The San Francisco call., 1899-03-16
SECRETS OF STATE
ARE REVEALED BY
SPANS RED BOOK
How the Queen Regents Commission
Tried to Get the Better of the
Americans.
ATEW YORK, March 15.-The
Herald's Washington CORE

Herald's Washington CORE
spondent sends the following:
I obtained to-day a copy of the Red
Book of Spain containing all the doc
uments relating to the peace nego-
tiations recently presented to the
Cortes by the Minister of State. These
documents throw an interesting light
on the negotiations of the conference
in Paris, detailing the moves made
by the Spanish commissioners in
their efforts to shoulder upon the
United States the great Cuban debt
and TO preserve to Spain the Philip
pine archipelago.
Perhaps the most notable feature
of the documents is that which indt-
Gates that the Spaniards were appre-
hensive, up to the time of the signing
of the treaty, that the United States
would break off negotiations and re-
sumo hostiIities; while the fear on the
part of this Government was that
the Spanish commissioners would
withdraw and thus necessitate a con-
tinuance of warlike operations.
The book shows that the Spanish
commission and the Spanish Gov
ernment were convinced that the
treaty concluded was the least pre-
judicial to Spain possible, considering
the circumstances surrounding the
negotiations, and it is expressly
stated by Montero Rios, president of
the Spanish commission, that the
commission believed that the United
of Cuba, Notwithstanding the dis
Chalmers made by this Government.
The book opens with the invitation of
the French Government for the Amerf-
can and Spanish commissioners to con-
duct their negotiations and sale des
conferences at the French Foreign Of
fee The first passage between the
commissioners relates TO the request Of
the Spanish commissioners for the
maintenance Of the status quo existing
in the Philippines at the time Of sign
ing the protocol. to which the Aneri-
cans replied that the matter was in
way Of a settlement between the two
governments, and as commissioners
they had no Jurisdiction.
Commenting upon this the Spanish
Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that
the American troops, the commissioners
in Paris would naturally evade any
answer TO questions propounded to
them by the Spanish commissioners. as
TO the status in these islands, and that
the excuse given by the American com
missioners certainly was very unsatfs-
factory.
SenOr Rios complains on October
that the American commissioners. in
the draft Of a treaty presented by them
relating TO the REIMBURSEMENT of SOW
ereignty over Cuba, do not suggest in
whose favor such REIMBURSEMENT is to
be made and he calls attention to the
fact that its acceptance of this would
prevent Spain from demanding through
the treaty that me United States or
some other power should assume the
obligations and burdens of all kinds
now resting on Spain and which grew
out of the exercise of her sovereignty
over Cuba
The frm1ess of the belief Of the
Spanish commissioners that the United
States proposed to annex Cuba is found
in these extracts in a letter from Senior
Rios TO the Minister Of Foreign Affairs.
dated October u:
Upon observing that the paper. present
ed in writing by the American Commits
sioners rejecting our draft Of the first two
articles of the treaty was based on the
supposition that we proposed therein that
the United States accept sovereignty over
Cuba. to transfer it at the proper time to
the Cuban people. called their attention
to the inaccurate translation of our arti-