10 THECUBAREVIEW 



is authorized and directed by this resohition to employ all the forces of the national and all 

 the resources of our Government for making war upon the Imperial German Government, 

 in order to maintain our rights, to protect our territory, to provide for our safety, to prevent 

 any acts which may be committed or attempted in our detriment and to defend the navi- 

 gation of the seas, the freedom of commerce, the rights of neutrals, and international justice. 

 "Article-2. The President of the Republic is hereby authorized to dispose of the land and 

 water forces in such measure as he may deem necessary, utilizing the existing forces, reorganiz- 

 ing them or creating new ones, and to dispose of the economic resources of the nation in such 

 measure as necessity may require." 



The spontaneity and decision of these acts impart to them a very high and patriotic 

 significance. No recommendation of the Government of the United States moved the will 

 of the Government of Cuba or excited the generous passions of her people. None was neces- 

 sary. The horror universally inspired by the haughty and violent attitude in which an 

 imperialistic power, vain of its might, attempted to impose upon the world an intolerable 

 domination, was joined in the Cuban people with the energetic will, the noble ambition to 

 cooperate with all their strength and with all their resources in the sacred defense of the liberty 

 and sovereignty of all peoples against the malignant and menacing military power. 



There was no discrepancy of opinion among any portion of the peoijle nor anj^ opposition 

 to these unanimous determinations. Party discord and animosity ran very high in conse- 

 quence of the seditious movement brought about in February by the leaders of the Liberty 

 Party, and which I had put down with all necessary energy. It might well have been feared 

 that this political situation would be an obstacle to the declaration of war, to the policy of 

 action to be adopted therewith. It did not turn out thus, for public opinion unanimously 

 decided for war and it was unanimously proclaimed in both houses of Congress by the repre- 

 sentatives of the people, and all needed powers and authority to wage war were granted me. 



This declaration was soon vigorously put into practice, within the limits of the possi- 

 bilities of the country, sparsely populated but of great spirit and proverbial wealth derived 

 from its immense production of sugar and tobacco. 



A relatively considerable number of large German steamships were held by the war in 

 Cuban ports. I ordered their immediate seizure as the Governments of all the belligerent 

 nations have done in similar cases, and turned them over to the United States to freely use 

 them in the prosecution of the war. The Red Cross had been established in Cuba years 

 before, but in a very modest way and with very limited resources. Without loss of time 

 steps were taken to reorganize it, and it was very soon reconstituted under the active presi- 

 dency and direction of my wife, Sra. Mariana Seva de Menocal, who succeeded in gathering 

 around her a considerable number of ladies and gentlemen of distinguished social position for 

 that purpose, and measures were taken immediately to raise funds, which now amount to a 

 large sum and which have been applied, and are being applied, strictly in the aid of similar 

 institutions of the nations at war and their gallant soldiers. Conformably with this noble 

 inspiration, a law recently approved by me — to which I gave support both before and after 

 its enactment— provides a fund for aiding the allies, out of which the public treasury had 

 remitted a quarter of a million dollars to different countries. 



Cuban Bond Issue. 



Upon my express recommendation, the Congress authorized an issue of $30,000,000 m 

 bonds for raising necessary funds and new taxes to meet interests and amortization charges of 

 the bonds— taxes which have produced more revenue than all calculations, leaving a large sur- 

 plus. It having been declared by the Government of the United States, in accord with the 

 allied Governments, that sugar was a commodity of prime necessity, the production and con- 

 sumption of which should be regulated, the Government of Cuba lent its cooperation m the 

 control of production and price and to a plan for the exportation and shipment of the entu-e 

 crop, which amounted this year to 3,500,000 tons, the greatest in our industrial history. Food 

 distribution was also subjected to severe regulations in agreement with food authorities of the 

 United States. 



In several messages I recommended to Congress in connection with the declaration of war 

 the implanting of obligatory military service in order that the country might dispose of all the 



