Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1898 — THE PEACE TREATY. [ARTICLE]

THE PEACE TREATY.

BRIEF OUTLINE OF ITS SEVENTEEN ARTICLES. Disposition of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines—Commercial TreatyWill Not Be Effected Until the Peace Agreement la Ratified. Extraordinary precautions were maintained by both the peace commissions to preserve secrecy as to the contents of the treaty. Each commission has two copies, but even the commission attaches were not permitted to peruse the documents. The State Department was advised that the text of the treaty is entirely too long to send by telegraph, so a copy will be mailed or brought to Washington by the American peace commissioners. The department’s advices are that the treaty consists of 600 typewritten pages, probably the longest document of the kind in the world’s history. The correspondent of the Associated Press obtained from a source usually reliable the following outline of the treaty: Article 1 provides for the relinquishment of Cuba. Article 2 provides for the cession of Porto Rico. Article 3 provides for the cession of the Philippines for $20,000,000 as compensation. Article 4 embraces the plans.for the cession of the Philippines, including the return of Spanish prisoners in the hands of the Tagalos. Article 5 deals with the cession of barracks, war materials, arms, stores, buildings and ail property pertaining to the Spanish administration in the Philippines. Article 6 is a renunciation by both nations of their respective claims against each other and the citizens of each other. Article 7 grants to Spanish trade and shipping in the Philippines the same treatment as American trade and shipping for a period of ten years. Article S provides for the release of all prisoners of war held by Spain and of all prisoners held by her for political offenses committed in the colonies acquired by the United States. Article 9 guarantees the legal rights of Spaniards remaining in Cuba. Article 10 establishes the religious freedom of the Philippines and guarantees to all churches equal rights. Article 11 provides for the composition of courts and other tribunals in Porto Rico and Cuba. Article 12 provides for the administration of justice in Porto Rico and Cuba. Article 13 provides for the continuance for five years of Spanish copyrights in the ceded territories, Jiving Spanish books admittance ree of duty. Article 14 provides for the establishment of consulates by Spain in the ceded territories. Article 15 grants to Spanish commerce in Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines the same treatment as to American for ten years, Spanish shipping to be treated as coasting vessels. Article 16 stipulates that the obligations of the United States to Spanish citizens and property in Cuba shall terminate with the withdrawal of the United States authorities from the island. Article 17 provides that the treaty must lie ratified within six months from the date of signing by the respective governments in order to be binding. For some time to come the United States and Spain must get along withouS any treaty to regulate commerce between the two countries. An effort was made at Paris to secure an arrangement with the Spanish commissioners looking to the revival of the old treaties until they could be replaced by others, but this having failed, no negotiations for new commercial treaties will be undertaken before ratification of the peace treaty.