oentum ef the total number. No practical
I relief was accorded to the destitute. The
overburdened towns, already suffering
I from the general dearth, could give no
| sld. So-called sones of eultlv^tion, estab­
congress ftrtt power to settle the terms of
peace with the Insurgents, whether by di­
rect negotiation or Indirectly by means of
legislation does not appear.. With this
last overture In the direction of immedi­
ate peace and Its disappointing reception
by Spain, the executive was brought to
the end of his efforts.
• Nor from the standpoint of »vpvAirncs
do I think It would be wise er prudent
for this government to reeogai» al the
present time the Independence of the so-
called Cuban republic. Buch recognition
Is not necessary In order Io enable the
United States to Intervene and poetfy Ike'
island. To commit this country now to
the recognition of any particular govern­
ment in Cuba might subject us to em­
barrassing conditions of Interest obliga­
tion toward ths organisation so recog­
nized. In case of Int^rv^vUon. our con­
duct will be subject to the approval «-
disapproval of such government.
would be required to submit to its dtrec-
tloit and to assume to it the mere rela­
tion of TC-frt. ndly ally.
When It shall
appear hereafter that there ta within
the island a government capable of per­
forming the duties and discharging the
functions of a nation, and having as a
matter of fact, the proper forms and at­
tributes of nationality, such government
can be promptly and readily recognized
and ths relations and Interests of tbe
United States with such nation adjusted.
lished within the Immediate area oif effect­
ive military control; about the cities and
I fortified campa proved Illusory az a rem­
HeeoxadUon Not Warranted.
edy for the suffering. Th» unfortunates.
In my annual message of December last
I being for the most part women and chil­
dren. with aged and helpless men, en- I said:
“Of the «retried measures there remain-
I feebled by disease and hunger, could wot
Recognition of the Insurgents as bellig­
have tilled the soil without tools, seeds
I or shelter, for their own support or for erents, recognition of the independence of
Cuba and Intervention to end "the war by
the supply of the cities.
•
imposing a rational compromise between
Reconcentration adopted avowedly as a
the contestants, or intervention in favor of
war measure, to cut off the resources of
the insurgents, worked Its predestined re­ one or the other party. I speak not of
forcible annexation, for that cannot pe
sult. As I said in my message of last
thought of. That, by our code of mor­
December, it was not civilised warfare;
If was extermination, and the only peace ality, would be criminal aggression."
Thereupon I reviewed these alternatives
It could beget was, that of the wilderness
In Jhe light of President Grant
•nd the grave.
In the word* uttered In 1875,
several years of sanguinary, destructive
Meanwhile the military situation tn the and cruel barbarities in 'Cuba, he reached
Possible Alteraattve.
has undergone a noticeable chi nge.
the conclusion thak the recognition of the
President McKinley Monday gent the island
There remain the alternative forms of
The extraordinary activity that ch! irac-
Independence of Cuba was impracticable Intervention to end the war. eack as an
following message to the congress of terlsed the secOi
. and Indefensible, and that the recognition Impartial neutrality, by imposing a’ ra­
the United htaOs:
unharmed fields of Pinar del Rio and car- | Qf belligerence was not warranted by the tional compromise b.tween the contest­
Obedient to that precept of the consti­ ried havoc and destitution up to the walls facts according to the texts of public law. ants or as the active ally of the one party ,
or the other. As to the first. It Is not to :
tution which commands the president to of the city of Havana I (self, fiad relapsed 1, commented especially upon that phase be
forgotten that
during the last I
Into a dogged struggle In thi central and of the question, pointing out the Incon­
give from time to time the congress In­
few
months
the
attitude
of
the
eastern provinces, The Spanish army re­
veniences,
and
positive
dangers
of
recogni
­
I
nlted
States
has
virtually
been one
formation of the state of the Union and gained a measure of control In Pinar del
of
friendly
intervention
tn'
many
ways,
1
tion
of
belligerence,
which,
while
adding
to recommend to Its consideration such Rio and parts of Havana, but under the
to the already otlbrous burdens of neu­ each not of itself com lusive, but all tend- I
existing conditions of the rural
—— — — • ' country
w u ,1'1 ,
measures as he shall judge necessary and
without Immediate Improvement of their trality without our own Jurisdiction, could Ing to the exertion of a potential inttu-
expedient, it becomes my duty now to productive situation. Even thus partial­ not In any way extend our Influence or ence toward an ultimate pacific result,
just and honorable to all interests con­
address your body with regard to the ly restricted, the revolutionists held their effective offices In the territory of hostili­ cerned. The spirit of all our acts hither­
own, and their submission, put forward
ties.
gravé condition that has arisen In the by Spain as the essential and sole basis
to has been an earnest, unselfish desire
Nothing has since occurred to change -for peace and prosperity In Cuba, untar­
relations of the United States and Spain, of peace, seemed« as far distant as at the
nished
by differences between the United
my view In this regard, and I recognize
In this state of affairs my ad­
by reason of the warfare that fqr more outsçt.
ministration found Itself confronted with as fully now as then that the Issuance of States and Spain and unstained by the
blood of American citizens. The forefbie
than three years has raged In th» neigh- J the grave problem of its duty. My mes­
a proclamation of neutrality, by which
boring island of Cuba. I do so because of sage of last December reviewed the sit­ process the so-called recognition of bellig­ interventlorrmf the United States as a neu­
tral to stop the war according to the
uation and detailed the steps taken with
the Intimate connection of the Cuban
a view of relieving the acuteness apd erency is published, could, of itself and large dictates of humanity and following
the
historical precedents wherein the
unattended by other action, accomplish
question with the state of our Union, and opening the way to some form of hon-
nothing toward the one end for which we United States has Interfered to check the
because of the grave relations which the orable settlement.
labwr, the Instant pacification of Cuba, and hopeless sacrifice of life by internecine
■■«•at»’» Vain Promises.
course which Is Incumbent upon the nation
th^cessation of the misery that afflicts conflicts beyond their borders, is justifi­
The
assassination
of
the
prime
mlnls-
able on national ground«.- It Involves,
to adopt must needs bear to the tra­
I ter, Canovas, led to a change of govern­ the Island,----------
however, hostile constraint upon both par­
ditional policy of our government, if It
ties to the contest, as well as to enforce
ment 4n Spain.
The former administra­
A Precedent Cited.
is to accord with theprecepts laid down
a truce as to end the eventual settle- ,
tion, which pledged subjugation without
Turning to the question of recognizing menu The grounds for such intervention
by the founders of the republic and re­ concession, gave place to that of a more
briefly
rFk-*
— Trilli
M I w " . •__ —1
at this time the Independoaoe ut th« pres­ mav »»«J "St
si. tij fliimwik
-r 11111 rxzxff ’ ft
gOyYT WW
ligiously observed by succeeding adminis­ liberal party, committed long in advance ent insurgent government In Cuba we
First—In the cause of humanity and to
to
a
policy
of
reform
Involving
the
wider
find safe precedents In our history from put an end to the barbarities, bloo.ished.
trations to the present day.
principle of home rule for Cuba and Porto an early day. They are well summed up
starvation and horrible misertea now e»-
Rico.
The Caban Revolatloa.
In President Jackson’s message to con­ ist|ng there and which the parties to the
The overtures of this government made gress December 21. 183«, on the subject of conflict are either unable or unwilling to
The present revolution Is but the sue-
through its new envoy. General Woo<T- the recognition of the Independence of
stop or mitigate. It is ho answer to say
cessor Wother similar Insurrections which ford, and loking to an Immediate effective
Texas. He said:
this is all in another country, belonging
have Occurred In Cuba against the do­ amelioration of the condition of the
“In all the contests that have arisen to another nation, and Is therefore none
minion of Spain, extending over a period Island, although not accepted to the ex­ out of the revolutions of. France, out of of our business. If Is explicitly our duty^
the disputes relating to Portugal and , for 1{ Is right at our dopr.
of nearly half a century, each of which, tent of admitted mediation in any shape,
were met by assurances that home rule
during its progress, has subjected the In an advanced phase should be forthwith Spain, out of the separation of the Amer-' ' Second—We owe It to our eittzens tn
lean possessions of both from thè Eu­ ■ Cuba to afford them that protection and
United States to great effort and expense offered to Cuba, without waiting for the
ropean governments, tfrid out of the nu­
in enforcing Its neutrality laws, caused war to end. and that more humane meth­ merous and constantly recurring strug­ indemnity for life and property which no
government there can or will afford, and
ods
should
thenceforth
prevail
in
the
con
­
enormous loss to American trade and
gles for dominion in Spanish-American to that end terminate the conditions that
duct
of
hostilities.
countries, so
wisely
consistent
with deprive them of legal protection.
commerce, caused Irritation, annoyance
Incidentally with these declarations the
and disturbance among our citizens, and I new government of Spain continued- and Just principles has been theMctlon of our
Third—The right to intervene may be
government
that
we
have
under
the
most
justified by the very s>>Hous injury to the
by the exercise oi cruel, barbarous and I completed, the policy already begun by
critical circumstances avoided all censure commerce, trade and business of our peo-
uncivilized practices of warfare, shpeked Its predecessor of testifying friendly re­ and encountered no other evlt than That
,ple amt try the wanton destruction of Prop­
the sensibilities and offended the humane gard for this nation by releasing Ameri­ produced by a transient estrangement
erty and devastation of the Island.
can citizen« held under one charge or of good will In .those against whom we
sympathies of our people.
•
Fourth—And' which is of foremwt'Im­
another'connected wltTi the Insurrection,
have been,'by force of evidence com­ portance. the condition of affairs tn Cuba
Since the’ present revolution began. In
I so that, by the end of November, not a
February, 1896, this country has seen the single person entitled In any way to our pelled to decide.
is a constant menace to our peace, affit
"It has thus been made known to the entails upon this government enormous ex- ।
fertile domain at our threshold ravaged national protection remained In a Spanish
world that the uniform policy and practice pense.
With such a conflict waged for
by fire and sword in the courfee of a prison.
of the United States la to avoid.all Inter­ Sears In an island so near us and with which 1
The' Relief--Movement.
struggle unequaled in the history of the
ference In disputes which merely relate our people have such trade and business
While these negotiations were In progress to the Internal government ot other na­ relatlons^when the lives and liberty of
island, and rarely paralleled as to the
number of the combajantseand the bitter­ the increasing destitution of. the unfor- tions. and eventually to recognize the-au- oilr citizens are in co: stant danger, their
ness of the contest by any revolution of . túnate reconcentrados and fhe alarming thorfty of the prevailing party without ref- property destroyed *nd themselves named— i
our particular («tercets and
modern times, where a dependent people mortality among them claimed earnest at­ views pr to the merits of the original when our trading vessels are liable to seiz­
striving, to be free have been opposed by tention. The success which had attended controversy. But in Uri«, as , In every ure apd,are seised at our very doorjjy war­
ship« of a foreign natron, the expedtt.o»
the power of the sovereign state. Our the limited measure of relief extended to other occasion, safety Is to be found In a
of-filibustering that ne are powerless to
the suffering American citizens among rigid adherence to these principles.
In
people have beheld a once prosperous
prevent altogether, and the irritating ques­
them
by
the
judicious expenditure,
the
contest
between
Spain
and
the
revolt
­
community reduced to comparative want, thrqugtr the consular agencies, of the ’
ing colonlee we stood aloof and waited tions and entanglemvnts thus arising—sll
its commerce virtually paralysed, its ex­ money appropriated expressly for their
these and others'are a constant menace to
ceptional productiveness diminished, Us I succor by the joint resolution approved not only until the ability of the new states
to protect themselves was fully estab­
fields laid waste, Its mills In ruins and 1 May 24, 1897. prompted the hqmane ex­ lished. but until the chance of their be,ng
its people perishing by tens of thousands tension of a similar scheme to that great 1 again siibjuifnted Aad entirely passed
body of sufferers. A suggestion to this away. Then, and1 not until then, were
from hunger and destitution.
end was acquiesced In by the Spanish
they recognized. Such was our course In
These elements of danger and d eor ler
t
hort ties.
~
‘
-----
- —
the
24th
Damage to Americas Interests.
regard to Mexico herself. It Is true that already pointed out have been strikingly
I caused to be Issued an appeal to the
with regard Io Texas the civil authorities Illustrated by a trag c event which has
We have felt ourselves constrained, .tn
American people. Inviting contributions In
UW^abajrvance of thgt strict neutrality I money _or in kind tor the succor of the Of Mexluu, hiid been expelled. itr'Thvadlng deeply and justly moved the American
army defeated, the chief of the republic people; I have already transmitted to eoo-
of nations command, to police our own
Following this, on the
JaflWty,1
the report of the naval court of tn-
was a similar public announcement of thé
waters and watch our own seaports In
formation of a central Cuban relief com-.
prevention of any unlawful act In aid of
Cuba. Our trade has suffered; the capi­ I mlttee, which had headquarters in New
York city, composed of members rep­
Ity of physical force on the side of Texas.
tal Invested by our citizens In Cuba has
resenting the national Red Cross and the ; The Mexican republic arajn is rallying Its
been largely lost, and the temper and for­
religious and business elements of the
forces under a new leader and menacing
bearance of our people have been so
community.
The efforts of that com­ a fresh Invasion to recover its lost do-
mittee have been untiring and haveaccom- main.
sorely tried as to beget a perilous unrest
,;,i
plished much. Arrangements for free
among our own citizens, which has Inevk
"Upon the Issue of this threatened
transportation
to
Cuba
have
greatly
aided
tably followed its expression from time I the charitable work.
vaslon, the Independence of Texas may
be considered as suspended, and were
to time In the national legislature so that
The president of the American Red’Cross
The naval court of Inquiry, which. It Is
there
nothing peculiar in the relations be­ I
Issues wholly external to our body poll- and representatives of other contributory
tween the United States an<f Texas, our needless to say. commands the unqualified
tic engross attention and stand In the
organizations ^ave generally visited Cuba acknowledgment of Its Independence at confidence of the government, was unan­
and co-operated with the consul-general such a( crisis could scarcely be regarded
of more close-devotion to domestic ad
imous In Its conclusion that the destruc-
and the local authorities to make effective
vancement that becomes a self-contented
as consistent wltff the prudent reserve i tlon of the Maine was caused by an ex­
I distribution of the relief collected through
terior explosion, and also by a submarine
with which we have hitherto held our
commonwealth, whose primal maxim has the efforts of the central committee. Near­
mine. It did not assume to place the re- amt many nenami t W amatara
selves bound to treat all similar ques-
.
been the avoidance of all foreign en­
ly 3200.000 tn money and supplies has ♦ Ions."
law
। sponslblltty. That remains to be fixed. In »peak i mt abamt it «rant tMry
tanglements. All this must needs awaken
reached the sufferers, and more Is forth­
time fw earef^i pensasi
fa a yarn
Thereupon Andrew Jackson proceeded any event, the destruction of the Maine
coming. The supplies are admitted duty
and ha* Indeed aroused the utmost con-
to consider the rlsk-that there might be by whatever exterior < ause. is a patent and way the ebÿKtiaa» wem
m tifa
free, and transportation to the interior
cern on the part of this
Imputed to the United States motives of Impressive proof of a state of things in
has
been
arranged
so
that
the
relief
at
far «roennE» a
well during my predecessor's
selfish Interests In view ef the former Cuba that is Intolerable. That condit on groan. I that it 4i>I om <
dur-
first necessarily confined to Havana and
Ing my own administration.
claim on our part to the territory of Is thus shown to be such that the Spanish revotgnizin* tbe r^ktw <sf the CH|—
the larger cities Is now extendeiTthrough
Texas, and of the avowed purpose of the
government cannot a «ure safety and se-’
A Pre vlnns, Effort to Restore Peace.
moat, if not all, of the towns where suf­
Texans Iff' seeking recognition of Inde-" '
? t ''"’“‘I of ,he American navy
In April, 189«. the evils from which our fering exists. Thousands of Ilves have pendence as an incident to the incorpora­
in the harbor of Havana on a mission of
’already been saved.
'
country suffered through the Cuban war
The necessity for a change In the con- ! tion of Texas in the Union, concluding peace, and rightfully reference in this eon
thus:
became So enormous that my predecessor
nectlon is made to recent diplomatic cor­
dltlon of the reconcentrados Is recognized
"Prudence, therefore, seems to dictate respondence.
made an effort
bring about
by the Spanish government.
Within a
A dispatch from our minister to Spain ;
that
we
should
stand
aloof
and
maintain
through the mediation of the government
few days past the orders of General Weyl
1er have been revoked, the reconcentra­ our present attitude, if not until Mexico of the 2Sth ultimo contained that, the
in any way that might tend to an honor­
Itself or one of the great powers shall Spanish minister for foreign affairs as­
dos are. it is said, to be permitted to re­
able adjustment of the contest between
recognize the Independence of the new
turn to their homes, and aided to resume
sured him positively that Spain will do all
'Spain and her revolting colony on the ba­
the self-supporting pursuits of peace; pub­ government, at least until the lapse of that the highest honor and justice re- I
sis of some effective scheme of self-
lic works have been started to give them time or the course of events shall have
*
government for Cubg, under the flag employment, and a sum of
OuO has been proved beyond cavil or dispute the ability quire in the matter of the Maine
of the people of that country to maintain
appropriated tor their relief.
and sovereignty of Spain.
It failed.
thelf separate sovereignty and to uphold ultimo aleo
contained
through the refusal of the Spanish
the government constituted by them.
ernment then In power to consider
• The war tn Cuba Is of such a nature Neither of the contending parties can the readiness of Spa
tratlon
all
the
differ.
form of mediation or Indeed any ptan
that, short of subjugation or extermina­ justly complain of this course. By pur­ In this matter,
which did not begin with
tion, a Anal military victory for the other suing It we are but carrying out the long- plained by the
the actual submission of the Insurgents side seems Impracticable. The alternative established policy of our government a
on of the 10th Inst
Iles In the physical exhaustion of the one policy which has secured to us respect
to the mother country and then only on
or the other party, or perhaps both, a con­ and Influence abroad and Inspired confi­
such terms as Spain herself might see nt
dence at home."-
dition which In effect ended the 10 years’
to grant.
These are the words of Andrew Jackson
war by the truce of Zan Jon. The pros­
They
are evidence that the United States,
weylees Inhuman Polley.
pect of such a protraction and conclu­
n addition to the test Imposed by pub­
sion of the present strife Is a contingency
The war continued Unabated. The re­
hardly to be contemplated with equa­ lic law as the condition of the recognition
sistance of Insurgents was In no wise
of the Independence of a neutral state
nimity by the civilized world, and least of
diminished. The efforts of Spain were In­
to wit, that the revolted state shall "con-
all by the United States, affêcted' and
stltyte
In Met a body politic, having a
creased, both by the dispatch of fresh objected as we are deeply and Intimately
government In substance as well as In
levies to Cuba and by additions to the
by Its very existence.
J’®’”*- P°.l,l,,’R",‘d of the elements of sta-
(' Ab Ofer of Mediation.
horrors of the strife. The new and In­
bHlty, ' and forming de facto "If left to
huma« phase, happily unprecedented In
Realizing t^s, It appeared to be my Itself a stal<^ among the nations, rea­
the modern history of civilized Christian
duty. In a spirit of true friendliness, no sonably capable of discharging the duties
people, the policy of devastation and con­
less to Spain than to the Culm ns, who of a state, has Imposed for Its own gov-
have so much to lose by the prolongation
,,’alln* with cases like these,
centration, Inaugurated by the captain-
of the struggle, to seek to bring about tne rufther condition that recognition of
general’s ban of October 21, 189«, In the
an
Independent
state Is not due to a re-
an Immediate termination of the war. To
province of Pinar del Rio, was thence
this end d submitted, on the 27th ultimo,' VoHed dependency until the danger of
extended to embrace all of the island to as a result of much representation and Its being again subjugated by the parent
which the power of the Spaniards was
correspondence through the United States state has entirely passed away.” Thia ex­
able to reach by occupation or by mili­
minister at Madrid, propositions to the treme test wu, m fact, applied In the
Spanish government looking to an armis­ cage of Texas.
tary operations.-The peasantry, Includ­
The congress to whom President Jack-
tice until October 1, for the negotiation
ing all dwelling in the open agricultural
of peace with the good offices of the son referred the question as one probably
interior, were driven Into the garrisoned
leading to war. and therefore an appropri­
president.
towns or isolated places held by the Span­
In addition, I asked the immediate revo­ ate subject for a "previous understanding
ish troops. The raising of provisions of
cation of the order of reconcentration, so
as to permit the people to return to their
all kinds was Interdicted.
Fields were
farms and the needy to be relieved with
laid waste, dwellings unroofed and fired,
provisions and supplies by the United
mills destroyed, and. In short, everything
States, co-opegatlng with the Spanish
« a. extract fro.. tetara - in, iT
xecutlve,
that cou.u desoírte the land apd render it
authorities so as to afford full relief.
of dlplo-
Conni Barker. Cuknd Msks atfae-
unfit for human habitation or support
The reply of the Spanish cabinet was re­
•rntatiw at Saatua 4b CM. kw
ceived on the night of the 31st ultimo. It
was commanded by one or the other con­
offers as the means to bring about peace
tending parties and executed by all the
«mi wiH ba parami
powers at .’-their disposal.
t® Presi lent IMfiahj
OREOOM
FOR CUBA LIBRE
President’s Message
the .Çause of Hu-
By the jtlme the present administration
took orpee a year ago, reconcentration—
so called—had been effective over the” bet­
ter part of four central.and western prov­
inces. Santa Clara, Matanzas. Havana
and Pinar del Rio. The agricultural pop­
ulation. to the estimated number of 3U»,-
900 or more, was herded within the towns
and their Immediate vicinity, deprived of
all means of support, rendered destitute
of shelter, left poorly clad and exposed
to the most unsatisfactory conditions.
As the scarcity of food Increased with
the devastation of the depeopled areas of
production, destitution and want became
misery and starvation. Month by month
the death rate increased In alarming ra­
tio. and by March. 1898, according to con-
aervatlve estimates from official Spanish
sources, the mortality among the recon-
esntrados from starvatlow and the dla-
SMM
thereto incident exceeded 80 per
powers reserved by the constitution to the
central government are not lessened or di­
minished. As the Cuban parliament does
not meet until the 4th of May next, the
Spanish government would not object, for
Its part, to accept at once'a suspension
of hostilities if asked for by the Insur­
gents through the general-ln-chlef.
to
whom It would pertalnUn such cases to
determine the duratlonknd conditions of
the armistice.
The propositions submitted by General
Woodford and the reply of the Spanish
government wer
both In the form of
brief memoranda' Wie texts of which are
before mentioned
mer sovereign,
Cats Mot Rightly a State.
»
ln my
of December last:
It Is to be seriously considered whether
the Cuban government possesses beyond
d spute the Sttrlbutes of statehood, which
alone can demand the recognition of bel­
ligerency. In Its favor.”
The same requirement must certalAly
ns hn lose
____ ■ •
.
*