The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-08-17
TREATIES OF A CENTURY.
Europe's State System After the
the Napolconic Wars.

the famous Committee of the Eight
Powers-Austria England, France,
Prussia, Russia, Spain, Portugal
and Sweden-met at Vienna under
the presidency of Prince Meter
mich to draw up a treaty which was
to be henceforth the written law of
Europe. The necessity for such
treaty was pressing. The moment
seemed propitious. In the lawless
grasp of Napoleon Bonaparte Eu-
rope had become conglomeration
of states without fixed boundaries or
acknowledged rights to political ex-
istence. The old landmarks had
been swept away, the balance Of
power destroyed, a strong state had
become weak, weak states had be-
come strong. The armies of Rus
sia won in occupation of Poland.
Austrian troops held all of Italy ex-
cept Naples, English and Swedish
troops held Holland and Belgium.
English and Portuguese troops held
a large portion of Spain, the Prus-
sian troops held Saxony. the troops
of Wurtemberg and Baden held the
Rhine provinces. At length the
hand which had wrought all this
confusion was believed to have been
effectually paralyzed. The sooner
the normal state of things could be
restored the better. Such was the
train Of ideas which led up to the
Congress of Vienna.
1t was Poland that formed the first
stumbling block In the way Of con-
cord among the Powers. That un-
fortunate country had been torn into
three fragments in 1872 and divi-
ded between Austria, Germany and
Russia, the latter having the lions
share. Russia was now in martial
possession of the entire country. 1t
was the chivalric dream of the Rus
sian Emperor Alexander /. to repair
the partition and to replace the
Poles in their condition as free
and constitutional kingdom under
Russian suzerainty. But all other
Powers objected to the proposal.
Their combined weight won. Fin
ally a compromise was arrived at.
1t was agreed that a portion Of the
Duchy of Warsaw should be divided
between Austria and Prussia, the
remaining portion (save Cracow,
which was to be free city, receiv-
Ing a constitution, and being united
to the Russian crown as the king
dom of Poland Thus the sanction of
a great European treaty was given
to great European wrong.
Two treaties Of Paris are famous
in American history. The first
made in 1903, ceded the province Of
Louisiana to this country. The Sec
ond, made between Spain and the
United States, after the war of 1898,
ceded to this country all Spanish
possessions in the East and the
West Indies.
The, Spanish and American Com
missioners, five from each country,
met at Paris on October /, 1898.
The American Commissioners were
William r. Day, chairman; Sena-
tor Cushman Davis, Senator William
p Frye, Whitelaw Reid and Sena-
tor George Gray. Spain was repre-
sented by Eugenio Montero Rios.
chairman; Buenaventura d'Arbazu-
"a, Jose de Garnica, Wenceslao Ra-
mirez de villa Urrutia and General
Rafael Cerrero.
The Cuban question was the first
to come up for consideration. The
Spanish Commissioners contended
that since there was no Cuban State
sovereignty over Cuba 1t must pass
to the United States and that the lat
ter was responsible for the Cuban
debt secured on the customs Of the
island. The American Commission
ers refused to accept for their gov
ernment the capacity Of sovereignty
over Cuba, representing that the
war avowedly had not been waged
for territorial aggrandizement, but
for liberation and order. 1t was not
till October 27 that the Spanish
Commissioners accepted the Cuban
articles. The demands Of the United
States in regard to the Philippines
and other islands In the East and
West Indies were presented on Oc-
tober 81. They included the cession
of the entire Philippine archipelago,
as well as Puerto Rico and Guam, the
United States agreeing to reimburse
Spain to the extent of her pacific
expenditures for permanent I'M
provements. To this Spain demurred
on the ground. among others, that
the capitulation Of Manila on the
day subsequent to the signing Of the
protocol of peace was void. She Of
fered to submit the question to arbi-
tration The United States refused
to recede from its position, and on
November 21, announced its final
offer to pay $20,000,000 in a lump
sum as compensation to Spain for
all improvements. The Commis-
sioners further agreed that the
United States would maintain in the
Philippines an open door to all ma
tions. stipulation which carried
with 1t the admittance of Spanish
ships and Spanish merchandise on