The times., 1898-04-12

local authorities TO make eeffctiye distri-
/ button Of the relief collected through the
/ efforts Of the central committee Nearly
/ s2oo,0oo in money and supplies has already
reached the sufferers, and more is forth
/ coming. The supplies are admitted duty
/ free, and transportation to the interior
has been arranged, so that the relief at
! first necessarily confined to Havana and
the larger cities is now extended through
most. if not all, of the towns where suf-
! fering exists. Thousands of lives have al
ready been saved. The necessity for a
/ change ir the condition of the reconcen-
/ trados is recognized by the Spanish gov
4 ernment. Within a few days past the
/ orders OF Gen. Weyler have been revoked.
and The reconcentrados, are, it is said. to
/ be permitted 10 return to their homes,
and aided to resume the self-supporting
/ pursuits of pace; public works have been
! ordered to give them employment, and a
sum of 100000 has been appropriated for
their relief
Military Exhaustion Evident
The war in Cuba is of such nature
that short of subjugation or extermina-
ton a final military victory for either side
/ seems impracticabIe. The alternative lies
/ in the physical exhaustion of one or the
other party, or perhaps of both-a condi-
/ ton which in effect ended the ten years
war by the truce of Zanjon. The prospect
of such protraction 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 its very ex-
istence.
Realizing this. it appeared to be my
duty in a 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
immediate termination of the war. To
this end I submitted, on the 9th ultimo,
as result of much representation and
correspondence, through the United
States minister at Madrid, propositions to
the Spanish government looking TO an ar
mistice until October 1st for the negotia-
ton of peace, with the good offices of the
President.
In addition I asked the immediate revo-
cation of the order of recommendation, so
as to permit the people to return to their
farms and the needy 10 be relieved with
provisions and supplies from the United
States, cooperating with the Spanish au-
thorities so as to afford full relief.
Proposed Armistice.
The reply of the Spanish cabinet was
received on the night of the 31st ultimo
1t offers, as the means to bring about
peace in Cuba, to confide the preparation
thereof to the insular parliament. mas
much as the concurrence of that body
would be necessary to reach final re
suit, it being, however, understood thai
the powers reserved by the Constitution
to the central government are not lessene1
or diminished. As the Cuban parliament
does not meet until the 4th of May next
the Spanish government would not OBJ
ject, for its part, to accept at once {
suspension OF hosdMues if asked for by
the insurgents from the gentraI-in-chief
to whom it would pertain, in such case
TO determine the duration and condition
! Of the armistice.
The propositions submitted by Gen
! Woodford and the reply of the Spanish
government were both in the form o.
brief memoranda, the texts of which are
before me, and are substantially in the
language above given. The function Of
the Cuban parliament in the matter Of
preparing peace and the manner of it:
doing so are not expressed in the Span
ish memorandum, but from Gen. Wood
fords explanatory remarks of prelim,
mary discussions preceding the fina
conference it is understood that The
Spanish government stands ready to give
the insular congress full powers to set
tie the terms of peace with the insur
gents, whether by direct negotiation o.
indirectly by means of legislation doe!
not appear.
Reviews Former Message.
with this last overture in the direction
of immediate peace, and its disappoint-
/ ing reception by Spain, the Executive
was brought . the end of his effort.
In my annual message of December
last said:
''of the untried measures there remain
only: Recognition of the insurgents as
beHigerentsi recognition Of the inde-
pendence Of Cuba; neutral Intervention
10 end the war by imposing rational COM
promiss between the contestants, and in
tervention in favor Of one or the other
party. / speak not of forcible annexa-
ton, for that cannot be thought Of.
That, by our code OF morality, would be
criminal aggression"
Thereupon / reviewed these alterna-
tiyes, in the light of President Grants
measured words, uttered in 1875, when
after seven years Of sanguinary, destruc-
tive and cruel hostnities in Cuba, he
reached the conclusion that the recogni-