Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-04-15
Does Not Believe 1t Wise or
Prudent to Recognize inde- .
pendence Now.
GRANTING AN ARMisTIcE
Spain's Latest Move Submitted
for ~ uist and Deliberate
Consideration"
Maine Disaster an Illustration
Of the Inability to Pro-
serve Order.
WARRINGTON. April l2-Ths presi'
don't sent the following message to tho
oonRress OF tho United States:

WAsK1NoToH, April l2.-The presi'
don't sent the following message to tho
congress Of tho United States:
Obedient to the precepts Of the constitu'
ton which commands the president to
give from time to time to congress the In.
formation Of the state Of the Union, and
to recommend to their consideration such
measures a. he shall judge necessary and
oxpedient, it becomes my duty now to ad-
dress your body with regard to the grave
crisis that has arisen in the relations OF
the United States to Spain by reason OF
the warfare that for more than three years
has ragged in tho neighboring island OF
Cuba. do 80 because Of tho intimate -
lation of the Cuban question with the
state of our own union, and the grave 70
lation the course which it Is now incum.
bent upon the nation to adopt, must
needs bear to the traditional policy OF our
government If it 10 to accord with the pre-"
cepts laid down by the founders OF tho re-
public and religiously observed by sue
ceeding administrations to tho present
day.
Successor Of Other Revolutions.
The present revolution is the successor
Of other similar insurrections which nave
occurred in Cuba against the dominion OF
Spain, extending over period OF nearly
half a century, each of which during Its
progress has subjected the United States
to great effort and expense in enforcing
its neutrality laws, caused enormous
losses to the American trade and com
merce, caused irritation, annoyance ana
disturbance among our citizens, and 10y
the exercise of cruel, barbarous and IN
civilized practices Of warfare shocked the
sensibilities and offended the humane
sympathies Of our people.
Since the present war began IN req
euary, 1896, this country has seen the Ter
tile domain at our Threshold
Ravagsd by Fire aud Sword.
In the course Of a struggle unequalled In
the history Of the island and rarely par
alleled a. to the number Of the combat
ants and the. bitterness of tho contest, BY
any revolution of modern times, where .
dependent people, striving to be free, nave
been opposed by tho power OF the soVer-
eign state. Our people have beheld once
prosperous community reduced to COM
parative want; its commerce virtually
paralyzed; its exceptional productiveness
diminished; it's fields laid waste; its mills
in ruins, and its people perishing by tens
Of Thousands from hunger and destitu-
ton. We have found ourselves con.
strained in the observance OF that strict
neutrality which our laws enjoin, and
which the law of nations command, to
police our own waters and watch our own
seaports, in prevention Of any unlawful
act in aid Of the Cubans. Our trade has
suffered; the capital invested by our citi-
Gems in Cuba has been. largely lost and the
temper and forbearanoe Of our people
have been go sorely tried as to beget
.srilous Unrest Among Our Citissnas
which has inevitably found its expression
from time to time in our national !egls-
lature, 80 that issues wholly external to
our own body polite engross attention
and stand in the way of that close devo-
ton to domestic advancement that be-
comes q self.contented commonwealth,
whose primal maxim has been the avoid
anoe of all foreign entanglementa. All
this must needs awaken and has indeed
aroused the utmost concern on the par5
of this government, as well during my
predecessors administration as my own.