Evening star., 1899-03-14
Reported Prohibition Of Negotiation
for Spanish Prisoners.
this GOVERNMENTS OBLIGATIONS
Refusal to Permit Withdrawal Of
Arms.
FE ELING IN ROLINES

If Gen. Otis has, as reported, forbidden
further negotiations between the Spanish
at Manila and the insurgents, touching the
surrender of the Spanish prisoners held by
the latter, he has done SO upon his own
authority. The government has not sent
him any instructions upon that point, but
it will unquestionably support him to the
extreme in any action of the kind he may
take. 1t is said at the State Department
that there has been some exchanges be-
tween the United States and Spain through
indirect channels touching these particular
prisoners, dating back TO the signature of
the protocol last August. The United
States government undertook finally to Sc
cure the release of the prisoners. 1t never
trying to secure their release
by ransom, but simply through the sup
preston of the insurrection. 1t did not I'M
dertake TO perform the impossible, and can
not be held by any requirement of interna-
uonh law to do more than has been done
to secure the release of the prisoners
There vii! be no relaxation of the efforts in
that direction but, as it must be plainly
evident to all civilization that the United
states campaign in the Philippines is be-
ing conducted with all the energy possible
to manifest. and as the release of the pris-
oners, of course, depends upon the issue of
complaint of failure on the part of the
United states to meet its obligations.
Gen. Otis Sustained.
Meanwhile, if Gen. Otis has interviewed to
prevent the Spanish government from ne
sotiating directly with the insurgents it is
said here that he undoubtedly was correct
IN his attitude. In the first place. mas
much as the ratifications of the peace
treaty have not been effected, the United
States and Spain are still technically in d
state of war, qualified only by the opera
ton of the protocol suspending hostilities
IN this condition there is no authority on
the part of the Span:ards to negotiate with
the insurgents without the explicit consent
of the United States. But even were the
conditions different i'll this respect there
would still be ample warrant under the
rules Of war for any action Gen. Otis might
take calculated to prevent the insurgents
from receiving supplies of food, clothing.
munitions of war or money, for the latter
can always, with more or less difficulty. be
resolved into the former, even in the face
OF blockade. So, if the Spanish minister
of foreign affairs feels called upon to ad-
dress himself respecting this subject to the
State Department. directly or indirectly. he
is undoubtedly to be informed that Gen.
Otis must be sustained. though rcaSSured
as to the intentions of the United States to
use all proper efforts to carry out it's un-
derta king.
Removal of Arms Forbidden.
The attention of the officials at the War
Department having been called to the re-
port from Manila that Gen. Otis had re-
fused to allow the retiring Spanish troops
to carry arms to the Carolines, it vas
learned that this refusal was in strict pur-
govern in the absence OF the rattle ton of
the peace treaty. Under the technical SHs-
pension of hostilties which was proclaimed
By that protocol, and is still in force, it
could not be permitted that Spain should
change the status quo to the extent Of for
ufyinS and strongly garrisoning points
heretofore unprotected, as was to b. the
case in the Carolines. ii is gatntred that
Gen. Otis refusal probably applied rather
to the removal of cannon than 20 the small
arms of the troops, although these may
also have been included. When Col. Rios,
the senior Spanish army officer in the
evacuated IloilO under condi-
tions which made it so embarrassing for
the United States to obtain possession of
the place, he carried the Spanish garrison
of the town directly to the port of Zam-
boanga. on the south coast of the Island of
taking with them as much of
the cannon and munitions of the place us
his ships would carry, and it is these stores
and guns that Rios desires to take to the
CarolneS.
Officials Here Puzzled.
The officials here are little puzzled to
account for this sudden desire on the part
of Spain to garrison and fortify the Caro-
lines, for it has all along been assumed that
the negotiations between Spain and Ger
many looking toward d sale of the group
to Germany would be consummated IT is
with some plausibility that Ger
many mas required Spain, in case of a sale,
to turn over the group in such condition as
will not require an effort on Germanys
part to suppress an insurrection such as
the United States authorities faced in the
1t is known here that the in
habitants of the Island of Ponape the
largest and most important of the Caroline
group, are very much disaffected toward
Spanish rule, and there may be grounds for
apprehension on the part of Spain that
they would offer forcible resistance to be-
ing transferred without their consent to
another sovereignty.
Disorder on Palawan Island.
Unofficial news of the massacre of the
Spanish governor and other officers by the
Moros on the Island of Palawan was re-
ceived here six weeks ago, upon the arrival
out of a British steamer that touched at the
island on her way to the Straits Settle
ment. But nothing has come from any
offlcial source to confirm the report. The
Island of Palawan is a part of the Philip
pine group, ard 1t is believed heresthat Ad-
be"ey VIII up lHe movement
of his ships upon Mindanao by sending
tnem TO falaWan to restore law and order
there 1t is not believed that serious diff
Guilty will be experienced in this task, for.
though the Moros are the most savage and
1ntractable of the many nationalities to he
found in the Philippines, their resentment
appears to have been directed against the
Spanish officials the result of a long ne
riod of misrule, and they are not likely to
resist the American arms, which bring
them enlarged liberty.
-So &
Cabinet Officers Going Away.
Secretary Alger will leave here this even