The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-01-31
PEACE TREATY DOCUMENTS
SENT TO SENATE YESTERDAY BY
 THE RESIDENT.
Read in Executive Session-Luzom the Only Island at First Demanded-Mat- ter of Demanding the Entire Group Appears to Have Been Left to the Peace Conn ssiOners, DiscretiOn
CommissiOners' Discretion.

Washington, Jan. 3O.-The president
 to-day sent to the senate the corre- spondence on file in the state department
 bearing upon the peace treaty and it was read in to-day's executive session.
 The correspondence was sent in re- sponse to the resolution introduced by senator Hoar and includes most of the letters and cablegrams from the com missioners to the president and from the president to the commissioners in the way of instructions in return The documents are numerous as there were telegrams, letters and reports for al most every day the commissioners were in Paris. One of the first cablegrams from the president instructed them to demand the cession of Luzon island only of the Philippines and he told them that full sovereignty should come with it. The reading of the correspond ence received the closest attention from the senators.
 In submitting the papers the presf- dent sent a brief message saying that he transmitted them in accordance with the resolution. The reading con- sumed the entire executive session, last ing from to 5:30, except few minutes at the close The principal interest among the senators attached to the presidents instructions to insist upon the cession of the island of Luzon, and after that the desire to take the entire group of islands. In his dispatch con- cerning Luzon he said there was but one alternative. The United States must either take the island and assume sovereignty or return it to Spain, and of the two courses he preferred the former. Spain was from the first un- willing to cede any of the Philippines and she made especial objection to let ting go of Luzon alone The commis- sioners, with the exception of Senator Gray, urged that to take Luzon and leave the other islands of the archipela- go in the hands of Spaniards would be to invite innumerable complications with other nations, especially with Europe, and with Spain. Much stress was laid upon the probability of future trouble with Spain. With Luzon under American administration there would soon be such vast improvement that the islands would soon grow more and more rebellious, and with Spain's oppressive methods of government we would soon again find that we had knocked at an other door. Further, there would be constant filibustering 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 of the argument in fa- yor of taking the entire group.
 The president does not appear to have at any time given instructions to con- summate the bargain by taking all the Philippines, but rather after a hearing a full explanation to have left the mat ter to the discretion of the commission ers The entire controversy was prac- tically over the Philippines and the question of assuming responsibility for the payment of the Spanish bonds for which the Cuban revenues were pledg- ed. The Spaniards from the first in sisted upon an indemnity for the Phil ippines and the correspondence shows that after the proposition to pay $2o,- 100000 was made the negotiations pro- gressed much more smoothly and were soon brought to a close. The American commissioners appear to have been of one mind as to the wisdom of taking over all the Philippines, with the excep- tion of Senator Gray, who, notwith- standing that he signed the treaty, held out to the last against the policy of &C., uuiring these islands. In one notable i dispatch he vigorously attacked this ] policy. After a brief debate the senate refused to print the correspondence.