The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-16

erasures and interlineations, is all In
Mr.. Fish's own hand. The message
sent to congress and printed as ex doce
No. 80. is verbatim as in that draft,
down to the following paragraph. near
the end:
There Is no defacto 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 opposition to Spanish
rule In the island, nor TO award speedy
justice to other nations. or citizens of
! other nations. when their rights have
been invaded"
Those sentences were written and in
serted by the president: the next two
were written in the cabinet on the
presidents suggestion. aided by the
secretary of state; the last and conclud-
ing three were written and aided in the
cabinet by the secretary of the navy.
Speaker Fish then showed extracts to
demonstrate that the policy of the ad-
ministration on this matter of Cuba ap-
pears to have been adopted by the re-
publican party in the decisive vote in
the house of representatives on the
pending resolution suggesting belliger-
ent recognition, and the state depart
ment was free to pursue its Alabama
negotiations.
Senator Cameron. in the recent mi
nority report OF the senate committee
of foreign affairs, alluded to a rumor of
belligerency proclamation having
been signed by President Grant. The
state department had on request OF
the president, prepared a draft os a pro-
clamation of belligerency. Some time
after the president signed II he went on
journey TO the West and on the way
wrote the following letter;
Kane, Pa, Aug. T. 1S69.-Hon. Ham,
ilton Fish, Secretary of State. My Dear
Sir-On reflection / think II advisable
to complete the neutrality proclamation
which signed before leaving Washing
ton, and to issue 1t IL General Sickles
has not received an entirely satisfac-
tory reply to his proposition to mediate
between Spain and the Cubans. Not
that Spain has not a perfect right to
prosecute as vigorous a war as she
pleases upon her own soil, observing
the rules of civilized warfare but that
the rights of our citizens have been
so wantonly invaded by Spanish troops
or volunteers, such a course would
arouse the sympathies of our citizens
in favor of the Cubans to such a de-
gree as to require all our vigilance to
prevent them from giving material aid.
Except the issuing of the proclama-
tion i do not give this as instruction,
but as something TO think of whether
1t is not sound. II deemed so the policy
of asting upon 1t will be discussed af-
terwards. Yours truly,
"U. S. Grant"
On the 10th Of July. 1870 in a conver-
sation in which Fish had expressed to
the president his desire to retire from
the office, Fish was strongly urged by
the president to remain through his
term. These are the words Of the diary
upon the subject: THE president said,
without referring to other instances, on
two important occasions. at least, your
steadiness and wisdom have kept me
from mistakes into which should have
fallen. On one occasion you led me
against my Judgment; at the time you
almost forced me in the matter OF sign
ing the Cuban message. / now see how
right you were and I desire most sin
cerely to thank you. The measure was
right. and the whole country acquiesced
in it,
He repeated that he wished to thank
me especially for these two occasions.
They were one preventing the issuing,
last August and September, of the pro-
clamation of the Cuban belligerency,
which he had signed. and on which he
wrote me a note instructing me (Which
1 did and to issue; (Which I did noO
and, second, the Cuban message of
June 13"