The sun., 1900-07-28
ISLES FOR UNCLE sam.
Spain Agrees to Cede Cibitu and Ca
gayen to Us.
EXCLUDED BY PARIS TREATY
In Drawing boundary of Philippine
Islands to be Transferred to
Us Commissioners Left
These Out.

Washington, July 2T.-Arrangements
purchase from Spain by the United
States of the islands of Cibitu and Ca
gayen, which were left in Spanish pos
session by the treaty of Paris, although
part of the Philippine archipelago.
Had the peace commissioners at Paris
in arranging for the REIMBURSEMENT to
the United States of the Philippines con-
tented themselves with the phraseology
'the Philippine archipelago" as descrip-
tive of the territory to be ceded to the
United States by Spain no question per-
haps would have arisen over the posses
sion of Cibtu and Cagayen islands. But
to avoid the least chance of loose defini-
ton the peace commissioners drew n
geographical boundary line around the
islands to be transferred. The bounds
were fixed by meridans Of longitude and
parallels of latitude.
The lines generally described a paral-
telegram, hut at the southwestern corner,
for some reason, there was an inset eX-
cludng some of the islands off the coast
of Borneo. BY the terms of the treaty
the southern boundary line of the archi-
pclago started ut the eastern end at the
one hundred and twenty-seventh meri-
dian and ran along the parallel of de-
grees 10 minutes westward to the meri-
dian of 10 degrees % minutes. AT that
point the line ran directly northward to
attitude Z degrees 40 minutes and thence
was DETECTED westward to the one hun
dred and sixteenth meridian, forming
the small inset above referred to.
How This Was Discovered.
II "a. ~. -
treaty of Paris before the fact was dis
covered that in laying down these bound.
aries the commissioners had excluded the
Islands of Cibitu and Cagayen. 1t was
disclosed by the visit to that part of
the archipelago of the United States
ship Concord. The commander of the
vessel landed on Cibtu and was cordially
received by the reigning dato, who
promptly hoisted the stars and stripes
and announced himself under the protec-
ton of the United States. Attention
being attracted to that quarter, the Span
ish government soon discovered the defect
| in the boundary line and through the
Duke d'Arcos set up claim to the state
department for the possession of the
| islands.
The department took the ground that
tHe purpOoe OI Ine treaty OF 1arlS In
that section was to convey the entire
Philippine archipelago to the United
States, and the general language of the
act of cession was sufficient to effect that
transfer, the defined boundary being an
unnecessary description. Negotiations
lasting many months followed, and each
and every member OF the peace commits
sion was called upon to give his individu-
al understanding of the proceedings at
Paris so far as they bore upon this point.
Finally it appeared that an exact bound
airy would have to be accepted instead
of one laid down in general terminology,
according to the fundamental principles
of common law. That being the case, il
became necessary, in the interest OF
sound policy and to prevent the existence
of a probable cause of irritation in the
future to buy out Spain's neighborly
rights and continue the two islands ms
part of the Philippine archipelago II is
now announced from Madrid that tho
cabinet, by which is meant the Spanish
cabinet, is favorably considering the pro.
posed transfer, and the negotiations prac
ticnlly may he regarded as closed ON the
basis of cash payment to Spain by tht
United States Of 100000 for the two
| islands