744 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 



President said, " attained a successful result, then 

 our aspirations as a Christian, peace-loving people 

 will be realized. If it fails, it will be only another 

 justification of our contemplated action." 



Rupture of Diplomatic Relations. While 

 parties in the United States were at variance, and 

 the Houses of Congress were divided, on the question 

 of recognition of the Cuban republic, all Spanish 

 parties were of one mind in preferring war to yield- 

 ing to the pretensions of the United States to inter- 

 vene in Cuba as embodied in the President's message 

 and in both the sets of resolutions before Congress. 

 A Cabinet crisis was averted by a declaration from 

 the responsible parties in support of the ministry. 

 Don Carlos issued a manifesto in which he said that 

 the Carlist was a traitor who would^rise against 

 Spain in the face of a war with the United States, 

 but that if the Government permitted the loss of 

 Cuba without war the Carlists would be traitors not 

 to respond to the voice of the King. There were 

 riotous demonstrations of Carlists in Madrid and 

 other towns, and an outbreak of Republicans was 

 threatened in Catalonia in case the Government 

 weakened. The Cabinet, however, announced its 

 purpose to take a resolute stand in defense of 

 Spain's inalienable rights of sovereignty and honor. 

 The doctrines laid down in the President's message 

 were declared to be incompatible with the sovereign- 

 ty and rights of the Spanish nation, and to constitute 

 an interference with the internal affairs of Spain. 

 In a note to the powers the Cabinet protested 

 against calumnious charges against Spain in the 

 resolutions of the Senate and House of Representa- 

 tives and the aggressive attitude assumed by the 

 United States. The note contained a complaint 

 against the United States for aiding the Cubans, 

 and repeated the denials of Spanish cruelty. A 

 national fund was raised by subscription for increas- 

 ing the navy. The Cortes were convoked for April 

 20, five days before the appointed time, in order 

 that, in a situation of extraordinary importance, the 

 national will, which has the duty of guiding the 

 powers intrusted with the defense of the honor and 

 integrity of the country, should be enabled to 

 express its wishes. 



The speech from the throne, which the Queen 

 Regent read at the opening of the Cortes, dwelt on 

 the graver complications resulting from the turn 

 that Cuban affairs had taken. These complications 

 were said to have been brought about by a section 

 of the people of the United States who, seeing that 

 the autonomy promised was about to be applied, 

 foresaw that a free manifestation on the part of the 

 Cuban people through its Chambers was destined to 

 frustrate forever the schemes against the Spanish 

 sovereignty formed by those who, with the resources 

 and hopes furnished from the neighboring coasts, 

 delayed the suppression of the insurrection in that 

 unhappy island. " Should the Government of the 

 United States," the Queen was made to say. " yield 

 to this blind current, the threats and insults which 

 hitherto we have been able to regard with indiffer- 

 ence as not being expressions of the feelings of the 

 true American nation would become intolerable 

 provocations which would compel my Government, 

 in defense of the national dignity, to break off 

 relations with the Government of the United States." 

 In anticipation of the critical moment when " neither 

 the sanctity of our right nor the moderation of our 

 conduct nor the express wish of the Cuban people 

 freely manifested " might serve to restrain passions 

 and hatred, and when reason and justice would have 

 for their support only the courage and traditional 

 energy of the Spanish people, the Queen appealed to 

 Parliament to give its supreme sanction to the un- 

 alterable decision of the Government to defend 

 Spanish rights, whatsoever sacrifices might be en- 



tailed. Premier Sagasta called on his followers to 

 unite for the purpose of resisting odious attacks 

 upon the integrity of the kingdom, and declared 

 that Spain would not allow a parcel of her territory 

 to be taken from her with impunity, nor would she 

 be a party to any trafficking in connection with her 

 possessions. 



France and Austria endeavored to bring about 

 one more concerted effort to avert war by the 

 friendly joint mediation of the great powers, but 

 desisted when Great Britain refused to take part 

 in any such negotiations. The Spanish minister at 

 Washington received instructions to leave his post 

 as soon as resolutions of intervention were accepted 

 by the President. On April 20 President MoKin ley 

 signed the joint resolutions of Congress declaring 

 that the people of Cuba are and of right ought to be 

 free and independent; that it is the duty of the 

 United States to demand, and that the Government 

 of the United States does demand, that the Govern- 

 ment of Spain at once relinquish its authority and 

 government in the island of Cuba, and withdraw 

 its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban 

 waters : that the President of the United States be 

 and he hereby is directed and empowered to use the 

 entire land and naval forces of the United States, 

 and to call into the actual service of the United 

 States the militia of the several States to such ex- 

 tent as may be necessary to carry these resolutions 

 into effect ; and that the United States hereby dis- 

 claims any disposition or intention to exercise sov- 

 ereignty, jurisdiction, or control over said island, 

 except for the pacification thereof, and assert > its 

 determination, when that is accomplished, to leave 

 the government and control of the island to its 

 people. The preamble set forth that the abhorrent 

 conditions which have existed for more than three 

 years in the island of Cuba, so near their own bor- 

 ders, have shocked the moral sense of the people of 

 the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian 

 civilization, culminating, as they have, in the de- 

 struction of a United States battle ship, with 266 of 

 its officers and crew, while on a friendly visit in the 

 harbor of Havana, and can not be longer endured. 



As the Spanish Government had announced a 

 purpose to break off diplomatic relations as soon ;i< 

 the resolutions of Congress were accepted by the 

 President, Mr. McKinley did not affix his signature 

 until he had embodied the resolutions in an ultiina- 

 tura, which was cabled to the American minister at 

 Madrid. The contents of the dispatch were offi- 

 cially communicated to the representative of Spain 

 at Washington on the same day, together with no- 

 tice that three days would be given to Spain within 

 which to comply with the demands. Thereupon 

 Minister Polo y Bernabe asked for and received his 

 passports and departed for Canada, committing 

 Spanish interests to the care of the French ambas- 

 sador. The dispatch sent to Gen. Wood ford for 

 communication to the Spanish Government con- 

 tained the text of the resolutions, with the ultima- 

 tum that unless by noon on April 23 a full and -sal i 

 factory response, whereby the ends of peace in Cului 

 should be assured, were received, the President 

 would proceed without further notice to u>e tin- 

 power and authority conferred on him to tin- extent 

 necessary to carry the resolutions into effect. !'" 

 fore he could communicate this message of tin 1 

 President to the Spanish Government Gen. Wo<><l- 

 ford received a note from the Spanish Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs declaring that the sanctioning \>y 

 the President of the congressional resolution which 

 denied the legitimate sovereignty of Spain and 

 threatened armed intervention in Cuba was equiva- 

 lent to a declaration of war, and informing him t hat 

 diplomatic relationsand all official communications 

 between the representatives of the two count 





