The Treaty of Paris

Already at the beginning of the war, England and France attempted a mediation among the two contenders when saw that the presumed struggle by the rights of the Spanish colonies to the independence was hiding the American desire of be made with the control of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, in detriment of the European powers. In application of the Doctrine Monroe, "America for the Americans", McKinley rejected the European intervention in the desire of extending the war. How much more it lasted this, more possibilities there would be from beginning the path toward the world hegemony. This time was when Europe began to suspect that America would be for the U.S., also.

The routs of Santiago of Cuba and Cavite and the American disembarkation in Puerto Rico, Cuba and Philippines Islands were making untenable the Spanish position in the war. The liberal Government of Sagasta understood that nothing could be made by reinforcing to the Spanish troops in the colonies without a capable Navy of forcing the American jam. To this there was that to append the possibility of an American assault to the Canary Islands and to the Gibraltar Strait, something that was concerning not only to the Spanish Government, but also to France and England. After defeating the resistance of the army, that wanted to follow combating, Sagasta requested to France that probed the possibility of arriving to an agreement of peace with U.S.. July 18 of 1898, the Spanish State Minister, Duke of Almodovar del Rio, invokes authorization to the French Government so that his ambassador in Washington, Jules Cambon, delivered to the American President a message invoking the suspension of the hostilities. The Spanish Government authorized equally, that Jules Cambon could answer, on behalf of Spain, to the American proposals.

The government Sagasta was accepting, of input, the status that United States wanted to give to Cuba; the U.S. would have to pay the Cuban debt and also was offered the payment of a war compensation as long as this would be reasonable. The note of Cambon, delivered the Day July 26, was answered four days afterwards. McKinley was invoking:

2º. - Negotiation method: Spain had to approve or reject the American proposals without changing them. If it were not accepting, the war would continue with the threat of intervening in Canaries and in Gibraltar Strait.

After a discussion of two hours Cambon only procured the commitment of ceasing the hostilities in the moment in which the Spanish government accepted the American proposal. Also the security was given that U.S. did not want the Philippines Islands but only a station for coal.

The Spanish Government drafted a counterproposal: He was wishing that is clarified more the Philippines Islands issue and was insisting on maintaining Puerto Rico relinquishing as war compensation some island of the Pacific Ocean.

The government McKinley answered August 24 appending to the previous requirements, the immediate military evacuation of Cuba and Puerto Rico. The withdrawal before signing the peace was supposing to lose the military face advantages to a subsequent negotiation. Before the Spanish resistance to accept so draconian conditions, McKinley threatened with extending the war to the peninsular territory of Spain. To avoid the threat, the Spanish government accepted that Cambon signed, August 12, on behalf of Spain, the Protocol of Washington in the one, which was reproduced the American requirements, and were agreed to negotiate in Paris a treaty of peace.

The imperialistic aspirations were made evident when was known the composition of the American delegation. Three of his members, belonging to the Republican Party, they were fervent supporter of the doctrine Mahan and to get colonies. Other, belonging to the Democrat Party, was opposite to such desires. The mediator, the ancient Secretary of State W. R. Day, was to the orders than what decided McKinley that was who was carrying the baton of the negotiation. The Spanish delegation was presided by Eugenio Montero Rios, President of the Senate, and integrated by four members of the Liberal Party in the government.

On October 1 of 1898 is started in Paris the conference of peace among the Spanish and American delegations. The instructions of the American Delegation were the strict fulfillment of the Protocol of Washington and to extend the jurisdiction on the Island of Luzon retaining Manila. The Spanish Delegation had received instructions of reducing the American pretensions and to obtain the greater possible quantity from money by the sale from the Islands of the Pacific Ocean.

In the first meeting the Spanish delegation requested explanations on the future of the Philippines Islands and of the Cuban debt. The Americans refused to process these problems. During several days the negotiations remained in dead point until the President of the American Delegation accepted to process first the future of the Philippines Islands. In this point the American delegation was split. While three members were supporter of the free annexation of all the Philippines Islands, other two were opposed to this. They were invoked instructions to McKinley that sorted that is imposed the Philippines Islands annexation. When the president of the American delegation communicated the intention of getting gratuitously the Philippines Islands, the Spanish delegation protested by understanding that were violated the previous agreement of Washington that only anticipated a station for coal.

The Spanish Government was attempting to obtain the support of the English Government to stop the American pretensions. It was offered a part of the Philippines Islands in exchange for pressing to the American government so that assumed the Cuban debt and the Philippines Islands were not got. However the English Government was not supporter of blocking the American ambitions. November 21 the Americans make the final offer. Spain must abort Cuba, to relinquish Puerto Rico as war compensation, to sell Philippines Islands in exchange for 20 million of dollars and, furthermore to relinquish the island of Guam in the Marianas Islands. The Americans were not taken charge of the colonial obligations that they would have to be paid for Spain. The offer was definitive and his rejection would suppose the end of the negotiations and the beginning of the war. November 28 the Spanish delegation expressed the conformity with the proposal since was not counting on the support of the European powers. December 10 were signed the treaty of peace. Only was remaining the epilogue of the sale of the other islands of the Pacific Ocean to Germany by 25 million of marks that was accomplished in 1899. Spain was returning to his boundaries of 1492