon should be clothed
by the Spanish Government with a
larger measure of authority than that
of merely conveying and receiving COM
munications passing between the two
Governments. Accordingly the desir-
ability of this course was made known
to the authorities at Madrid The lat
ter shared in this view and as n
result, the Spanish Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Duke Almodover de Rio cab,ed
to the French Embassy on last Friday
entirely changing and enlarging the
scope of NJ. Cambon's authority from
that given when the original Spanish
proposition was presented The dis
patch from Duke Almodover de Rio was
most complete in its dealings with the
subjects between the United States and
Spain, which would be involved in the
discussion of terms of peace
Besides treating each subject inyolv-
ed, it fully enabled the ambassador to
discuss from the Spanish Governments
point of view the propositions about to
be made by the United States on all
questions of peace. OF course. between
Tuesday and Friday there was no time
for mailing written credentials in the
usual sense employed in diplomatic in
tercourse. The matter being urgent
and about to culminate in a meeting at
the White House, the instructions were
necessarily embraced in the cable dis
patch bearing the signature of the
Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Even the dispatch was in cipher SO that
it lacked those usual formalities OF
written credentials by which the right
of diplomatic official to express the
direct view Of foreign Government are
made known. The essential point how
ever, free from technicalities. was that
NJ Cambon received from the Spanish
Minister for Foreign Affairs these en-
larged instructions permitting him to
speak the views of Spain upon various
points at issue and thus to bring the
United States and Spain into direct dis
cuSSion.
1t was under such circumstances that
the French ambassador and his Secre-
tary made the notable call at the White
House last Saturday.
NJ. Cambon was in possession of the
enlarged instructions and the confer
ence proceeded with the ambassador
expressing the views of the Spanish
Government.
The official communication when
completed, will make this authority of
NJ. Cambon plain