New-York tribune., 1909-06-14
CTrR4 AND THE SPANISH DEBT.


The question of Cubas responsibility for
portion Of the Spanish public debt is reported
TO have been raised again, at Madrid or else
where. We should doubt if any well informed
statesman or fnancier regarded seriously any
proposal TO attempt the collection of such debt
from Cuba, or even to charge against that ISL
and either legal moral accountability for it.
If any should do So We should commend 10 him
a thoughtful perusal Of the record OF the nego-
tiations at Paris in the fail Of 1898 which re-
suited in the making of treaty of peace be-
tween Spain and the United States.
At almost the beginning of those negotiations,
October ,, in annex to Protocol 2, the
American commissioners proposed as a part
of the impending treaty the following article:
The government of Spain hereby relinquishes
all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba"
On October Z, in an annex TO Protocol 3, the
Spanish commissioners moved TO amend this
by providing that Spain should noC merely re
linquish sovereignty over Cuba, but should also
transfer it TO the United States" and that
there should also be thus transferred "all
charges and obligations Of every kind
which the Crown of Spain and her authorities
lin the island of Cuba may have contracted
lawfully in the exercise Of the authority hereby
''relinqushed." To this the American com
misSioners. on October H. in an annex to ProtO-
col 4, replied that this appeared to be in sub
stance proposition to transfer to the United
States and In turn, to Cuba mass Of Spanish
charges and obligations They added that if, in
the preliminary negotiations looking to the
ference, Spain had proposed such stipulation,
"the proposal, unless abandoned, would have
terminated the negotiations" They therefore
positively declined TO accept that proposal. The
Spanish commissioners however, continued dis
cussion of the subject, and the American com
mis- in nada laha fc
argument demonstrating the fact that the in
debtedness in question had been incurred by
Spain, on her sole responsibility for her own
benefit, and that in no legal or moral sense was
it chargeable against Cuba.
The Spanish commissioners on October 2G.
in an annex TO Protocol g. amended their pro-
posal by making it apply to only such part of
the Spanish debt as should by an impartial
commission, be "adjudged according to strict
law and undeniable equity" to belong properly
and specifically to Cuba. The next day, in an
annex to Protocol TO- the American commits
sioners refused 10 accept this proposal. Dis
cussiOn was thereafter turned chiefly TO the dis
position OF the Philippines and other matters,
though the debt question occasionally reap
peared. At last, on November %. in reply to an
inquiry by their Spanish coilea CUES. the Amer
ican commissioners, in an annex to Protoco;
16, recalled that they had In the, conferences
repeatedly declared that they would not ac-
"cept any articles that required the United
States TO assume the so-called colonial debts
of Spain" In another annex the Spanish
commissioners the next day begged the Amer
leans to consider proposal 10 submit to an
''arnitral tribunal what are the debts and OBJ
legations of 4 colonial character which should
pass with the Islands To this, on November
=, in~another annex to the same protocol, the