The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1899-06-09
ISLANDS SOLD
TO GERMANY
Spain Finally DiSpOseS Of the
Caroline Group.
CAUSES SURPRISE AT CAPITAL
Queen Regent DispOses of MARI
anne, Caroline and PalOs To
Kaiser William.
CAUSES SURPRISE AT CAPITAL

A special from Madrid says: The
queen regent opened the cortes Friday
with the usual ceremonial and in the
speech from the throne announced /
that Marianne, Caroline Palos islands
were ceded to Germany by the late
Spanish ministry. During the course |
of her speech her majesty said:
At the opening of the cortes al |
the sorrows which have wrenehed our !
hearts through the disasters which |
have visited our country are re-awak-
ened.
We must preserve sadness in order
to derive experience thereform, but the
woes of our country are of such ma
ture that reticence aud silence avail
better than complaints.
When peace with the United States
was concluded, parliamentary troubles
caused a changed of cabinet and the
present cabinet was formed. Under
the constitution, it belonged to me,
to ratify the treaty by laying it before
the chamber. There remained under
our control the Carolines, Palos and
most of the Marianne islands. But
the former cabinet believed it useless
for Spain to retain such minor APP
pendage of our ancient empire and
signed with German emperor a conven-
ton offering to cede these territories
under the law which would be sub
mitted Immediately to the chamber.
Our foreign relations are cordial and
friendly. We especially owe to the
pope recognition of the many times he
has given us his moral support.
The most important, most urgent
and most difficult task before you is to
BALANCE the budget and liquidate the
debts resulting from the war through
ordinary and permanent sources of in
come. Thanks to the severely econo-
mic policy projected, the government
will not ask fresh sacrifices of the
country, except such as can be equit-
ably divided among ali classes.
With the ordinary budget will also
be presented schemes to liquidate the
charges created by the loss of posses
sions and colonial campaigns.
The queen regent then referred to
the financial measures, and expressed
confidence that the nation would show
the same resignation during peace as
it showed during the war, adding:
"For the times are critical, and it is
impossible during the present session
to do all that is necessary. But, dur
ing the next session there will be pro-
iects for the reorganization of the army
and navy, based on obligatory service;
for improving the public service, de-
centralizing the provincial and munic-
ipal administration and reforming the
penal code and electoral laws" etc.
The strategic value of this cession
to the German interests in the Pacific
is evident from the fact that the Lad
rones and Palos and even the Caro-
lines are in practically a direct line
between Hawaii and the Philippines,
and will form excellent points of sup.
: ply for Germany. The American
peace commissioners at Paris last De-
cember vainly sought one of the Caro-
line islands on account of its being in
line with Hawaii and the Philippines
) and its adaptability as a station for
the proposed Pacific cable to connect
the Philippines with Hawaii and the
United States. Failing in that, how
ever, the American flag was hoisted
p over Wake island, 1,7OO miles east Of
Guam.
OF No Concern To Us.
The announcement at Madrid thai