The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-12-02
SPAIN'S STRONG CASE
THE DONs ASK FOR CONCESSIONS
THAT AMERICANS MAY
GRANT
WILL CONSULT WASHINGTON
siOners Ask for Time for Consid-
GRAFTON of Proposals Made
Spaniards Finally Meeting Amer
leans In a Spirit of Fairness
FilipinOs May Defy America.

PARIS, Dec. Anxious as both are
to conclude their work, the United
States and Spanish peace commissions
did not hold a joint session today.
Their next session will be held at 2
o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
This delay arose from the fact that
the Spanish commissioners at yester-
days session offered several urgent
propositions which called for special
deliberation on the part Of the Amer
leans. Spain asks the United States to
grant, for a term Of five years, to Span
ish ships carrying Spanish goods or
products to Porto Rico and Cuba, the
same privilege as American vessels en-
gagged in the same trade may have, and
she qualities this request by proViso
that trade privileges be extended to
Cuba so long as the United States gov
ernment is dominant over the island.
In support of this request the Span
ish commissioners assert that Spain
cannot, without vital harm, Immediate
ly abandon or cut the business re1a-
tions so long maintained between the
mother country and the West Indian
territories. They declare that family
ties and social relations, added to af-
fairs Of trade maintained through GEN.
turtes, require gradual dissolution,
They invoke the terms Of the treaty Of
1919, by which the United States took
Florida from Spain, and in the fifteenth
article Of which granted Spain for
twelve years the right to send her
goods and products to Florida in Span
ish ships on the same terms as the
ships carrying hitherto goods and
products Of the United States,
The Spanish commissioners cite, fur
ther, the fact that the treaty Of 1903
with France, for the oession of Louisi-
ana, granted French and Spanish goods
and products the same terms as Amer
leans in New Orleans and other ports
in the ceded territory" Finally Spain
points to the American proposed open
points to the American proposed
"open-door" policy in the Philippines,
and askes q guarantee Of the same ad-
vantage in her late West Indian colo
nies until trade relations can by de-
grees accustom themselves to the
change of sovereignty.
STRONG ARGUMENTS.
The proposition and the arguments
by which it was supported are consid-
cred strongly stated, and the Ameri-
can commissioners desired time for de-
liberation. Thus, though busy until
nearly 2 o'clock this afternoon, they
were not fully prepared, and Judge Day
sent a message to Senor Montero Rios
requesting that the joint session be
postponed until tomorrow.
Meanwhile the Spanish commission
ers had been preparing a list of sub
jects for negotiation, supplemented by
suggestions counter to and amendatory
Of the subjects the Americans submit
/ ted yesterday. This came to the Amer
| lean commissioners today, in Spanish,
| rendering it even more desirable to
| postpone the Joint session in order to
| give time for translation and consid-
this evening, and the subject will be
| laid before the American commission
ers tomorrow morning.
Now that the first gust Of grief and
chagrin has passed, the Spanish COM
missioners are meeting the Americans
in a frank spirit that is helpful to an
early completion Of the negotiations.
From information which comes to
| the correspondent of the Associated
Press from well authenticated source,
! late this evening, it seems unlikely
| that the commissions will finish their
work as soon as had been expected.
1t is probable that the negotiations will
| last considerably longer.