The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-17
SPANS Wall.
senor Rios Talks Of the
Result Of the Peace
Commission.
CALLS US "UPSFlRT COsQuERoRs"
Say s, America Dosen't Know
the Misfortune of Defeat
Future Of Spain.
y Gable to The Associated Press ]

[By Gable to The Associated Press.l
LONDON, Dec. 16, 1s9S-The following
is the full text of the interview between.
Senior Montero Rios, President of the
Spanish Peace Commission. and NJ. de
Blowitz, the Paris correspondents OF the
London Times, published IN that paper
this morning. Senior Montero Rios is
quoted as saying
We have fulfilled here q, very painful
mission in which it is impossible to
dream of looking forward with amy satis-
faction but that of doing our duty We
depart without other consolation than
theexelamation, Tout est perdu sauf
PFIonneurn {All is lost but horor.)
we knew in advance that we should
have to deal with an implacable con-
querors who would in no way concern
himself with any pre-existing interna-
tional law, but whose sole object was to
reap rom victory the largest possible adj
vantage. This conception of interna-
tional law is absolutely new. It is no
longer case of might against right, but
of might without right. AS for US, we
had only to protect ourselves against
the abasement which it was desired to
infiict upon us and to prove In spite of
our blrnders and mistakes, that we mad
not compromised the proverhial loyalty
to the Castilian FatherIand
Misfortune also has grandeur The
Americans have acted as vainqueurs par
venus (upstart conquerors). They do not
yet know the- misfortune of defeat. bat
there are things which the most fortunate
natives canot escape later on-when they,
will 11a IA
viii have become homogeneous and arc no
longer Obliged to satisfy the exigeneies of
political parties, they. too, will form. like
all other nations with a past, q code of
rights and duties. and be less
infexible towards those who have suf-
fered defeat. They will better understand
that a strict observance of conditions
agreed to, even in the thick of a fight, is
a guarantee and a protection for all con-
cerned, for the conqueror as well as the
vanquished.
Nations do not count by days or
weeks, but by centuries. and in the
course of their existence. events assume
various compilations.
I'VE signed. on August u, a protocol
suspending hostilities and it was on the
18th that the American General demand
ed the surrender of Manila The archi-
pelago had not been won and has not
vet been conquered. The fate of the
Philippines remained undetermined and
Spanish sovereignty was still in force,
since we were still waging war with
considerable forces to suppress the insur-
rection. But. after journey across a
portion of the United States, President
upon claiming the Philippines by right of
conquest. Yet, l repeat, the Philippines
even now are still uneonquered,
The two chief islands, the two richest
Mindanao and Luzon-are not won Min
danao and the island of the Great Lake
contain q population of half breeds, half
Malays and half Spanish, constituting a
military oligarchy which rules the rest
of the islands and occupies the highest
portion of the territory on the shores of
the lake. I know the country and its
They are pround, strong
and warlilSe, and not only are hey un-
but their conquest will not be
accomplished quickly Yet the United
States claimed them, as well as the other
islands. as though their conquest was
But what most pains me is that in
this great whirlwind in which we lost all,
lost our last Armada. there has been an.
to deprive US OF our honor as
we'll. On December proposed to the
Americans TO appoint a technical com
mission to examine the question: of the
Maine. We said-America Will appoint
an American, an Englishman and a
Frenchman, and we will appoint a Span
lard, an EngFishman and a Frenehman,
all specialists. and that the Commission
or the two Governments, appoint a Ger
man, and that these seven men bring in
a verdict II they declare Spain innocent.
the President of the United States will
address a message to the Senate declar-
ing Spanish honor intact. and that Spain
was falsely accused of having betrayed
the laws of hospitality by blowing up a
vessel at anchor in one of her ports. II
Spain is declared guilty. a Spanish ship
will go to America, salute the United
States flag and Spain will pay the costs.
"This is the proposal we made on De-
cenlber 1. 1t could be. and must have been
telegraphed, for it could be put into two