The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-04-23

anu 10 Act, the war In Sups MUST
Stop"
WAsAING Ton, April 1.-THE presi-
dent sent the following message to the
congress of the United States.
The Message.
Cbedient TO that precept of the constitution,
which commands tue president 10 give from
time to time the congress Attenuation OF the
state OF the Onion. and TO recommend 10 their
nsideraiion such measures ", n snail Judge
necessary ana exFedaeut, ~ Toe 'ulnes my duiy
now 10 address YOUR body with regard 10 the
grave crisis that has arisen in the relations OF
the United States 10 spain by rea-
son OF the warfare that for more
than three years has RACED IA the reighborlng
Island OF Cura | do 80 because OF the inu-
mate connection Of the cuban question with the
state oIuursoMn mon, and the grave reatlvns.
the course which Is ROW incumbent upon the
nation 70 adopt must neees bear 10 the trali-
tonal policy OF our government. 4 IL i TO ac-
cord with tine precept- aid down by the found
srs OF the republic aad religloaNly ob>ersei 10y
succeeding administrations TO the present day.
But the Successor of sinilar Revolutions.
The PRESENT revolution l. but the successor
OF other similar Instructions which have oc-
Cured In Cuba against the dominion Of Spain,
exte nding over period OF nearly halI u CEN
fury. each OF which. during lis progress has
subjected the United States TO great effort anu
expense In enforcing its neutrality laws. caused
enormous losses 10 American trade ana COM
merce, caused Irritation. annoyance ana dis
turbance among our citizens. and by the cxer-
else OF cruel. baTharous ana UncIvlllzed prac-
uees OF warfare, shocked the sensbiiities and
offended the humane sympathics OF our people.
Fertile Domain Kavaged.
Since the present revolution began. in Feb
xuary 1875, this country has seen the fertile
domain at oar threshold ravagvd 10y hire anu
sword in the course OF a struggle unequalei IN
the history OF the island, anu rarely paraleled
Is To the number OF the cOfnuAtants anu the
bitterness OF the contest by any revolution OF
modern times where dcpenacut people. stt.y-
hg to be free. have been opposed Dy the power
OF the sovereign state. our people have bchcl9
once prosperous community reduced to COM
parative want. its commerce virtually para
lyzed. It's exceptional prOuuctiyeuc,s dimin-
ished. It's fields laid waste, ~ mill, in ruins,
ana its people perlshing 10y tens of thousands
from hunger and restitution.
Onerous Duties Eniailed by Neutrality.
We have .cund ourselves constrained. In the
obse ryance OF that strict neutrality which our
laws enloin and which the law OF nations
commands, to police our own waters ana watch
our own seapOrts in prevention OF any unlawful
act in aid OF the CuDans our trade has suffered.
the capital invested by our citizens IN Cuba
has been largely lost, and the temper and
forbearance OF our people have been 20
sorely tried as to beKet pcrnOus unrest
among or own citizens. which has in
evitably found its expression from time to
time in the national legislature SO that issues
wholly external 70 our own body polite engross
attention anu stand in the way OF that close de-
votion TO domestic advancement that becomes
aseif-contented commonwealth whose primal
maxim has been the avoidance OF all foreign
?
and has indeed aroused the utmost concern on
the part OF this government as well during my
predecessor = as my own administration.
Efforts OF the Previous Administ ration.
In April. 1885. the evils from which our coun-
try sureres through the Cuban war became so
onerous that my predecessor made an effort TO
bring about peace through the intervention
OF this government in any way that might tend
10 an honorable adjustment OF the contest be-
tween Spain and her revolted colony on the
basis of some effective scheme OF self-goy-
fnE hA auI
sovereignty OF spain. 1t failed through
the refusal OF the Spanish government then in
power to consider any form OF mediation or,
Indeed, any plan OF settlement which uld not be-
GIN with the actual submission OF the insur-
gents to the motuer country. and then only on
such terms Spain herself might see lit 10
grant The war continued unaoatcd. The re-
distance OF the Insurgents in nowise dmn-
ished.
spain's Futile and Inhuman Efforts.
The Efforts OF spain we're increased. both by
she dispatch OF fresh lcvles TO Cuba AID by the
addition 10 the horrors Of the strife OF a new
and inhumAn phase. happily unprecedented In
ihe modern history Of CIVILIZED Christian peO-
pies The pollcy Of devastation ana concentra-
ton. inaugurated by oapt-tsen Bando on Oc-
tober n. 1895, IN the province OF Plnar del Rio
was thence extended TO embrace all Of the
ish arms was able to reach by
occupation by military operations tn.
peasantry, including ali dwelling ia the open
agricultural interior, were driven into The gar
rison towns pr Isolated places held by tue
troops. The raising ana movement Of BROW
sionS of an kinds we're interAlctei The Held,
were laid waste, dwellings unr0ofcd and fired
mills destroyed and. in short. everything that
could dcsulate the lana and render 10 unit for
human habltation or support was commanded
by one or tue other of the cOntending parties
and executed ~ all the powers AZ tneir dis
pOsaL
The So-Called Recommendation.
BY the time The present administration took
once, year ago Recommendation so-callea.
had been made elective over tbs better part Of
the four central anu western provinces. santa
Clara, Matanzas, Havana and Piuar del RIO.
The agricultural population, 10 the a. timated
number OF 5Uu. 20 or more. was herded within
the towns and their Immediate yicinage. de-
prlNed OF the means OF support rendered
destitute OF shelter left poorly cad ana exposed
10 the most unsanltary conditions
Destruction. Misery and starvation.
AS the scarcity Of food Increased vita the de-
VISITATION OF the uepOpu4atcd areas 81 produce
ton, desttutlVn aud want became misery and
starN Month BY month the t.eath rate IN
creased N alarming ratio. By March. 1872. ac-
corCIng to conservative estimates. from oliclal
Spanish sources, the mortality among the re-
Concentrates from starvation and the diseases
thereto Incident exceeded 80 per ccntutu OF tne.r
total number. No PRACTICAL renef was ac-
corded TO the destitute. The ONcrOurdcued
towns. already suffering from the general
dearth, could give no aid. SO-callcu zones OF
cultivation established within the immediate
area Of effective miitafy control about the cit
les and fortified camps proved illUslonary as a
ycfuedy for the suffering '.he unfoft Inmates
being for the most part women and Il. idren
with aged ana helpless men cufte biyd by dis
case anu hunger, could not have tlIlcd the soil
without tools. seed or shelter Tor their own
support or for tie supply " the cit
tes- Recommendation. alop ed avowcdly as
war measure, ln order TO cut on the
resources - the insurgents, worScu It's predes-
tined result AS sad N my message Of last
December, IL was not civilized warfare, il
was determination. The only peace IL could
beset was that Of the wilderness ANA the grave
A Dogled Struggle.
Meanwhile the military situation in the
island had undergone noticeable change. The
extraordinary activity that characterized the
second year OF the war, when the Insurgents in-
vaced even the hitherto unframed nclds OF
pinar del RIO. anu carried havoc aud dcstitu-
ton UP 10 the walls OF the city OF
Havana itself, had relapscd into a
dosRed struggle in the central and
eastern provinces. The spanish arms re-
gained a measure OF control in Pinar del kio
ana parts OF Havana, but, under the existing
conditions OF the rural country, without iul-
mediate improvement Of their productive stua-
ton. Even thus partially restricted. the reyO-
lutlonists held their own, and their submis-
sion, put forward by spain as the essential and
eole basis OF peace. seemed As lar distant as al
the outset
Confronted with a Grave Problem.
In this state Of affairs my administration
found Itself confronted with the grave problem
Of its duty. My message Of last December re-
viewed the situation and detailed the steps
taken with view Of relieving its acuteDess