On this date in 1898, the Spanish American War was nearing an end. The American peace commission spent the afternoon negotiating the peace treaty with Spain. The discussions focused on the Philippines and had little to do with the conflict in Cuba. This was of special interest to North Dakotans. The First North Dakota Volunteer Infantry had shipped out to the Philippines the previous May. The expectation was that the war would be over in a few quick weeks. It was more than a few weeks, but it