The Washington bee., 1886-11-13
DECREE:
LEGACION DE ESPANA EN-
WASHINGTON.
ROYAL DEGREE.
DECREE

WHEREAS, uuder the proposition
of the minister of the colonies, and
by common consent of the council
OF ministers I, Maria Christina,
Queen Regent of Spain, in the
name of my August son the King
Don Alfonso XIII, do hereby
resolve:
The patronage established by
the law of February 18th 1880
shall cease Immediately after the
publication of this Decree in the
Island of Cuba.
The authorities shall cause the
provisions OF the 4th Section of the
regulation of the 8th of May 1880,
to be scrupulouS'y observed, and
the emancipated slaves to be at
once furnished with the schedule
which the article 83rd of the said
regulation refers to.
The provincial and local Boards.
instituted by the 10th article of the
law OF FEBRUARY 18th 1880. are abol-
ished, and all the provisions con
trary to the present Decree are
null and void.
Issued at the Royal Palace of
Madrid this 7th day of October, in
the year 1886.
(Signed) Maria Christina
By the minister of the Colonies
German Germazo.
| RESOLUTIONS
WHEREAS Maria Cristina, Queen
Regent of Spain, in the name of
her August son the King Don AL
fonso XIII, did on the 7th day of
October, 1886, at the Royal Palace
of Madrid, sign and promulgate a
Decree Emancipating the slaves of
Cuba, and,
WHEREAS, the said Decree has
gone into effect, and is consonant
with the enlightened spirit of the
Nineteenth Century;
THEREFORE, Be it resOlved..That,
we the citizens Of the Capitol City
Of the United States, convened for
the purpose of celebrating the ex-
tinctlon of Slavery in North Amer
lea, extend our cordial thanks to
Senor German Gamago, late minis
ter of the Spanish Colonies, who
framed and presented the law of
February 18th 1880, upon which
the Decree WAS based to the Coun-
Gil OF ministers, and to her ma
jorlty, the Queen, for this distin-
gnished service to freedom and
civilization.
RESOLVED, That we extend our
congratulations to the people of
J Cuba in general and to the ex-slav-
es i'll particular upon this their de-
llverance from the blighting curse
of slavery and wish for the Island
tranquility and prosperity.
RESOLVED, that copy Of these
resolutions and the Grafton of the
historian, Col. Geo. w. Williams,
be sent to his Excellency the Span
ish minister at Washington, to be
forwarded to her majesty the Queen
of Spain.
After which the president, Mr..
w. Calvin Chase, delivered the fol
lowing address. He said: 'La-
dies and gentleman, it has been
but a few years since the republic
OF America deemed it wise to
liberate over four millions of Il ives.
The party to which we have paid
our debt of gratitude for the aid ii
rendered III the emancipation and
enfranchisement of our people was
the party of '6l. But the party as
then existed is not the party of to-
day. The old advocates of univer-
sal freedom have passed away, and
now we live under a new dispen-
sation. Following the example of
America, the queen regent Of
Spain, Maria Christina, issued an
edict which liberated over 100000
Negro slaves on the Island of Cuba,
which wipes out the last vestige of
slavery on the Spanish domain
Believing that an expression of
gratitude should emanate from the
Capitol OF the nation, the Philoma-
than Literary Society, by a resolu.
tion, decided TO hold public meet
ing and have an Grafton pronounc-
ed by one whose ability and expe
rience beft him for the task.
Those of US who have heard our
fathers Say what slavery was can
but join in thanksgiving to God
and appreciate the Spanish govern
ernment for blotting out from its
statute, folly which caused the
United States the loss of many
thousand souls and made many
widows and orphans. The Spanish
representatives in this city cannot
help but appreciate the action of
their government. The freedom
theyenjOy in this land of the free