St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-04-13

public works have been ordered to give
them employment and sum of 100000
has been appropriated.
The war in Cuba Is Of such nature that
short of subjugation or determination
q final military victory for either side
seems impracticable. The alternative lies
in the physical exhaustion of one or the
other party, perhaps both-a condition
which in effect ended the 10 years war
Ivy the truce of Zanjon. The prospect Of
such a protection and conclusion of the
present strife is a contingency hardly
to be contemplated with equanimty by
the civilized world and least Of all by the
United States affected and injured as we
are, deeply and intimately, by its very
existence. Realizing this it appeared
TO be my duty in a spirit of true friendli-
ness, no less to Spain tnan t. Cubans,
who have so much to lose by the prolon-
cation of the struggle, to seek to bring
about an immediate termination of the
war. To this end, l submitted on the
9th of last month"; as result Of
much representation and correspondence
through the United States minister at
Madrid propositions to the Spanish gov
eminent looking to an armistice until
Oct / for the negotiation Of peace with
the good offices of the president.
In addition asked the immediate rev.
ocation Of the order of RECOMMENDATION
so as to permit the people to return TO
their farms and to the needy to be re-
leved with provisions and supplies from
the United States, cooperating with the
Spanish authorities SO Us to afford full
relief.
The reply of the Spanish cabinet was
received on the night of the 3lSt ult
1t offers, as the means to bring about
peace in Cuba, to confide the prepare
ton thereof to the insular parliament,
inasmuch as the concurrence of that
body would be necessary to reach
final result, 1t being, however, under
stood that the powers reserved by the
constitution to the central government
are not lessened or diminished. AS the
Cuban parliament does not meet until the
ath of May next, the Spanish government
would not object, for its part, to accept
at once q suspension of hostilities II
asked for by the insurgents from the
general-in-c to whom it would per-
tain in such case, to determine the dura-
tion and conditions Of the armistice.
The propositions submitted by General
Woodford and reply of the Spanish gov
eminent were both in the form of brief
memoranda, the texts Of which are be-
fore me- and are substantially in the Ian
| ~, nha f,n nf 4 a
Cuban parliament in the matter of pre-
pairing peace and the manner of Its
doing so are not expressed in the Span
ish memorandum; but from General
Woodford's explanatory reports of pre-
liminary discussions preceding the final
conference it is understood that the
| Spanish government stands ready to
give the insular congress full powers to
settle the terms of peace with the insurg-
ents-whether by direct negotiation or
Indirectly by means Of legislation does
not appear With this last overture in
the direction of immediate peace and its
disappointing reception by Spain the ex-
ecutive was brought to the end of his
effort.
In my annual message Of December
last l said: "Of the untried measures
there remain only recognition of the in
surgents as belligerents; recognition OF
the independence of Cuba; neutral in.
tervention.
to end the war by imposing a rationa
compromise between the contestants
and Intervention in favor of one or the
other party. 1 speak not Of forcible an
For bnt hot H.
That by our code of morality would bt
criminal aggression"
Thereupon, l reviewed these alterna
tives, in the light of President Grants
measured words, uttered in 1876, Wher
after seven years Of sangulnary, de
structive and cruel hostilities in Cuba
he reached the conclusion that the rec
ognition OF the independence of Cubs
was impracticable and indefensible
and that the recognition of belligerenc,
was not warranted by the facts, accord
Ing to the tests of public law. l com
mented especially upon the latter aspec
Of the question, pointing out the incon
veniences and positive dangers of rec
ignition of belligerence, which, Will
adding to the already onerous burdens O
neutrality within our own jurisdiction
could not In any way extend our influ
ence or effective offices in the territor
of hostilites. Nothing has since oc
Cured to change my view in this regard
; and l recognize as fully now as the
that the issuance Of proclamation @
neutrality, by which process the Sc
u called recognition Of belligerency is pub
I lished, could, of itself and unattende
by other action, accomplish nothing &c
ward the one end for which we labol
the instant naciflcation of Cuba and tn
: cessation Of the misery that aflicts tn
|. island.
: Turning to the question of recognizin
: at this time the independence of tn
: present insurgent government in Cubs
u we find safe presidents in our histor
l. from an early day. They are we
= summed UP In President Jackson's mes
e sage to congress, Dec. 81, 1885, on tn
}; subject Of the recognition of the ind,