The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-06
Fresh Instructions Sent to the
Peace Commissioners.
SPANIARDS MUST YIELD
A HOSTILE DEMONSTRATION
WOULD FOLLOW REFUSAL.
Spanish Commissioners Have Been
Made Acquainted With the Amer
lean Demands = General Merritt
Favors Retention of the Philip
pines-Subig Bay An Issue.

New York, Oct. 5.-A special to tn
Herald from Washington says: AS
result of a consultation at the Whit
House between the president, Secre
tarles Hay and Long, fresh instruction
regarding the Philippines have bee
cabled to the American commissioner
in Paris They do not materially alte
those given 10 the delegates before thei
departure for France, but are on ney
point brought up since the consultation
of Major General Merritt with tn
American representatives.
A cipher dispatch was received b.
Secretary Hay regarding the matter
and he considered the question so i'm
portant that he at once went to thu
White House and laid it before the
president. Mr. Mckinley sent for Sec
retary Long, and shortly afterwarC
Second Assistant Secretary of STATE
Adee was called to the executive man
sion. These officials were cloSeted to-
gether for more than an hour.
All of the officials who participated
in the conference are reticent. but il
was admitted that the consultation was
held to discuss a dispatch from Chair
man Day regarding the Philippines.
gramme which the commission is fol
lowing requires the disposition of the
question affecting the archipelago be-
fore any other questions are consid-
cred. The president has been informed
of General Merritt'S view in favor OF
the retention of all of the islands, but
/the fresh instructions Go not affect the
demand for the island of Luzon and
revisionary rights over the remainder
of he "a
matter of detail and are intended to
equip the American commissioners
with material to answer the Spanish
commissioners in case they should raise
the point in the reply to the formal de-
mand presented by Mr.. Day.
This reply is expected on Friday, and
the adjournment of the commission for
such short time is regarded by Mr..
Day and the administration as indi-
eating that the commissions work will
soon be completed.
1t is recognized that the Philippines
will be the bone of contention, and
that once they are out of the way, il
will be pretty plain sailing in the mat
ter of arranging for the cessiOn of
Guam, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the re-
naming Spanish West Indies to the
United States.
Mr.. Day is empowered, however. to
time in case he should find that Spain
is either unwilling to agree to the de-
mandS of this government or disposed
unnecessarily to delay the commission s
work, and q demonstration will follow
which the authorities are satisfied will
bring the Madrid government to It's
senses.
Senior Felipe Agoncillo, the repre-
sentative of the insurgents commanded
a ha fad 70 1ox
before the commission any facts which
he may desire to present, and the
American commissioners have been adj
vised of his coming.
PROGRESS OF NEGOTIATIONS.
Washington, Oct. SIT can be stated
on authority that the various stories
peace commission now in Paris, where
ever they assume to indicate a failure
of negotiations, a renewal of hostilities
and the dispatch of a naval force TO the
Spanish coast, are purely speculative.
AS a matter of fact, the commission
has not progressed so far with its work
as to warrant the attempt to draw a
conclusion as to the outcome. 1t is not
even possible to predict the length of
the session with any accuracy. The
may last one month or
three. That will depend entirely upon
the view taken by the American COM
of the situation in Paris. If
they are convinced that the negotia-
tons are being conducted with sincerity
on the part of the Spanish commission,
there will be no effort made to force
them beyond reason: but if it should
appear that the Spanish position is not
subject TO change, that ii is irreconcil-
able with the American demands, and
that the Spanish. knowing this, are
simply prolonging the proceedings, our
are likely to be prompt
" recalled.
The Spanish government is now fully
Informed through its commissioners of
the exact extent of Americas demands.
Whether these are absolute and not
subject to abatement cannot be ascer-
tanned here. for the responsible officials
declare that il viii be extremely bad
policy TO make any admission on this
point. But the impression in official
circles is that the conditions are abso-
ute in this general scope. yet there may
De opportunity for slight amendments
n matters of detail. AS to these de-
-ails. Admiral Dewey is one of the most
-rusteo councillors of the American
Such information as
lie has been able TO collect has already
been mailed to the commissioners and
n addition the authorities have cabled
certain extracts from the admiral's OBJ
which are believed to be of
special Importance just now.
It is believed that with his usual
nodesty the officer has refrained from
any opinion upon the very
point as to the extent of the
American demands in the matter of /
erritory in the Philippines. He has not !
lirectly suggested that the whole group /
De taken. nor that our claim be limited I
o Manila bay and the contiguous ter /
itory. but he has called attention to /
ne very important consideration which /
las seemed to escape general observa- |
ion up to this time, and which has |
'een laid before the American commits |
with all the advantages
n a commercial way possessed by. Man
Ia, the place is indefensible unless Su- /
Jig bay be also held by the United
tates. This particular bay is, on the
rhole. remarked as being superior from
strategic point of view to Manila bay,
nd the Spanish government has evil
emily been of the same mind, for be-
ore the outbreak of hostilities, it was
bout 10 embark upon an extensive
cheme Of defensive work in Subig bay.
MERRITTs OPINION.