Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-08-05
It Is Said It Contains Counter Prop ositions and Asks For Informa-
 tiOn on Some Points.
A CONFERENCE HELD
 OVER THE DOCUMENT.
The President and the French Ambas. sador Discuss the Matter, but Sep. arate Without Reaching Any
 Conclusion.

Washington, Aug. 5.-After 6 confer ence on the peace question lasting an hour between the president and M. Cam bon, the French ambassador, the latter acting as the representative of Spain, Secretary Day emerged from the White House and announced that Wednesdays conference was inconclusiye, whereof the parties to it had agreed not to state publicly what had occurred. The secre- tary did not appear to be discouraged as he made this statement, though he ad- mitted that no time had been set for an- other conference.
 From this it is gathered that the long expected answer of the Spanish govern ment to the presidents note had turned out to be just as it was expected either a counter proposition or a request for fuller statement ill detail upon some Of the clauses of the presidents note
 Up to the middle of the afternoon 1t was stated by all parties concerned that the Spanish answer had not been re- eeived, that the only formal note that had come to hand was one from the Madrid cabinet to NJ Gambon asking for information upon some points that were not clear to the Spanish minister. However, just after o'clock the secre- tary of the French embassy, N. Thie- baut, called ct the state department and arranged with Secretary Day for meet. ing between the president and the am. bassador at 3:45, as already stated, af. ter conferring for an hour the parties separated, having been unable to reach a conclusion as to the acceptance by Spain of peace conditions laid down by the president and binding themselves to the observance of the strictest secrecy as to the proceedings until further pro- gress had been made Thus it is prae- tically assured in advance that any at tempt to state what occurred at the meeting at the White House would be nothing more than pure guess work,
 Washington, Aug. 4.-The govern ment is now waiting to hear again from Spain and this time it is expected the answer will be final. The president de. clined the earnest appeal of the French ambassador to modify the United States demands, except in slight and com- paratively unimportant respects. There is no doubt but that peace negotiations are progressing to the entire satisfaction of the president and the members of the cabinet The conference yesterday at the White House in which the president, NJ Cambon and Secretary Day partici- pated, was devoted almost entirely to discussion of the details which are re- garded by the president as unimportant and hence the request of the French am. bassador, for the most part, will be ac- eeded to. One of these was that the commission to be appointed to settle on the terms of peace to me-, outside of the United States, ,.Li preferably France, The ll'-s1uent sees no objee- tion to granting this request and it is said to be practically settled that the conferences will be held at Paris
 The Madrid government, through M. Cambon, propounded the questions as to the time Spain will be expected to evacuate Cuba and the territory ceded to the United States and what provision VIII be maae ny me United States to protect the interests of Spain and her subjects of these islands while the evacuation is i'll progress. M. Cambon was informed upon all these points, pre-. sumably to his satisfaction.
 The one point, however, which the Spanish authorities, judging from their communication to their representative here, failed to comprehend, and Secre, tary Days call upon the ambassador was for the purpose of making perfectly clear this point, which was that the evacuation of Cuba. Porto Rico and one of the Ladrone islands, to be selected by United States, and the permanent ces. sion to this government of all of these islands except Cuba. was made a con- dition precedent to all peace negotia. tions, and that not until these terms had been fully complied with would this government consent to entertain any peace propositions whatever.