Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-09-23
IF SPAIN REPUDIATES THEM THEY
WILL NOT BE PAID.
UNITED STATES NOT LIABLE
WILL NOT PAY THEM NOR ASK Gu
BANS TO PAY THEM.
Question Was Definitely Settled by
the American Commissioners at
Paris-"Cuban Bonds" Ag-
greGntc S331 100000,
Without Interest.

WASHINGTON. Sept 22-Holders of
Cuban bonds may as well make up their
minds TO pocket their losses, If they depend
upon the United States to pay the obliga-
tions out of the Cuban revenues. Rcpuda-
ton by Spain Of these bonds will probably
cause the bondholders to turn to this coun-
try Tor redress. but IL can be stated author
itativcly that the administration considers
Spain alone responsible
AS far as this country IL concerned, the
question of the Cuban bonds was settled
at Paris by the American commissioners,
who emphaticplly refused to admit the
claim set up by Spain that Cuba was re-
sponsible for the debt incurred for the
good administration" of that island
AT that time the Spanish commissioners
argued that "it would be contrary to the
most elementary notions of Justice and
inconsistent with the dictates of universal
conscience of mankind for n sovereign to
lose all its right over Il territory, and the
inhabitants thereof, and, despite this, to
continue bound by the obligation she had
contracted exclusively for their regime and
government"
They further declared that the Spanish
American republics, without exception,
after Spain had relinquished sovereignty
over them, recognized and assumed as their
own debts which had been contracted by
the Spanish government.
The American commissioners fatty re.
fused to entertain the proposition that pro-
vision be made in the treaty for Cuba to
assume the debt incurred by the mother
country for the purpose of waging war
against the inhabitants of the island In
an extensive review OF the Spanish bond
I'M
sS3l 100000 were issued and attributed to the
Cuban debt" The American commission
ers then repudated responsibility for the
payment of the debt in these words:
From no point Of view can the debts
described be considered as the local debts
of Cuba or as debts incurred for the ben
eht of Cuba. In no sense are they obli-
cations properly chargeable to that island.
Ihey are debts created by the government
OF Spain, for its own purposes and through
its own agents, in whose creation Cuba had
no voice.
From the moral point of view the pro-
posai to impose them upon Cuba is equally
untenable. II. as Is sometimes asserted,
the struggles for Cuban Independence have
been carried on and supported by mi
nority of the people of the island, to i'm
pose upon the inhabitants as whole the
cost Of suppressing the instructions would
be TO punish the many for the deeds of the
few. If, on the other hand. those struggles
have. as the American commissioners
maintain. represented the hopes and as
piratons of the body of the Cuban people,
10 crush the inhabitants by u burden Gre
ated by Spain in the effort to oppose their
independence would he even more unjust"
The suggestion that their government
should assume, either for itself or for
Cuba. or for Porto Rico, the burden of the
charges and obligations now in question.
was not put forward during the negOtia-
tions that resulted in the conclusion of that
convention, nor If it had been SO put for
ward would it have been for moment
entertained by the United States.