Evening star., 1898-10-27
formed and operated in Cuba. There Will
be no perpetual guarantee on this score.
The AdEiinistratiOn's Firm stand.

formed and operated in Cuba. There will
be no perpetual guarantee on this score.
The Adrainistration's Firm stand.
The attitude taken by this government
was thus described in The Star Monday:
The time has now COME to cut off all
false plaas ard to come directly TO the
main Issue left open by the protocol, name
ly, the disposition of the Philippines. Up
to this point the entire time of the commits
slCners mas been consumed in repeated Ell
fCrts the part of the Spanish commits
siCners % force the Cuban debt question
Upon the attention of the joint commission
against the ffrp opposition Of the American
&C mmissroners. The latter have stated as
positively as they could that under no Cir
cumstances viii the United States assume
sovereignty over Cuba, involving an as
sumption of the Cuban debt, and the nme
has now come when, in the opinion of the
American Ccmmiss ioners. the Spaniards
must be made to understand that this an
swer is final and conclusive"
Given Undue Significance.
Undue significance has been attached to
the dispatch of a special messenger from
Washington yesterday to the President at
Philadelphia. Almost every day long re-
port has come by cable from Judge Day,
president of the American commissioners
al Paris telling what has been accomplish
ed, what the Spanish commissioners were
seeking and what the American commits
siOners propose to do at the next meeting
The President has gone over these reports
very carefully in company with Secretary
Hay, and simetimes with military naval
experts. if their advice seems to be neces-
sary- In the interesting stage which the
proceedings at Paris have reached it would
rot have been proper to have omitted this
daily perusal of the records of events. To
have reduced yesterdays long report to
cipher code for the purpose of telegraph
ing it to Philadelphia would have con-
sumed more time and been less satisfactory
in results than availing of the services of
a messenger. So Mr.. Kelar of the State
Department was charged with the task of
conveying the daily report to the Presi-
dent.
The Philippines.
In view of the point to which the nego-
tiations relative to Cuba have progressed
it is the expectation that, barring a COM
piete interruption of the conference the
commissioners will soon take up the sub
ject of the Philippines. The American COM
missioners, acting singly have already
given this subject much attention although
II mas so far never appeared before the
Joint commission save in the shape of one
spasmodic effort made by the Spaniards at
the very beginning of the sessions to have
the United States abandon Manila as a
precedent to further negotiations on the
subject of the Philippines Among other
things the American commissioners have
been looking into the subject of the Philip
pine debt, about which there is much ignor-
ance at this end of the line. 1t is unlikely
that the same rule will be applied in the
case of that debt is insisted upon rela-
tive to the Cuban debt.
Might Assume the Philippine Debt.
In other words, if the United States an
nexes the Philippines, which seems now
to be the logical outcome of the situation.
it might he YI3SHh3iIy 1a5 ,b,+
least so much of the debt as represented
moneys expended for the Improvement of
the island should pass to the United
States with the title. The situation is re-
garded as materially different from that
IN cuba. where the United States gains
nothing subs ntial. for, with the annexa-
tion Of the Philippines we should ACQUIRE
a territory almost as large as the British
Isles, with teeming population of more
than 100000 people.
II will be for the American commissioners
to arrange tha details of the transfer of
the Philippines TO the United States fo-
1t is cXpressedly stipulated in the protocol
that this disposition of the Philippines shall
be arranged by the peace commissioners
50 that there is ample warrant unlike the
case of Cuba, for full discussion of all uues-
tons of the debt municipal and insular.
so far as the Philippines are concerned.
Nothing DisGuieting in Havana.
1t is said at the State Department that
there is nothing disquieting in the situation
at Havana. The evacuation commission
ars are meeting at intervals to suit their
COZ venience and the needs Of the work in
hand. Spanish troops are being shipped
ho1neward and the ways being cleared for
the occupation Of the island by the Ameri-
can troops at about the tina settled unon.
namely. the end of the present year The
attitude of the insuI gents is not a cause
Tor apprehension now more than il has
betn and the officials are confident that
the sentiment of the better element on the
!slaEd OF Cuba will be effective in securing
for the United States officers who are
charged with the administration of the
temporary government the cordial suDport
OF the vast majority of the Cuban people
IL Is conceivable that the end of the war
Will md some bands of lawless men, par
maps Spaniards well as Cubans. rayag-
lns remote ana unprotected districts, but
TINS IS an incident of most wars and even
In our late civil war trouble was encounter
ed in suppressing such lawless elements.