The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-31

Paris, Oct. 30.-Senor Montero Rios,
! president of the Spanish peace commits
sion. is ILL., This causes some doubt
this evening as to whether there Will be
a Joint session of the commissions to-
morrow. If he is unable to attend, it
is unlikely that the Spaniards would
consent to enter the conference to take
up the Philippine question Cor initial
consideration.
There is a strong impression, which
has been growing here. recently, that
the Spanish, upon receiving definite as
surances o. the American deJermina-
ton to take the entire Philippine group.
would Quit the conference, and all ne
gotiatiOnS are modified by the attl-
tude of the Spanish newspapers arrlV-
ing here today. These are found to nave
wheeled into line, with the Eooca or
Oct. q, which demanded that the Span
ish commissioners should sign a treaty
in Paris, no matter how OnerouS the
conditions imposed by the Americans.
Nevertheless, despite this attitude or
the Madrid press. and despite the de-
NAL given on Friday last to the corre-
soOndent of the Associated Press by a
Spanish commissioner, who denied that
the SDaniards had any intention OF
Withdrawing. the Americans here will
not be SURPRISED if one or more of the
Spanish commissioners resign, and
practically close the negotiations
Ry~~ WOULD HAVE RESIGNED.
ceiling is based upon the fact
thai -eliOr Rios early last week would
have resigned il his so doing would not
have imDeriled the Sagasta ministry;
and the reasoning is that, If, while
pressing the Cuban debt, which is not
mentioned in the protocol, and which
the Spanish commissioners say should
not be let to Spain alone, Senor Rlos
were inclined to resign, ne might, in
the o9en field of contention as TO tie
Philippines, feel that resignation would
help Senor SagaSta, or the ground that
the demand of the United States for the
entire Philippine group would be eX-
tOrtionate. 1t is believed here tonight.
on the eve of taking up the main ques-
tion, that the Spanish commissioners
are not likely to acquiesce here N any
treaty that the Americans would sign.
In the Philippine discussion two
wearisome questions are likely to be
raised by the Spanish. The first is on
the protocol phrase, control, DISPOSE
ton and government" of the archipel-
ago, the Spaniards doubtless holding
that the word disposition" does not
involve possession, though they know
that possession was originally writ
ten in the protocol and changed to dis
position" on NJ. Cambon's insistence in
behalf of Spanish sensibilities-
Collateral to this is a second conten-
tiOn, possibly to be merged with the
first, that when the protocol was signed
there was an exterior moral agreement
between NJ. Cambon and Judge Day
that neither the protocol nor its terms
should in the treaty negotiations in
volve Spanish sovereignty in the Phil
ippine archipelago.
On this point Judge Day, through the
Associated Press, has already pointedly
denied the existence of an actual, con-
servative or implied understanding out
side of the protocol, either verbally or
in correspondence, and this denial is
supported by the French yellow book.
NJ. Cambon, however, has given the
matter some significance by emitting TO
deny the report, although the alleged
existence of a secret understanding ex-
terror to the protocol was first printed
in the Paris papers and reiterated
directly and by inference.
The joint session, if it is held tomor-
row, will begin at 2 p. m. The Amer
lean case is ready for presentation