The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-10-21
AGREEMENT AZ
PARIS IS DOUBTFUL
Rupture IN the Peace Proceedings
Is Now Almost a Moral
Certainty.
TROUBLE OVER The CUBAN. ossII
Spain Demands TO Know Who Is to
Govern the Island Of
Cuba.
SITUATION IN MADRID TRAGIC
specter of Financial ltMin Looms
Up Throughout the Entire
Lan%d..-reace Commits
sioners Are Firm.
SITUATION IN MADRID TRAGIC.

-F- a..
certainty. The Spanish commission
ers made a desperate attempt in the
Joint session Saturday to uncover he
plans of the United States regarding
the future of the government of Cuba.
This was done by q direct command
of Sagasta. that willy, old adept of di-
rlomacy.
When the American commissioners
declined to talk about the Cuban
debt, on the ground that the United
States would not consider any ques-
tons not incident to the strict terms
of the protocol, Montojo Dios de-
manded to know whether Spain was
TO surrender her sovereignty i'll Cuba
to the United States or to a Cuban re-
public. Chairman Day replied that
he could not discuss that point, as
Spain had agreed in the protocol to
relinqnish her sovereignty in the
island Internationally
Again and again the Spanish COM
missioners tried to discover whether
Cuba is to be Independent or to be
annexed by the United States.
They declared that a national debt
is transferred when sovereignty is
transferred, and MS Spain held the
responsibility for the Cuban debt she
had q right to know to whom she was
to deliver up her sovereignty iii order
that she might discuss the RESPONSE
bility for the debt.
Spnin's Only Alternative.
The American commissioners re-
Piled that while all this might have
been true ut one time, the signing of
the protocol had put an end to ali ar
gument. Spain had sued for peace,
had agreed to relinquish her sover-
eighty iii Cuba and thus the only
thing for Spain to do was to depart
from the island. The United States
would not consider anything else.
The dual commissions in Puerto
Rico and Cuba had met simply to ar
range for the execution of the proto.
col, not to consider any original or
extraneous propositions.
Rios twisted and turned in his ar
guments. He declared that the Unit
ed States must at least assume the
debt of Puerto Rico, and declared that
the anc administration of Puerto
Rico was a separate thing from the
cuban treasury and had always been
SO treated by the Spanish colonial de-
partment.
Would Not BE Drawn Out.
The American commissioners re-
fused to be drawn out. They said that
Spain must get out of Cuba; the pro-
tocol said so, and the protocol said
nothing else. The Spaniards then
gave up the situation in despair and
the meeting adjourned.
The political situation in Madrid is
tragic. The specter of financial ruin
looms through the whole land, and be-
hind looms the sinister ghost Of a rev.
olution. Here in Paris are crowded the
agents of Spain's despairing policy
seeking by a thousand secret channels
to find nm escape for the doomed Bour-
bon dynasty. Sagasta had fully X
pected that each Cuban bond issue
would have become the subject of a
separate discussion at the Paris peace
conference, and the question whether
or not the Indebtedness should be i'm
posed upon Cuba decided on its mer-
its, and by the light of historical
presidents, in which the Spanish com
missioners are thoroughly yersed.
Sagasta thus hoped t transform
the conference into u sort of court of
arbitration, in which the judges would
be divided equally between the victo-
rious and the conquered nation.
Cnuscd Bitter Disappointment.
The American commissioners, by a
rigid Interpretation of the protocol
and by their persistent refusal to adj
NIT the discussion of outside points,
have completely disconnected Sagns-
ta's adroitly laid plans, and caused
such bitter disappointment that those
in a position to know the facts no
longer hesitate to say that, in appar-
cnt disregard of the possible grave
consequences of such a step, i~nstruc-
tons have been sent to the Spanish
commissioners authorizing them to
withdraw frcm the conference and re-
turn to Madrid if they find that upon
the disputed points their role is lin
tied to acceding without Argument to
the American demands.
1t is even predicted that the Span
ish commissioners are likely to take
advantage of this authorization soon
sr than was expected, and, with their
task unfinished. they will be back in
Madrid within ten days.
Sagasta regrets NJ. Cambon's alb
sence from Washington, hut if the
emergency arises the Madrid cabinet
will again appeal to the good offices
of the French ambassador at Wash
ington and ask him to become the
channel Of communication, notwith-
standing his temporary presence in
Paris.
1t car be said with absolute certain
ty that United States Senator Gray,
the only democrat on the commission,
has refused from the beginning to
sven consider the possibility of the
United States assuming or guarantee
ing any part of the Cuban debt. His
oppositiontto the Spanish demands has
been unfinching.
NEGROES TAKEN TO ST. LOUIS
"a