Warren sheaf., 1898-04-14
But Advises Against Recognizing
the Insurgent Government
i" at the Present Time.
Cites Many Illustrious Precedents for
This Recommendation "The
War Must Stop"
Refers to the Battleshfp Maine Ex-
plosion as IL Sign of Spanish
Weakness.


plosion as IL Sign of Spanish
Weakness.
Washington, April 1.-THE president
Monday sent the following message to
the congress of the United States:
Obedient to that precept of the constitu-
ton which commands the president to give
from time ITO time to congress information
of the state of the union, and to recon-
mend to their consideration such measures
as he shall judge necessary and eXped1ent,
it becomes my duty now to address your
body with regard to the grave crisis that
has arisen in the relations of the United
that for more than three years has
ragged in the neighboring island of Cuba.
l do so because Of the intimate connection
of the Cuban question with the state of our
own union and the grave relation the
course which it is now incumbent upon
the nation to adopt must needs bear to
if it is to accord with the precepts laid
down by. the founders of the republic and
relgiously observed by succeeding admin
istrations to the present day.
Uncivilized Warfare.
The present revolution is but the sue
cessor Of other similar instructions which
have occurred in Cuba against the do
minion of Spain, extending over a period
during it's progress has subjected the Unit
ed States to great effort and expense in
enforcing it's neutrality laws, caused enor,
nous losses to the American trade and
commerce, caused irritation, annoyance
and disturbance among our citizens, and
by the exercise of cruel barbarous and
uncivilZed practices of warfare shocked
the sensibilities and offended the humane
sympathies of our people.
Ravaged by Fire and Sword.
Since the present revolution began in
February 1885, this country has seen the
fertile domain at our threshold rava.ged
sfrugge y G Iu unequaied TM in in the history Of the
islands, and rarely paralleled as to the
mum Der of the combatants and the bitterness
of the contest by any revolution of mod
ing to be free, have been opposed by the
power OF the sovereign state. Our peo-
nifty reduced to comparative want, it's COM
productiveness diminis he'd, it's fields laid
waste, its, mills in ruins, and it's people
perishing by tens of thousands from hun
ger and restitution. We have found our
selves constrained, in the observance Of
that strict neutrality which our laws en-
join, and which the law of nations COM
mands, to police our waters and watch our
own seaports in prevention of any unla wful
act in aid of the Cubans. Our trade has
liens in Cuba has been largely lost, and
the temper and forbea rance of our peo-
pie mas been SO soreiy tried as to beget a
perilous unrest among our own citizens,
which, has inevitably found it's express
sion from time to time in the national
legislature, SO that issues wholly external
ana ana stand in the way of that close devo-
ton to domestic advancement that be-
comes comes a self-contented commonwealth
whose primal maxim has been the ayOid-
ance of all foreign entanglements All this
must needs awaken, and has indeed aroused
me utmost concern on the part Of this gov
errment as we'll during my predecessor's
administration as my own.
Efforts for Peace.
In April, 1896, the evils from which orr
country suffered through the Cuban war va
became so onerous that my predecessor
made an effort to bring about a peace
f{hrough IN ug the me- mediation Of this government
able adjustment of the contest between
spain and her .revolted colony, on the
basis of some effective scheme Of self-gov-
erhment for Cuba under the flag and
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 did
not begin with the actual submission of
the insurgents to the mother country, and
then only on such terms as Spain herself
unabated. The resistance Of the insurgents
was IN no wise diminished.
New Horrors Added. il .,,.a-
The efforts of Spain were Increased, both
by the dispatch of fresh levies to Cuba and
by the addition to the horrors Of the strife
R,recedented in the modern history Of civ
ihzed Christian peoples. The policy Of
devaStation and concentration, inaugu-
gated by the captain-generaPs bando o of Oc-
tober q, 1896, in the province of Pinar del
lilo, was thence extended to embrace all Of
the island to which the power of the Span
ish arms was able to reach by occupa tion or
by military operations The peasantry in
Guiding al! dwellings in the open agricul-
tural interior, We're driven into the garrison
towns or isolated phac held by the troops.
The raising and movement of provisions of
al! kinds were interdicted. The fields were
laid waste, dwellings unroofed and fired,
7mills, destroyed and, in short, everything
that could desolate the land and render it
unfit for human habitation or support was
commanded by one or the other Of the con-
tending parties, and executed by all the
powers at their disposal
Conditions a Year Ago.
BY the time the present administration
took office year ago, Observation-Disclosures
called-had been made effective oyer the
better part OF the four central and west
ern provinces, Santa Clara, Ma atanzas, Ha-
vana and Pinar del Rio. The agricultural
population, to the estimated number of
100000 or more, was herded within the
towns and their Immediate vicinage, de-
prived Of the means of support, rendered
destitute Of shelter, left poorly clad and
As the scarcity Of food increased with
the devastation of the depopulated areas
of production, destitut!on. and want be-
came misery and starvation Month by
month the death rate increased in an
alarming ratio. BY March, 1897, according
to conservative estimates from official