The Monticellonian., 1898-04-15

HAsAINGroN, April 1.-The presi- dent sent the following message to the congress of the United States.
 Tine Message.
 obedient to that preeept of the constitution, Which commands the pres dent te give from tune to time the congress information of the st8te of the Union. and To recommend b their consideration such measures aS h. shall judge necessary and eNBeIIeat, il be one my duty no" to aadress your body with regard to the SfaAe crisis that has arisen in the relations of tHa lnIted States To Sruu by req sua of the warfare thut for more than three years has ragged i'll the lghbOrlng lStdud ol Cuba 1 do so because of the inll- haio connection of the Cuban question with the state aI uur,oWu Uuion and tht grave refatI5ns the course which k HOW incumbent upon the l6tloh tO adopt must neeGs bear To the tradi- t9hdt policy ut our government, if II IS to ac- cord with tug prsecpts had down by the found SIa ot tbc tcIau4ls and rells oualg oh,eryed by succeeding demonstrations t0 the present day 1ai Che Successor of similar Revolutions. he present revolution k but the successor Ot other similar 8HSHFreCfIuu, which have or- tatttd iH cuba against thr dominion of spain tkashalnE over d ptrloI of nearly half d ceu- each pf=Whlch. uHr.ue lts progress has h49Jteltd the United ,atateS To great effort and expense n enforcing zt~ neutraitx laws cuused 'A1i nous losses to American trade uud com Att=4,ez caused irritation. aHu6EaHee and dls- luHpdaee among our eit4zruS and ht the exer- Else of ctlel, barbarauS and uurViizcd prac- tIaa, Gf warfare -Hae!.si fi4s son. ffIai .ri
 V
 Fertile Domain Kataged.
 Since the present revolution began In Feb ruarE i0a1 tHIs country has seen the fertile domain at udr threshold ityaetd bt lire ana H"9Ed II tHe eodfst 6t a struggle HHeHHaled in the history ot The island, and rarely paralIeIed 'ts lo tht humber If the cdmBataHfs and thr bitterness of t8e contest hl any revolution ui !t2gsih tliure Where deBcadcut people striy- lHs To 1e Tree baKe been opposed uy the power oI the sovereign state our people have Behcd a once pEasp=r3ua community reduced tD com (eEat4tt HHht, tts commerce N4rEaalIe paFl- Azed Us exceptional proaactRcHess dIm n- @aeqtts leids itid. .wezte. 5ts aiIIs in rum, From hunger and dcstA 4fiuu.
 8neFous Datte- Ent4iled by Neutrality.
 Ne hJYe found ourselves constrained tl he observance Of that sIrIeI neutrality y,f.Ieh our l48~ eHJatH and wHi. t the law af u.tluus ta3am9uGs- tg poEte nur oY,u Waiors and watch oaf a@u =eatFaFts iu prevention q duy unlawful heA lH ald of lAe Guua4~. euEl trade has suffered. ills eaplAaI Invested by our citizens ia cuba has been largely lest. and the temper and iafbeaFaHee Of uuE people haFr been Sa h4ie4 iF5gd as 10 heEet rerIuuS unrest hiHoHs a r oHH gittzsHss WHle4 H4- iu= tAIidbIy found us expression rom tune tu time in the Hut5ouaI leHIS5a eFe SO that issues wholly external f9 our own B0ly p55ittgpuErDss intention aha stand l4 the Wag. uI that close de- N9l.oa ta d4tu ssse ddNIa' 'sHl HE that becomes tssll-eoAz. 4zsl comm IuReaItH E Huse primal lh3N5Ht aa7 hgca iaE aEo44auee uf all tOE# l-H gutaHEIsmput5. AlI tbs T u~f ured~ awaken tia# A8s #Haee4 aEesse4 tAe utmost concern on las RaHi 4t tHIs government us= RtiI duHu= m4 lEeJate~>0r a. ny uNu admins ration
 Efforts of tine Previous Administration.
 m 8prfI I4sn, the eF.is from which GHf e8uIi- tfs suaers. through The cuban war be anne 50 tHtiH#N taHH ftI} predecessor made an GfpTt to btiug abaui u n tne through thc IujtfE entiou pt tHIs government Iu aaE NBy that might tend to ali huHHrth#" =HafH=iunut or lhs contest bee tween Spain aua her rcy0hcd colony on the basis Of some eEccIlye scueme uI scu-Eov- ernmeAt for Cuua under tue f3g and the refusal 4f tAe spanish soycument then in power tI consider any form of mediation or Indeed, any plan of settlement winch dIa uo5 bee EHt "tt+ the actual SUBMISSION of the lHaut- gents To thG mother country. and then duty OH Eala terms as Spdfu herself HfttHt see 1t to kfaut The war Continued uuapated The re- hIst1nce uI tAe insurgents lu nUWIse dmln- isued.
 spain's Futile and Inhuman Efforts.
 The efforts Of spain were increased, both by thc dispatch of fresh leFlts }u. Cuba and by the Rauttton e che horrors of the strlle of d new Hut grammar phase, happily unprecedented m the me,isrn history ot cNHzed Christian peo- pies. The policy uf devastation and cuutentril- ton 1nauEuEatea by CHnl-liCn. Bando. on Oe- tebsr2i, ts5ds lu tue proYtuee Of Plnar del Rio was thence extended to.em0Faee al of the island to when the power of Span isn arms Was able to reach by occupation or by military operations. The peasautIY Iuclu Iug all dwelling in the open heIIeu eufHfai HhtHftpEs were driven lutn the gar F4suH teHn, or Isolated plle,s held by the troops 1he raising and movement of proyi- k1Ous of all klud, Were mleraIetc1, The nclts mlHS destroyed and lH short. everything that euuld Oe90Idtg the Ian au# ftaacf IL unit for human ha44ldltgh or s4 iputl Was commanucd b. one or tHe uth r CT the cohteuding pafteS and executed hy ali the rowers al ther dis bV~di
 The so-Called Recommendation.
 }E The tlme the present administration took olliee. a year aga, recQuteatrat atoH- So-called- ha- been made eaeetge over Che better pdrt of thr tuuf cDH1tI. aud western ptuKiuee1, santa CIuF5, Mu#aaa-, HaNaHa and P4nar dcI liio. aha alria Illurdi population, tu the estimated numBer0. a0J uU ur more, Wt9 h-r8ed within fitts4F .IH
 prAed ot the means of support. rendered destitute of shelter Ictt poorly cad and exposed to tHe most uusauttarF eaHatatens.
 Destruction, Misery and starvation.
 As the scarcity of food insrea,ed with the de- vas1atIon of the depopuiated areas of produc- Hous destltuuon and Want became misery and Starvation. Month by month the death rate in creased in aafming rato Iy March, ls9t, ae- C0rdIug to e0nst ryatlNe estimates from atieidl Span.Nh sources the mortality among the re- Cuureutfaoeeo rom starvation and the diseases theleto incident eXceeacd 50 per centum Of their total number No practical reHcf corded To the destitute. The overbutdened towns already suffering from the euerul dcarth. could give no aId So-eaIled zones ot cultivation e>tahl shed within the immediate area of effective mi1 any control about tAe cit ies and tortlhe4 camps proved llluslouarF as remedy for the suffering. THc uuf0ftuaateS, being for the most ptre women and children, with agei and htlnc~s men, tnIee9led by dls- ease aH#I hBuRer. could not have ttI4ed the soil, without teuls. seed ur saelter, for their own support or for the supply of the cit
 
 war measure, m order 10 cut of the resources of the insurgents worked it's predes- tined result As l said m my message of last December. it Was not u elNtIlzed M4rfdre; It Was extermlnatiun The OuIg peace it could De4ot was that of the wilderness and the grave.
 DogGed struggle.
 Meanwhile the military situation in the island had undergone d noticeable change The extraordinary activity that characteIlled the secdn year of the var, when the insurgents n Valled even the hitherto unharmed fields of plnar del Rio and carried havoc and destitu- tioa up To the walls of the city Of Havana itself had relapsed into n tioaRcd struggle in tue central and eastern provinces. The spanish arms re- gAiued a measure of control ln Plnar del Rio and parts oI Havana, but under the existing conditions of the rural country, without im- mediate Improvement of their productive sltua- lut5ont-ts held their own and thelr submls- sien put forward by Spain as the essential and sole haSiS of peace. seemed as far distant as at the tsHtact5
 ,tblffcuted with a Grave Problem. |. In tI1s state Of affairs, Thy administration found itself confronted with the grave problem Of fts duty. Ny message uf last December re- viewed the situation and detailed the steps taken with . view of relieving its aeQtenesS and opening the way to some forp of hQpefa- lie settlement Tue assassinatioD of the prime ment in Spaiu The former adminIstration pledged to subJugatIon without concession. gave place to that of more Liberal party committed long iu advance to policy Of reform, involving the ptinelple or nome iule for Cuba and Puerto Rico The oNertures 0f this government made through 'ts new en-