The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-01
MEETING OF THE CABINET
Amendment Must Be Swallow
 ed in Its Entiretys
Washington Holds View That Pur- poses of the Platt Act Have Been Nullified by the Num-
 erous Qualifications.

traitor has decided that the acton of the Cuban Constitutional Conven- ton in accepting the terms of the Piatt amendment with notifications and in- terpretations of their own was not "substantiap' compliance with our terms within the meaning of the amendment and Secretary Root will convey this intelligence to the conven- ton. .p
 The decision was reached at the Cabi- net meeting today. The meeting last ed over an hour and a half and had been preceded by an hours conference between the President and Senators Platt of Connecticut and Lodge of Massachusetts. As the author of the amendment. the President desired to learn the views of Senator Platt and also those of Senator Lodge, who is one of the influential members of the Committee on Foreign Relations
 s Secretary Roots Position.
 At the cabinet meeting Secretary Root took the position that the inter pretations of the Platt amendment contained in the constitution adopted by the convention and whereas ap- pended to it, went outside of a fair in- terpretation of it's meaning and was not acceptable. In this view the cahi- net concurred. -
 When asked what would be the next step of the government after the Cuban convention had been notified of the re- lection of it's adoption. one of the members of the cabinet psaid the gov eminent could do nothing further un- til the conditions of the Piatt amend
 nent were on the statute books; com pliance with them must precede our relinauishment of control over the is- land.
 Supreme Courts Decision.
 The Cabinet discussed also the deeis- ion of the Supreme Court in the in sular cases, especially their bearing upon the forthcoming decision of the court in the Philippine cases. It was the general opinion that in some phases the De Lima decision might be appli- cable to the Philippines. but that Tn other ways 1t might be held inapplica- ble.
 No definite conclusion. however, was reached at today's meeting.
 The cabinet was unable to reach any conclusion as to the Philippines tarih situation as affected by the insular de- cision. Attorney General Knox will make a careful examination of the language of the decisions at once and their exact bearing on the tarin be- tween this country and the Philippines.
 Members of the cabinet individually refrain from expressing their personal opinion as to the possibility of an ex- tra session of Congress. The cabinet held that the amendments and inter pretations of the wealth of whepeases biased by the Cuban Constitutional convention upon the Platt amendment amounted to a practical modification of the Platt amendment, such as was beyond the power of this Government to accept.
 Insists on Acceptance.
 The message of rejection sent to General Wood advises the Cubans in unqualified language that there is no power resting iE the United States Government to change the terms of the Platt amendment, and that this Gov, ernment insists on the acceptance of the Platt amendment without amend ment OF qualification. .=-
 The Cuban Convention is still in ses- sion. and the message of rejection will be delivered to it immediately. The administration is confident that the Cubans will understand the exact at- titude of this Government and make a acceptance within a req sonabIe period.
 The three roints in which the action of the Cuban Convention is regarded as unsatisfactory relate, it is said, to coaIing stations, sanitation and inter vention. The Cuban Convention took from the coalfng stations paragraph of the PIatt amendment its obligatory character and merely authorized the Cuban Government. in its judgment. to allow the United States to possess coal ing or naval stations. The United States will insist on an absolute agree ment to- grant us these coaling stations. With respect to sanitation, the Cubans do not agree to carry out plans already devised, and in accepting the Platt amendment modify It's provisions so as to change them considerably. In the matter of intervention. our objection is that the Cubans have so changed this vually important part of the Platt as to make our right to intervene an ambiguous and doubtful matter whereas we insist on a straight. acknowledgement of our right to intervene when.. in our judg-+