Mr. Frye to Mr. Adee.
(For the President.)
It seems to me that the most undesirable happening would be our return without a treaty of peace, and yet that is probable in my opinion. If the Spanish Commissioners should accede to our demands as at present outlined they could not return home, while our country it may be would not justify us in tendering any more liberal terms. Spain made a determined fight to secure concessions as to the Cuban debt, while we were persistent in our refusal to yield anything. Our articles were accepted, but provisionally, for if no final agreement is reached they too failed. It seemed to me that we might have agreed to use our good offices with any government hereafter established in Cuba to secure the assumption by it of any indebtedness incurred [in] internal improvements there, and ourselves assume any like indebtedness in the territories finally ceded to us. The amount could not be large. Might we not go further, and agree to pay Spain from $10,000,000 to $20,000,000 if thus a treaty could be secured? If no treaty then war, a continued disturbance of business, an expenditure of a million dollars a day, and further loss of life. Would not our people prefer to pay Spain one-half of war expenditures rather than indulge in its costly luxury? Europe sympathizes with Spain in this regard exactly. The correspondent of the London Times, in his yesterday’s letter, criticised severely our attitude. The precedents for the last century are antagonistic to our position. Of course we will not pay debts incurred in the suppression of colonial rebellions. I do not forget that we demand no money indemnity for cost of war to us. It may be because our enemy is bankrupt. I am sorry the Carolines were not taken by us as they are infinitely more valuable than the Ladrones. If war is resumed I hope orders will be given Dewey to seize at once all of the Philippine Islands, also the Carolines.
You may be sure I should not make these suggestions if I did not regard a treaty of peace of vital importance to our country and the danger of failure to secure it gravely imminent.