The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-12

formation of a central Cuban reliet
committee, with headquarters in New
! York City, composed of the members
! representing the American nationa
Red Cross and the religious and bust
ness elements of the community. The
efforts of that committee have been un-
/ firing and accomplished much Ar
/ rangemerts for free transportation tC
] Cuba have greatly aided the charit-
able work. The president of the Amer
! lean Red Cross and representatives OF
other contributory organizations have
generally visited Cuba and co-operateo
with the consul general and the loca
authorities TO make effective distribu-
ton of the relief collected through the
efforts of the central committee. Nearly
100000 in money and supplies has al
ready reached the sufferers, and more
is forthcoming. The supplies are adj
mitted 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 suffering exists. Thou
sands of lives have already been saved.
The necessity for a change in the con-
dition of the reconcentrados is recog-
nized by the Spanish government.
Within few days past the orders of
General Weyler have been revoked.
the reconcentrados are, ii is said, to be
permitted TO return to their homes and
aided to resume the self-supporting
pursuits of peace; public works having
been started to give employment and a
sum of 100000 has been appropriated
for their relief
The war in Cuba is OF such a nature
that, short of subjugation, or exter-
mination. a final military victory for
either side seems inpracticable. The
alternative lies in the physical eXhaus-
ton of The one or the other party or
perhaps of both, a condition which in
effect ended the ten years war by the
truce Of Zan Jen. The prospect of
such a protection 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 in
jured as we are, deeply and intimate
~ by its very existence.
HIS SO-CALLED 'ULTIMATUM"
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 prolonga-
ton of the struggle, to seek to bring
about an immediate termination of the
war To this end 1 submitted. on the
9th ultimo. as q result of much rep
resentation and correspondence through
the United States minister at Madrid
propositions to the Spanish govern
ment, looking TO an arlnistice until Oct.
l, for the negotiation of peace with the
good offices of the president. In addi-
ton. / asked the immediate revocation
of the order of RECOMMENDATION, so as
70 permit the people to return to their
farms and the needy to be relieved
with provisions and supplies in the
United States, cooperating with the
Spanish authorities, so as to afford full
relief.
The reply of the Spanish cabinet was
received on the night of the 31st ulti-
mo. 1t offers, as the means to bring
about peace in Cuba, TO confide the pre-
paration thereof TO the insular depart
ment inasmuch as the concurrence of
that body would be necessary to estab-
lish a final result. it being, however.
understood that the powers reserved
by the constitution to the central gov
eminent are not lessened or diminished.
AS the Cuban parliament does not meet
until the 4th of May next, the Spanish
government would not object for its
part, to accept at once a suspension of
hostilities If asked for by the insur-
gents from the general in chief, to
whom it would pertain, in such case.
to determine the duration and condi-
tons of the arElistice.
The propositions submitted by Cen
eral Woodford and the reply of the
Spanish government were both in the
form of brief memoranda, the tests OF
which are before mentioned and sub
stantially in the language above given
The function of the Cuban parliament
i'll the matter of preparing" peace and
the manner OF doing so are not ex-
pressed in the Spanish memorandum
but from General Woodfords explana-
tory reports of preliminary discussions