The herald., 1898-04-12
M'k|NL[Y'S MESSAGE ON CUBA
IS SENT IN TO THE CONGRESS OF THE
UNITED STATES

| homes and aided to resume the self-sup-
porting pursuits Of peace, public works
having been started to give them employ
ment, and sum of 100000 has been ap.
proprated for their relief
| The war in Cuba Is of such nature that,
| short of subjugation or determination, n
final military victory for the other side
| seems impracticable. The alternative lies
| in the physical exhaustion of the one or the
other party, or perhaps of both--a condi-
| tion which in effect ended the ten-years'
war by the truce Of Sanjon. The prospect,
of such a protraction and conclusion of
the present strife Is contingency hardly
to be contemplated with equanimity by the
| civilized world, and least of all by the
United States. affected and injured as we
are, deeply and intimately by its very ex-
| stence.
Efforts at Intervention
Realizing this, 1t appeared to be my duty,
in spirit of true friendliness, no less to
Spain than to the Cubans, who have so
much to lose by the prolongation of the
struggle, to seek to bring about an imme-
diate termination Of the war. To this end
1 submitted on the 9th ultimo, as result
of much representation and correspon-
dence through the United States Minister
at Madrid, propositions to the Spanish
! government looking to an armistice until
October for the negotiation Of peace with
the good offices of the President
In addition l asked the immediate revo-
cation of the order Of RECOMMENDATION, SO
as to permit the people to return to their
farms and the needy to be relieved with
provisions and supplies from the United
States, cooperating with the Spanish au-
thorities so as to afford full relief.
The reply Of the Spanish Cabinet was re-
ceived on the night of the 31st ultmo. It
offers as the means to bring about peace
in Cuba to confine the preparation thereof
to the insular department, inasmuch as the
concurrence of that body would be neces-
sary to reach final result, it being, how
ever, understood that the powers re-
served by the constitution to the CEN
trail government are not lessened or di-
minished. AS the Cuban Parliament does
not meet until the 4th of May next, the
Spanish government would not object, for
it's part, 10 accept at once a suspension
Of hostilities, If asked for by the insur-
gents from the general in chief, to whom 1t
would pertain in such case to determine
the duration and conditions of the armis-
tice.
These propositions submitted by General
Woodford and the reply of the Spanish gov
ernment were both in the form of brief
memoranda, the texts of which are before
me. and are bstantiaily in the language
above given. The function of the Cuban
parliament in the matter of preparing
peace and the manner Of doing SO are not
expressed in the Spanish memorandum;
but from General Woodford's explanatory
reports Of preliminary discussions preced-
ing the final conference, it is understood
that the Spanish government stands ready
to give the insular Congress full powers
to settle the terms of peace with the in
surgents. whether by direct negotiation
or indirectly by means of legislation does
not appear.
With this last overture in the direction
of immediate peace and it's disappointing
reception by Spain, the Executive was
brought to the end of his effort.
Untried Measures
In my annual message of December last.
I said:
''Of the untried measures there remain
recognition of the insurgents as belliger-
ents, recognition of the independence of
Cuba and Intervention to end the war by
imposing a rational compromise between
the contestants and Intervention in favor
OF one or the other party. I speak not of
forcible annexation, for that cannot be
thought of. That, by our code of morality,
would be criminal suggestion. Thereupon
I reviewed these alternatives In the light
Of President Grants measured words ut
tered In 1875, when, after seven years of
sanguinary, destructive and cruel barbar-
tiles in Cuba, he reached the conclusion
that the recognition of the independence
of Cuba was impracticable and indefensi-
BILE and that the recognition of belligerence
was not warranted by the facts according
to the tests of public law. I commented
especially upon the latter aspect of the
question, pointing out the inconveniences
and positive dangers of recognition of
belligerence which, while adding to the al
ready onerous burdens of neutrality, with
in our own jurisdiction, could not in any
way extend our influence or effective offices
In the territory of hostilities.
Nothing has since occurred to change my
view in this regard and I recognize as full
ly now as then that the issuance of a
proclamation of neutrality by which pro-
cess the so-called recognition of belliger-
ency is published, could of itself, and un-
attended by other action, accomplish
nothing toward the one end for which we
labor, the instant pacification of Cuba
and the cessation Of the misery that al
flicts the island.
turning to the question of recognizing
at this time the independence of the pres
ent insurgent government in Cuba, we
hnd safe precedents in our history from an
early day. They are well summed up in
President Jackson's message to Congress
December 21, 1886, on the subject OF the
recognition of the independence of Texas.
He said: 'In all the contests that have
arisen out Of the revolutions of France.
out OF the disputes relating to the crews
OF Portugal and Spain. out of the separa-
ton of the American possessions both
from the European governments and out
Of the numerous and constantly occurring
struggles for dominion in Spanish Ameri-
ca. so wisely consistent with our lust
principles has been the action of our gov.
ernment that We have under the most
critical circumstances avoided all CEN
sure and encountered no other evil than
that produced by transient estrange-
ment of good will in those against whom
we have been, by force of evidence, COM
PEELED to decide.
Amerioa's Policy
''It has thus been made known TO the
world that the uniform policy and practice
of the United States Is to avoid all inter-
ference in disputes which merely relate to
the internal government Of other nations.
and eventually to recognize the authority
of the prevailing party without referepca