New-York tribune., 1898-10-18
REJECT IDEA or SOEEREIGN1l. !.
TIE UNITED STATES MAY. HOWEVER, TAKE
PART OF THE CUBAN DEBT. SAYS
THE TIMESS" CORRESPOND SNT.

THE TIMESS CORRESPONDENT.
London. oct 1S.-The Paris correspondent OF
The Times" saws:
at the sitting OF the Peace Commission this
(Mondav) afternoon the American Commission
ers oficially-and il would seem definiteIF-re-
iected the idea Of accepting sovereignty over
cuba FOR the United States. The Spanish 'om
missioners thereupon remarked that SPAIN nav
ing abandoned such sovereignty under pressure
r~om the United States and the lnted statues
having denied that sovereignty hencefortn be-
longs to them. Cuba is de facto IN state OIL
anarchy as an intermission of sovereignty C""
not be vieweG in any other light.
The American Commissioners rejoined tha''
v.itbout accepting the sovereignty. the United
States considered themselves deputed and pouhd
n maintain security for all the inhabitants
that thev would not fail to introduce ana up
hold order and in short. that they would 90
all that was necessary TO put the lslahu AS
sneedtIv AS possible in a state of normal organ
,zaticn TO be transformed at the earnest no
rent into a legal regularity satisfactory lor the
security Of all
"I-non this The Spanish Commissioners win
what seems striking logic. promptly rephed '"a'
hv the fact of the declaration just maze 10 'He'''
and Of the United States undertaking 10 res'ole
legality. order and security. the Cnl'eu "'"''s
were invested With veritable soverelsh'! anu
consequently could not refuse 10 accept the CON
SEQUENCES of such sovereignty seeing tha' ''ey
admittedlv could not tolerate the relapse into
anarchy of an island placed under thelr SUPER
vision and direction
Notwithstanding these striking ooJec"ohs'
the American Commissioners persisted in their
refusal and offi ,islly declared that the Oh'e"
States cannot he considered invested with SOW
coud not devate from this defnitive deciara-
tion According to impressions have been able
to collect in various circles unconnec'ed WIN
either side but entitled to weight the refusal
~ the United states Is not of 80 positive cha1-
acter as would at first sight seem to result 1rom
the formal declarations mentioned
The reasoning given to me is TINS; Inc
United States have declared that tney mace
war not Of conquest. but Of liberation anu
order. because they could not allow the pro
longation at their very doors OF sta'e OF
things which was In their eyes blow 10 the
cause Of humanity and civilization. lhey
therefore. made public dc 'laraton that the
war was not one Of conquest and they now
consider that by agreeing 10 h" invested "''h
tho sovereignty Of Cuba they would give theH-
selves the appearance Of having conqueted tne
island for territorial aggrandizement TheY re-
fuse to give themselves the appearance Oh
conquering nation. Hence they positively re-
fuse 10 accept that capacity OF sovereignty
which would be inconsistent with the character
Of hume nitarian dieinterestedness essential to
the honor Of America. ,.
The United States qdite comprehend that
their firm refusal to accept sovereignty d"es no,
exclude obligation. on the footing of justice ana
equity 10 make Spain real concessions as 10
financial burdens which would he crushlnG u
she We're saddei with the whole Cuhah dep'
We NAV be certain that this point the Amerl-
cans viii be less nheXib'e than on the princlpie
of sovereignty The proof. ! am told tnat inc
United States are disposed to meet spain IN an
onuitable fashion is that the Spanish Commis
sionere who would not al first accept an in
vitation to dine with General Horace Porter
until the end Of the conference. nave no" ac-
cepted ,. -, .,,. =.
Friends Of the United states here think II
might have been better II they had proceeded
island indirectly the Washington Government
had frankly accepted sovereignty in cuba. with
oil the rights and obligations involved