The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-04-16
PRESIDENT 5 MESSAGE
ISSUE is NOW WITH CONGRESS.
The Only Hope for Relief From n
Condition Which Can No Longer
BE Endured Is the Enforced Pac-
ifcatiOn of the Island-Spafn's
Orier of Arbitration.

Washington, April ll.-President Nc
kinley sent his Cuban message to con-
gress today. After reviewing the history
of the war in Cuba the president says;
The war in Cuba is of such a nature.
that, short of subjugation or extermna-
ton, a final military victory for either
side seems impracticable. The alterna-
tive lies in the physical exhaustion of one
or the other party or perhaps both, a con-
dition which, in effect, ended the 10 years
way by the truce of Fan Jon. The pros
pect of such protraction and confusion
of the present strife is a contingency
hardly to be contemplated with equanim-
ity by the civilized world and least of ell
by the United States, affected and injur-
ed as we are, deeply and intimately, by
its very existence.
Asked for Armistice.
Realizing this, it appeared to be my
duty, in a spirit of true friendliness no
less to Spain than to those Cubans who
have so much to lose by the prolonga-
ton of the struggle to seek to bring
about an immediate termination of the
war. To this end / submitted, on the
9th ultimo, a result of much represent
tation and correspondence through the
United States minister at Madrid, PROPOSE
tons to the Spanish government looking
to an armistice until October l for the
ces of the president.
In addition, 1 asked the immediate re-
vocation 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 by the Unit
ed States cooperating with the Spanish
authorities so as TO afford full relief.
The reply of the Spanish cabinet was
received on the 31st ult. 1t offers as the
means to bring about peace in Cuba, to
confide the preparation thereof to the in
sular parliament, inasmuch as the con-
currence of that body would be necessary
to establish final result; it being, hoy
ever, understood that the powers r-erved
by the constitution to the central A-gern-
rnent are not lessened or diminished. AS
the Cuban parliament does not meet I'M
til the fourth of May next the Spanish
government would not object for its part
to accept at once a suspension of hos
tilities If asked for by the insurgents
from the general-n-chief, to whom it
would pertain in such case to determine
the duration and condition of the armis-
tice.
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 preceding the
final conferences it is understood that the
Spanish government stands ready to give
the insular congress full power to settle
the terms of peace with the insurgents
whether by direct negotiations or indi-
rectly by means of legislation does not
appear.
The End of the Effort.
With this last overture in the direction
of immediate peace and its disappointing
reception by Spain, the executive was
brought to the end of his effort.
In my annual message of last Deem
Der / said: "Of the untried measures
there remain recognition of the insur
gents as belligerents, recognition of the
independence of Cuba and Intervention tc
end the war by imposing rational com
promise between the contestants and in
PREVENTION in favor of one or the othel
party. l speak not of forcible anneXa
ton for that can not be thought Of That
by our code of morality would be Grim
inal aggression"
Thereupon, 1 reviewed these alterna
tives in the light of President Grants
message in the words uttered in 1879
when. after seven years of sanguinary
destructive and cruel barbarities in Cuba
he reached the conclusion that the recog
milton of the independence. of Cuba wa:
impracticable and indefensible and tina
the recognition of belligerence was no
warranted by the facts according to the
texts of public law.
L
OF the question, pointing out the incon
veniences and positive dangers of recogni
ton of beligerence which, while adding
to the already onerouS burdens of neu
trality within our own jurisdiction, coul'
not in any way extend our influence OF
effective Office in the territory of hostil
tiles.
Nothing has since occurred to chang,
my view in this regard and recognize
as fuzzy now as then that the issuance
of a proclamation of neutrality, by which
process the so-called recognition of bel
iigerency is published, could, of itself anC
unattended by other action. accomplish
nothing toward the end for which we la
Dor. the instant pacifcation of Cuba anC
the cessation OF the misery that affiict
the island.
Against Recognizing independence
Turning to the question of recognizing
at this time the independence of the pres
ent insurgent movement in Cuba we fine
safe precedents in our history from al
early day. They are well summed up il
President Jacksons message to congress
December q. 1896, on the subject of tn
recognition of the independence of Tex
as. when he said:
..In all the contests that have arisen on
of the revolutions of France, out of dis
putes relating to Portugal and Spain, GU
of the separation of the American pos
sessions of both from the European gov
ernments and out of the numerous AM
constantly occurring struggles for domin
ion in Spanish-American states. so wisel,
consistent with our just principles ha
been the action of our government tina
we have under the most critical circum
stances, avoided all censure and encoun
tered no other evil than that produced b.
a transient re-estrangement of good Wi
in those against whom we have beer
bv force of evidence, compelled to de