St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-16
GRANT SIGNED IT
THE PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING
CUBAN BELLIGERENCY WAS
ONCE PREPARED,
BUT WAS NEVER ISSUED.
1T WAS SUPPRESSED BY SECRE-
TARY FISH CONTRARY TO
GRANTS ORDERS.
sEcRETARY,s ACT LATER UPHELD
Receives Thanks for Preventing. a
BIunder-Interestin Bits of
Cabinet History.

| ALBANY, N. Y, March 15.-During
the debate on the Cuban question in
! the United States senate many al
lusions were made by both Senator
Sherman and Senator Hill as to the at
titude Of President Grant and the
then secretary of state, Hamilton Fish.
Senator Sehrman declared that there
was a conflict of opinion over Cuban
affairs between the predsident and his
secretary of state. The speaker of the
assembly, Hamilton Fish, son of the
late secretary, is in possession of in
formation upon this subject, contained
in the diaries kept by his father, that
is Of great Importance in the contro-
versy. On the authority of these
diaries, it is shown that President
| Grant had at one time, under the cir
cumstances of pending negotiation at
Madrid, been inclined to recognize the
belligerency of Cuba; but on June 13,
1870, the opinion of the president and
Senator Sherman declared that there
were no facts to justify the declaration
| of belligerency, and that the satisfac-
tiOn of the president with the Cuban
affairs between the president and his
effects upon the country and the Re-
publican party, found expression a few
weeks later in thanks to the secretary
of state for whatever share in it may
| have been due to his wisdom and judg-
ment.
During his eight years service in the
state department Mr.. Fish kept, chiefly
as a reference record for his own eyes,
a diary in his own handwriting con-
tanning minutes Of important trans
actions; of his conversations with the
| president, members Of the cabinet,
senators and other leading public men
in regard to the more prominent of the
foreign questions with which he had
to deal. From May 81 to June 13, 1870,
the date of President Grants special
message to congress on Cuban belliger-
ency, the entries in the diary are many
and very full, in regard to the origin,
/ preparation, discussions in cabinet, and
final completion of the special mes
sage. Some of these entries have a
PECULIAR INTEREST
in the light of recent events. Under
date of Feb. 10, 1870, there is sug-
gestion Of a rift in the unity of the
Republican party in defense of that
policy, respecting foreign affairs, which
| policy the president had announced in
his annual message of the previous
December. The entry is as follows:
Called this morning (by appointment to see
! Senator John Sherman on the subject of the
! unit of coinage. After conversing on that
question, referred to his resolution introduced
in the senate and his speech in favor of recog-
niZlng the belligerency of Cuba, and asked if
| he had recently examined the treaty with
Spain of 1885. He said he had not; was not
/ aware of the existence of such treaty 1 re-
! ferred to its provisions, and to the probable
consequences of the exercise by Spain of the
right OF visit (or of search); thought our people
would not submit to it, and that the conse-
quences would soon develop in war; said that
! hghting was not belligerency; there is fighting
but no belligerency in Cuba; there is no gov
! ernment of the insurrectionary party; no DO
| litical organization, etc. He admitted that he
| had not examined the subject closely but said
| there is a good deal Of excitement in the coun-
try on the subject. Advised him in connection
| with the passage of his resolution of beliger-
ency. to prepare bills for the increase of the
| public debt and to meet the increased appro-
priation which will be necessary for the army
| navy, etc.
An evident solicitude among Re
| publicans, lest the party in the pres
! ence OF the approaching autumn cleo
ton, should be divided on the Cuban
! question by reason Of representations
to the country in regard to the presi-
oSlll IedI dIIlpuu6, is 1nQlcaJe0 on
| June 10 by this entry:
Judge Orth and Gen. Butler called in the
evening to urge the sending of a message by
the president on the question of Cuban bellig-
erency. Orth says the vote will be close.
Banks will make the closing speech; but there
are some twenty or thirty quiet members who
may be divided by his speech, but would not
go against the presidents views.
On June. L there is this entry:
MESSAGE WAS PREPARED.
Stay at home and prepare a message on the
| Cuban beligerency question. to be submitted
for the presidents consideration, in case he
! agreed to send one. He has not yet returned
from his fishing excursion.
OF the discussion in the cabinet on
the 18th, the day on which the special
message was sent to congress, the
diary says:
| 1t was generally admitted that if war is to
be resorted to, 1t should be direct declara-
tlon, and not by embarrassing Spain by
declaration or bel1gerency; agrees unanimous
ly that no condition of facts exists to Justify
belligerency. Finally, the president amends
his sentences by referring in general terms
to seizures on the high seas, embargoes of
property, and personal outrages. Robson adds
the concluding sentences, claiming that the
question of belligerency is distinct from those
questions OF wrong which are being pressed
Tor lndemnification, and, if not satisfied, they
will be made the subject of a future message
And thus 1T is agreed that the message shall
be sent in.
of the message, with it's many inter-
lineations, is all in Mr. Fish's own
hand. The message sent to congress
and printed as EX. Doc SO is verbatim
as i'll that draft down to the following
paragraph near the end:
There is no de facto government in the
island of Cuba sufficient to execute law and
maintain just relations with other nations
Spain has not been able to suppress the oppo-
sition to Spanish rule on the island nor to
award speedy justice to other nations or
citizens of other nations, when their rights
have been invaded.
These two sentences were written and
inserted by the president; the next two
were written in cabinet on the presi-
dents suggestion, and added by the
secretary of state; the last, and con-
Guiding three were written and added
in cabinet by the secretary of the
navy Speaker Fish then showed ex-
tracts to demonstrate that the policy
OF the administration on this matter
OF Cuba appears to have been adopted
by the Republican party in the decisive
vote in the house of representatives on
the pending resolution suggesting bel
Hgerent recognition, and the state de-
partment was free to pursue it's Ala
bama negotiations
Senator Cameron, in the recent mi