The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-04
ATTITUDE OF SPAIN.
I Has No Moral Right TO Cede Terri
tory In Pawn.


Paris, Nov S.-Last Monday the
United States and Spanish peace COM
missioners left the definite limitations
of the protocol and entered upon the
wide field of diplomacy, where an open
question is to be decided. Both COM
missions realize that the area is ample
enough for some maneuVering, though
on the American side the tendenc.- is
to evolutions more compact than those
of the SpaniardS. Both would undoubt-
edly be gratified to reach a mutual con-
clusion without compulsion. AT Mon
days joint session the American COM
nissioners laid down a proposition in
two parts:
First-That the United States should
take over the Philippines entire; sec
ond, that in so doing, they should re-
inburse to Spain the sum of her per-
manent and pacific expenditure in the
Philippines. The logic of the situation
compelled the Americans to make the
first move.
Having heard the American PROPOSE
ton, the Spaniards might have imme-
diately declined it, as they certainly
will do at tomorroH'S s session. Whether
they viii accompany the refusal with
a counter-proposition has not been de-
finitely ascertained, though at a late
hour this evening that course seems
improbable. The result will be that
the commissions will retire from con-
fronting positions until one or the other
shall have reformed its lines for the
next meeting. which Will probably oc-
cur next week. If the Spanish minis
ters entertain a hope that after the
, elections in the United States the
y American commissioners viii relax
,Sheir demands as to the Philippines,
i hey have not uttered IL here for the
! nublic ear. nor has anything been said
Nor done by any member of the United
States commission to warrant such
hope.
NO AMERICAN GREED.
The American commissioners came
to Paris with no greed for Philippine
territory The fact is, the commission
ers have felt that the conditions prece-
dent render the letting 60 OF the Phil
ippines as difficult as their retention.
There is, for instance. the question of
the future Of Aguinaldo, his chiefs and
followers The Philippine leader ard
his Immediate associates in the insur-
rection accepted exile and over half a
million dollars at the hands of Spain
as an indlcement to cease their re-
bellion. They went to China, but they
were brought back to the Philippines
on board of d United States warship.
Aguinaldo received from Admiral Dew
ey several thousand stands of arms
y
United States in the war against Spain.
The insurgcnt leader and his chiefs
have forfeited their lives. Should the
United States return the Philippines to
Spain, Aguinaldo and his fighting fol-
lowers must be surrendered to death
or taken away by the United States,
and the American commissioners feel
that the transplanting would be as Sc
we're toward them as it would be inn
practicable from the point of view of
the United States. Territory to shell
ter them is felt to be necessary to the
Filipinos.
The American commissioners have
not been mindful of the fact that cir
Nlcumstances, partly Of their shaping,
kave imposed upon the United States
Eonstructive responsibility for the Phil
ippines and that either this must be
forsal1en or larger one assumed. They
have believed, TOO, that before the na-
tions of the world, the United States
have assumed the higher responsible
ity of the stable control of The entire
group; and with a sense of specific and
general obligation. they felt compelled
TO propose to take over all.
SPANISH ATTITUDE.
The correspondent of the Associated
Press ascertains from Spanish sources,