Warren sheaf., 1898-04-14

span1sn sources, the mortality among Z the
lreconcentrados from starvation and, q the the
diseases thereto incident, exceeded 81 per
centum Of their total number: eh +l}nic TO Rraic-
| The overburdened towns, already suHerlng
from the general dearth, could give no aid; e.
| So-called zones Of cultivation, establlshed
within the Immediate area of effective mill
tary control about the cities and fortlned ne
camps, proved illusory as remedy for me
| suffering The unfortunates being for the the
most part women and children with aged
| and helpless men, enfeebled by dlsease ana
| hunger, could not have titled the soil, with
support or for the. supply Of the cities.
Reconcentra tion, adopted avoWedly as
| war measure in order to cut OH tne re-
uredestined result AS said in my mes.
sage of last December, it was not c1v1llzed
| warfare; It was determination. Ihe only
peace it could beget was that of the wilder
ness and the grave.
A Noticeable Change. r..
Meanwhile the military situation in the
island had undergone noticeable change.
I The extraordinary activity that character
lied the second year of the war, when
unharmed 11f @ fields o of Pima Pinar del Rio and car
ried havoc and destitution up to the walls
of the city of Havana itself, had relapsed
eastern Provinces The Spanish arms re-
gained a measure Of control in Pinar del
Rio and parts of Hayana, but under the
vdis Withouf i@medate iD improvement in @ Of ther
productive situation. Even thus par
TALLY restricted the revolutionists held
forward @ by y; Spain as % the essential and sole
basis of peace, seemed as far distant as
at the outset.
Steps Taken for Relief.
In this state of affairs my administration
problem Of it's duty. My message Of last
December reviewed the situation and de-
tailed the steps taken with view, of re-
to some form of honorable settlement. The
assassination Of the prime minister,
Canovas, led to change Of government in
to subjugation without concession gave
place to that Of a more liberal party, COM
mitted long in advance to a policy of re.
home rule for Cuba and Puerto Rico. The
overtures of this government, made
through its new envoy, Gen. Woodford,
amelioraticn of the condition of the is
land, although not accepted to the extent
of admitted mediation in any shape, were
advanced phase would be forthwith Of
fered to Cuba, without waiting for the
war to end, and that more humane meth
duct of hostilities. Incidentally with these
declarations the new government of Spain
continued and completed the policy already
friendly regard for this nation by releasing
American citizens held under one charge
or another connected with the insurrection,
single person entitled in any way to our
national protection remained in Spanish
prison.
An Appeal for Help.
While these negotiations were in prog
ress, the increasing destitution of the UNI
fortunate" "reconcentra dos and the alarming
mortality among them claimed earnest at
tention The success which had attended
limit tod 0f ola @xrfo 1o1 70
the suffering American citizens among
them by the judicious expenditure through
the consular agencies of the money ap-
the joint resolution approved May "a, 1851,
prompted the humane extension of a sim
ilar. scheme of aid to the great body of
On the oath of December last I caused to
be issued an appeal to the American peo-
PIE inviting contrtbutions in money or in
ers in Cuba, following this on the Sth Of
January by q similar public annbuncement
committee, with headquarters in New
Iork city, composed of three members rep
resenting the American National Red Cross
and the religious and business elements OF
the community. The efforts of that COM
mittee have been untiring and accom-
pl1shed much. .Arrangementsfo for free trans
TO worK dd o the
American Red Cross and representatives
OF other. contributory organizations have
generously visited Cuba and -co-operated
with the consul-general and the local al1-
thorities to make effective distribution of
the relief collected through the efforts of
the central committee. Nearly 100000 in
m money and supplies has already reached
Lhe sufferers, and more is forthcoming.
me supplies are admitted duty free, and
transportation, to the interior has been
sarily confined to Havana and the larger
c1tles' IS now extended through most, if not
AZ al, OF the towns where suffering exists.
saved. The necessity for a change in the
condition of the reconcentrados, IS recog-
nl4ea fea q 6!, II me e. Spanish government Within
rev days past the orders of General Wey-
ier have been revoked, the reconcentra-
uos are, it is said, to be permitted to re-
turn to their homes and aided to resume
empfoyment and a: sum of $500, COO has been been
appropriated for their relief
Can See No End.
Inc war IN Cuba is of such a. nature that
snort OF subJugatiOn exterminati ton a
final military victory for either side seems
impra cticable. The alternative lies in the
pnyslcal pnStn exhaustion Of the one or the other
Whlch In effect. ended the ten years. war
by the truce of Zenjon. The prospect of
such protra otion and conclusion of the
present strife is a 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 it's very ex-
iStenCe = - ln''a'7F = : -, =. =
.-. Asked for an Armistice.
Realizing this, it appeared to be my duty.
N q spirit OF true friendliness, no less to
Spain than to- the Cubans who have SO
much to lose by the prolon CATION of the
Struggle, to seek to bring about an imme-
diate termination of the.war. To this end,
I submitted, on the 9th ultimo, as re-
suit of much representation and CORE
spondence, through the United States min
lister at Madrid, propositions to the Span
ish governmen looking to an armistice un-
I'll October l for the negotiation of peace
with the good offices Of the president. 81.
In addition asked the immediate revoca-
ton Of the order of RECOMMENDATION, SO as