Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-10-22
NO CUBAN DEBT OURS.
Our Peace Commissioners Talk
Plainly tc the Spaniards.
THE PHILIPPINES CONTROVERSY.

Judge Day Intimatcs That We Shall
Demand the Islands, Regardless OF
What Action May Sc Taken With
Regard to Cuba or Porto Rico.
London. Oct 1S.-A dispatch to
London news agency from Paris says:
Yesterday the peace conference reached
a crisis for the first time. Judge Day
presented the demands of the American
commissioners in threatening words.
He said that delay was the only pos
sible object attaipable by the persistent
efforts of the Spanish commissioners
TO saddle the United States with the
Cuban debt. and would be tolerated no
longer. as the United States would
neither assume nor guarantee any part
of the debt.
The Spaniards replied that this plac-
ed Spain in a position OF repudiatins
or of reducing the face value OF the
Cuban bonds from 80 to 60 per cent.
paying only half the stipulated interest
on their reduced value. Before they
would adopt either alternative they
would surrender to the United States
the entire Philippines.
Judge Day responded that the sur
render of the Philippines would prob
ably be demanded. irrespective of the
Cuban or any other debt.
This to the Spanards, the first in
timation of the intentions of the United
States as to the Philippines. resulted
in a whispered conference, followed by
a request for an adjournment in order
70 communicate with Madrid. Judge
Day said that President Mckinley had
instructed him 10 demand the entire
surrender of Porto Rico on Tuesday
and the delivery of every town to the
United States officers before midnight,
together with the evacuation OF Ha-
vana on or before Nov. l. when the
United States would be at the gates
of the city ready to take possession.
There was no alternative offered IN
the case of either of these demands,
and the session was consequently very
brief. The American commissioners
have received dispatches from Wash
ington indicating that the administra-
ton is irritated and indignant over
the delay of the Spanish commissioners
The Paris correspondent Of The
Times says: AT the sitting OF the
peace commission Monday afternoon
the American commissioners officially
and it would seem acknowledgements
ed the idea OF accepting sovereignty
over Cuba for the United States. The
Spanish commissioners thereupon re-
marked that Spain. having abandoned
such sovereignty under pressure from
the United States and the United
States having denied that sovereignty
henceforth belongs to them. Cuba is
defacto in state of anarchy. as an
intermission of sovereignty cannot be
viewed in any other light.
The American commissioners rejoined
that, without accepting sovereignty.
the United States considered them
selves deputed and bound to maintain
security for all the inhabitants, that
they would not fail to introduce and
uphold order. and. in short, that they
would do all that was necessary TO
put the island as speedily as possible
in a state of normal organization, to be
transformed at the earliest moment
into legal regularity satisfactory for
the security of all.
Upon this the Spanish commissioners,
with what seems striking logic,
promptly replied that by the fact OF
the declaration just made them and for
the United States undertaking to re-
store legality, order and security, the
United States We're invested with YER
liable sovereignty, and consequently
could not refuse to accept the conse-
quences of such sovereignty, seeing
that they admittedly placed Cuba I'M
der their supervision and direction.
Notwithstanding these striking OBJ
jections the American commissioners
persisted in their refusal, and officially
declared that the United States can
not be considered invested with SOW
ereignty and that they (the commits
sioners) could not deviate from this
declaration.