The age-herald., 1898-10-18
AGONCILLO AT THE
 FRENCH CAPITAL Took Apartments in Hotel With Amer
 iCan Commissioners. Is ENVOY OF AGUlNALDO Says FilipinOS Prefer Independence to
 Annexation to America. CUBAN DEBT STILL DISCUSSED Peace Commissioners Are Making Very Slow Progress in Bringing About Final Adjustment -Spaniards
 Delaying Negotiations.
CUBAN DEBT STILL DISCUSSED

| | Paris, October 17.-Phillippi Agoncillo,
 the representative of Aguinaldo, the in-
 surgent leader of the Philippine Islands,
 was interviewed today by the correspondent
 here of the Associated Press. Agoncillos | apartments at the Hotel Continental are on the same floor as the rooms occupied by the United States peace commissioners. He is desirous of seeing the commissions
 CTS and placing Aguinaldo's views of the
 future of the Philippines before our com missoners.
 Would the Filipinos accept the annexa- tion or a protectorate of the United States?" Agoncillo was asked. He answered: "We want independence,
 but the Filipinos have a recognized govern
 ment, of which Aguinaldo is president, and
 it will determine our attitude towards a
 protectorate or annexation.'
 Should the United States take all or part
 of the Philippines would the Fipinos fight
 the United States as they have fought
 Spain?"
 'I cannot answer that, but I think it
 would be unwise for the United States to
 divide the Philippine Islands They should
 take all or none.'
 Will Continue to Fight
 'If the United States give up the Phil
 ippine Islands, will the Filipinos continue
 to fight the Spaniards?"
 "I think so."
 .rIs it true that the Filipinos do not ob- ject to the continuance of the native priests?'
 "Yes."
 And what of the orders. relgious-would the Fiipinos accept any peace with the United States and Spain which did not pro- vide for the expulsion of the orders?'- "The presence and acts of the orders were the chief determining cause of the insurrec- tion It would be impossible for the Filipinos to become reconced with Spain. We have vainly and repeatedly sought the right of citizenship, employing all legal means and have risen in instruction twelve times in a century to secure them, ana we are now enjoying them Peace is only pos sible under any government by the abolish- ment of the orders which, as I have said, were the chief undermining cause of the | abuses and expressions and hence the re- | bellions."
 | Agoncillo contrary to the generally ac- | cepted version of his visit to the United States and elsewhere, says he has not come here to seek a hearing before the commis- sion but to learn the determination of the commissioners regarding the Philippine
 Islands and to communicate 1t to Aguin-
 aldo Agoncllo thus far has not communi-
 cated with our commissioners, and the
 Spanish commission while unwilling, natur- ally, to summon Agoncillo is exceedingly
 anxious to know what representations if any he will make to the Americans Sixth Joint Session The American commissioners held thar usual morning sessions today, and entered upon the sixth joint session at o'clock this afternoon.
 The session ended at $40. The commissions will meet again on Wednesday next.
 During todays sessions the commissions were occupied with the consideration or | the Spanish presentation of Tuesday last, and the American answer submitted on | Friday relating to Cuba and the debt of the island. The examination of the Ameri- | can written canvass of the subject was not | concluded today and will be concluded at l the next joint meeting, following which the | Spaniards will doubtless reply in writing, | the conclusion of the subject soon follow ing.
 The interchanges regarding Cuba are so | advanced that the Spaniards will not fail | to understand the United States determin- aton disclosed in these dispatches on Sat- urday not to assume part or whole of the so-called Cuban debt of $400 100000. It should not, however, be understood that the Amer jeans during the course of the controversy have been unmindful of certain local bur dens, like, the municipal obligations of the Cuban cities, railroads and kindred proper ties, local and permanent. It should not be forgotten, however, that the American attitude in Cuba is held not to be that of an acquiring power, either of territory or of its real or constructive obligations. Burdens and Blessings The opposing Spaniards keenly contend that sovereignty involves burdens as well | as blessings and that both should pass to- gether from Spain.
 Close following this contention, the Span- | iards are pressing for construction of the | word "relinquish" In the Cuban article of | the protocol.
 "We must,'' they say, "relnquish sov- | ereignty over Cuba, but to whom? We have | not agreed to relinquish it to the Cubans. | We relinquish it to the United States" Thus crystalizing their reasoning, the l Spaniards bind debt ana poverty together | and urge that the relnquishment must be to the United States. While this conten- ton is keenly and vigorously supported, 1t
 has not shaken the position of the Ameri- I cans, who cut the thread of Spanish diplo- | macy in the middle of the 'relinqush'' by practically assuring the Spaniards that they | need not be anxious as to whom they re- | 1inquish the islands, but to conform to the l fourth article of the protocol, in which pledges Spain that "Cuba, Porto Rico and the other Spanish islands of the West In dies shall be immediately evacuated" Briefly, the American response to Spanish diplomacy of construction and definition was that the words ''relnquish and evacu- ate' are interchangeable and have the same meaning. Thus, three sessions were given up to patiently meeting Spanish views and contentious to change the protocol pledge to reinQuish sovereignty over and title to Cuba, and there is a possibility of | two sessions more.
 telGnhOne noI