178 



CONGRESS. (PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



cient to say that the outbreak of war, when it 

 did come, found our nation not unprepared to 

 meet the conflict. 



Nor was the apprehension of coming strife con- 

 fined to our own country. Jt was felt by the Con- 

 tinental powers, which on April 0, through their 

 ambassadors and envoys, addressed to the Ex- 

 ecutive an expression of hope that humanity and 

 moderation might mark the course of this Gov- 

 ernment and people, and that further negotiations 

 would lead to an agreement which, while secur- 

 ing the maintenance of peace, would afford all 

 necessary guarantees for the re-establishment of 

 order inVuba. In responding to that representa- 

 tion, I said I shared the hope the envoys had 

 expressed that peace might be preserved in a 

 manner to terminate the chronic condition of dis- 

 turbance in Cuba so injurious and menacing to 

 our interests and tranquillity, as well as shocking 

 to our sentiments of humanity; and, while appre- 

 ciating the humanitarian and disinterested char- 

 acter of the communication they had made on 

 behalf of the powers, I stated the confidence of 

 this Government, for its part, that equal appre- 

 ciation would be shown for its own earnest and 

 unselfish endeavors to fulfill a duty to humanity 

 by ending a situation the indefinite prolongation 

 of which had become insufferable. 



Still animated by the hope of a peaceful solu- 

 tion, and obeying the dictates of duty, no effort 

 was relaxed to bring about a speedy ending of 

 the Cuban struggle. Negotiations to this object 

 continued actively with the Government of Spain, 

 looking to the immediate conclusion of a six 

 months' armistice in Cuba, with a view to effect 

 the recognition of her people's right to independ- 

 ence. Besides this, the instant revocation of the 

 order of reconcentration was asked, so that the 

 sufferers, returning to their homes and aided by 

 united American and Spanish effort, might be 

 put in a way to support themselves, and, by or- 

 derly resumption of the well-nigh destroyed pro- 

 ductive energies of the island, contribute to the 

 restoration of its tranquillity and well-being. 

 Negotiations continued for some little time at 

 Madrid, resulting in offers by the Spanish Gov- 

 ernment which could not but be regarded as in- 

 adequate. It was proposed to confide the prep- 

 aration of peace to the insular Parliament, yet 

 to be convened under the autonomous decrees of 

 November, 1897, but without impairment in any 

 wise of the constitutional powers of the Madrid 

 Government, which, to that end, would grant an 

 armistice, if solicited by the insurgents, for such 

 time as the general in chief might see fit to fix. 

 How and with what scope of discretionary powers 

 the insular Parliament was expected to set about 

 the " preparation " of peace did not appear. If 

 it were to be by negotiation with the insurgents, 

 the issue seemed to rest on the one side with a 

 body chosen by a fraction of the electors in the 

 districts under Spanish control, and on the other 

 with the insurgent population holding the inte- 

 rior country, unrepresented in the so-called Par- 

 liament, and defiant at the suggestion of suing 

 for peace. 



Grieved and disappointed at this barren out- 

 come of my sincere endeavors to reach a prac- 

 ticable solution, I felt it my duty to remit the 

 whole question to the Congress. In the message 

 of April 11, 1898, I announced that with this last 

 overture in the direction of immediate peace in 

 Cuba, and its disappointing reception by Spain, 

 the effort of the Executive was brought to an 

 end. I again reviewed the alternative courses of 

 action which had been proposed, concluding that 

 the only one consonant with international policy 



and compatible with our firm-set historical tradi- 

 tions was intervention as a neutral to stop the 

 war and check the hopeless sacrifice of life, even 

 though that resort involved " hostile constraint 

 upon both the parties to the contest, as w r ell to 

 enforce a truce as to guide the eventual settle- 

 ment." The grounds justifying that step were 

 the interests of humanity; the duty to protect 

 the life and property of our citizens in Cuba; the 

 right to check injury to our commerce and people 

 through the devastation of the island; and, most 

 important, the need of removing at once and for- 

 ever the constant menace and the burdens en- 

 tailed upon our Government by the uncertainties 

 and perils of the situation caused by the unen- 

 durable disturbance in Cuba. I said: 



" The long trial has proved that the object for 

 which Spain has waged the war can not be at- 

 tained. The fire of insurrection may flame or 

 may smolder with varying seasons, but it has 

 not been, and it is plain that it can not be, ex- 

 tinguished by present methods. The only hope 

 of relief and repose from a condition which can 

 no longer be endured is the enforced pacification 

 of Cuba. In the name of humanity, in the name 

 of civilization, in behalf of endangered American 

 interests which give us the right and the duty to 

 speak and to act, the war in Cuba must stop." 



In view of all this, the Congress was asked to 

 authorize and empower the President to take 

 measures to secure a full and final termination of 

 hostilities between Spain and the people of Cuba, 

 and to secure in the island the establishment of 

 a stable government, capable of maintaining order 

 and observing its international obligations, in- 

 suring peace and tranquillity, and the security 

 of its citizens as well as our own, and for the ac- 

 complishment of those ends to use the military 

 and naval forces of the United States as might 

 be necessary, with added authority to continue 

 generous relief to the starving people of Cuba. 



The response of the Congress, after nine days 

 of earnest deliberation, during which the almost 

 unanimous sentiment of your body was developed 

 on every point save as to the expediency of coup- 

 ling the proposed action with a formal recogni- 

 tion of the republic of Cuba as the true and lawful 

 government of that island a proposition which 

 failed of adoption the Congress, after confer- 

 ence, on the 19th of April, by a vote of 42 to 35 

 in the Senate and 311 to 6 in the House of Repre- 

 sentatives, passed the memorable joint resolution 

 declaring 



" First. That the people of the island of Cuba 

 are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- 

 pendent. 



" Second. That it is the duty of the United 

 States to demand, and the Government of the 

 United States does hereby demand, that the Gov- 

 ernment of Spain at once relinquish its authority 

 and government in the island of Cuba and with- 

 draw its land and naval forces from Cuba and 

 Cuban waters. 



"Third. That the President of the United 

 States be, and he hereby is, directed and empow- 

 ered 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 extent as may be neces- 

 sary to carry these resolutions into effect. 



" Fourth. That the United States hereby dis- 

 claims any disposition or intention to exercise 

 sovereignty, jurisdiction, or control over said 

 island except for the pacification thereof, and 

 asserts its determination when that is accom- 

 plished to leave the government and control of 

 the island to its people." 



