The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-11-01
SPAIN AGAIN DEFEATED.
She AbandOnS the Cuban
Debt Co! tention.
MAKES A HARD FIGHT
To Have our Commissioner Agree TO
Assume Part of this Debt-Her Com
missiOners Finally Agree for the Gu
ban, Porto Rican and Gaum Sections
of the Protocol to br Embodied In the
Treaty of Peace The Philippine
Clause Now to be Taken up.

VI ~ otoCob w III
Treaty of Peace The Philippine
Clause Now to be Taken up.
Paris. October 27.-The Spanish peace
commissioners have accepted the neg
alive view of the United States COM
mission toward the proposed assump-
ton by the United States of the Gu
ban debt.
The American commissioners have
firmly, but cou~rteously, declined to as
sumo for the United States the entire
or joint responsibility for the Spanish
financial conditions.
Senior Montero Rios, the president of
the Spanish commission, and his col
leagues, with faithful insistence,
sought another result; but they failed
to attain it and have finally abandoned
the effort and have agreed that the
Cuban article of the protocol shall,
without conditions, have a place in the
Ultimate treaty of peace. Though,
through the several sessions the Span
ish commissioners have had before
them the irrevocable presentation of
their American colleagues, it vas not
until Monday that they became abso-
lutely convinced that the Americans
had, from the outset of their refusal
to accept the Cuban debt, meant ex-
actly what they said.
In spite of the fact tina the Spanish
commissioners had, as a background
to their efforts, doubts Of succeeding,
their hope of SO doing has been SO keen
and their contention has been so Wig
nrn1ClU nrnGaclte6 that the final CON
tinuance of their inability to win their
point brought to the Spaniards such u
shock and depression that, consistent
ly with these dispatches at the time,
there were grave doubts as to the con-
tinuance of the negotiations.
In support of these statements is the
act that Senior MOnterO Rios, after
Mondays session, and on Tuesday last,
would have resigned the presidency of
the Spanish commission a he not be-
lieved that his doing so may have
grievously shaken, even if it had not
unseated Senior Sagasta's government.
From this standpoint, if for no other
reason, Senior MonterO Rios retained
his position, n at yesterdays ses-
sion, acting under the conviction ar
rived at on Monday, the SpaniardS an
nounced that they would fOregO fur
Their argument or the Cuban debt and
agreed that, practically in the terms
n absolutely in the spirit of the pro-
tOcOl, the article about Cuba should go
forward into the ina treaty. Thus
Spain agrees to relinquish sovereignty
over and claim to Cuba, without eth
er terms or conditions.
All differences, if any existed, re-
garding Porto Rico and the selection
of the island of Gaum were also ar
ranged by a mutual understanding.
The session of the joint commission
erS began today at 2 o'clock p. m. n
ended at 4 o'clock p. m.
Washington, October 27.-The init
nation conveyed by the American
commissioners to the Spanish commits
sioners at Mondays session of the
peace conference in Paris, that the pO-
sition OF the United States with respect
to Cuba and the Cuban debt could not
be regarded as subject to change and
that, consequently, the American COM
miSSiOnerS are ready to proceed with
the consideration of other heads under
the protocol, the Paris advices show,
had the desired effect. The one con-
cessiOn as to Cuba hat our cOrimis-
Sioners will make will be to guarantee
Cor the United States that life and
property shall be secure in Cuba. This
responsibility the United States will
assume only until such time as a sta
BILE government shall be formed and
operative in Cuba. There will be no
perpetual guarantee on this score.
Undue significance has, been attach
ed to the dispatch of q special mes
senger from Washington yesterday to
the president at Philadelphia. Almost
every day a long report has come by
cable from Judge Day, president of the
American commissioners at Paris, tell
ing what has been accomplished, what
the Spanish commissioners were seek
ing, and h the American commits
SiOnerS propose to do at the next
meeting. The president had gone over
these reports very carefully in COM
pany with Secretary Hay and some
times with military or naval experts,
if their advice seemed to be necessary.
Yesterdays report was very long and
to have reduced it to cipher code for
the purpose of t~elegraphing it to Phil
adelphia would have consumed more
time n been less satisfactory in re-
suits than the services of a messenger.
AS a vital stage has been reached it
was thought advisable not to delay till
the presidents return and so Assist
ant Secretary CridleF's confidential
clerk was sent to Philadelphia with
the daily report.
1t is expected that the commission
ers will now lake UP the subject of the
Philippines. The american commits
sioners nave given this subject much
attention. but so far it has never ap-
pearsd before the joint commission
save in the shape OF n Spasmodic
effort made by the S~paniards ct the
very beginning of the sessions to have
the United States abandon Manila as
precedent to further negotiations on
the subject of the Philippines. The
American commissioners. among 9TH
er things, nave been looking into the
subject Of the Philippine debt, about
which there is much ignorance at this
end of the line. 1t is unlikely that the
same rule will be applied to hat debt
as was insisted upon relative to the
Cuban debt. In other words, If the
United States annexes n Philippines,
which now seems to be the logical out
come of the situation. it might be rea-
sonably contended that at least SO
much of the debt as represented mon
eys expended for the improvement OF
the island should pass to the United
States with the title. The situation is
regarded as materially different from
ca