The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-31

Washington. Jan. 3O.-The president
today sent to the senate correspondence
on file in the state department bearing
upon the peace treaty, and it was read
in today's executive session. The cor
respondence was sent in response to the
resolution introduced by Senator Hoar,
and includes most of the letters and
cablegrams from the commissioners to
the president and from the president TO
the commissioners. The documents are
numerous, as there were kilograms, let
terS and reports for almost every day
the commissioners We're in Paris. one
of the first cablegIamS from the preSi-
dent instructed them To demand the
cession OF the Luzon island only of the
Philippines, and he told them that fun
sovereignty should come with it. The
reading or the correspondence received
the closest attention from senators.
In submitting the papers Ihe prest-
dent sent a brief message. saying he
transmitted them in accordance with
the resolution. The reading consumed
the entire executive session, lasting
from to $50, except few minutes at
the close. Much of the matter covered
the same ground as that which has
been published.
The principal interest among sena-
tors attached 10 the presidents instrGc-
tiOns TO insist upon the cesSiOn If the
island of LuzOn, and after that in the
decision to take the entire group of
islands. This latter DEVELOPMENT ap-
peared from the correspondence to be
a growth. and the suggestion was made
by the commissioners 10 the president,
as the result of occurrences at paris
after the arrival there of the commits
sioners. IN his dispatch concerning Lu-
zon he said Te was but one alter
native: the J-AJed States must either
take the island ana assume sovereignty
over it. or return it TO Spain, and OF
the two courses he preferred the for
mer.
Spain was from the first unwilling to
cede any of the Philippines, and she
made especial objection TO letting so
OF LuzOn alone. The commissioners,
with the exception OF Senator Gray,
urged that to take LuZon and leave the
other islands OF the archipelago N the
hands Of the SDaniards would be to
invite innunerable complications with
other nations. and especially with EU-
rope and Spain Much stress was laid
upon the probability of future trouble
with Spain. With LuzOn under Amer
lean administration there would soon
be such a vast Improvement, they
wrote, that the other islanders would
soon grow more and more rebellious,
and, with Spain'S oppressive method o.
government. we would soon again find
that we had another Cuba 1T another
door, Furthermore, there would be
constant flibustering, and We should
find ourselves spending millions to pre-
serve a state of neutrality, just as we
did in the case OF Cuba prior to our
declaration OF war on account Of that
island. General Merritt's testimony on
this point was cited. and was made the
reason for much argument in favor of
taking the whole group
LEFT TO COMMISSIONERS.
The president does not appear to have
at any time given explicit instructions
to consummate the bargain Ly taking
all the Philippines, but rather, after
hearing a full explanation. to have left
the matter to the discretion ot the
commissioners.
The entire controversy was practi-
cally over the Philippines and the ques-
tion of assuming responsibility for the
payment OF the Spanish bonds Tor
which the Cuban revenues We're Iiedg-
ed.
The Spaniards from the first insisted
upon an indemnity for the Philippines,
and the correspondence shows that
after the proposition TO pay $2O.0cG,Oe0
was made, the negotiations DrOceeoed
much more smoothly, and were soon
brought to a close
The American commissioners appear
to have been of one mind as to the wis
dom of taking over all the Philippines.
with the exception of Senator Gray,
who, Notwithstanding he signed the
treaty, held out 10 the last against the
policy of acquiring these islands. In
one notable dispatch he pleaded zeal
cuSly against the policy as unoatriotic.
un-American and inconsistent with
probity and good craftsmanship.
After q brief debate the senate re-
fused to print the correspondence.