The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-12
The Message
Sondensed.

ttBt VI tnc COuStftutloh ~
requires the president occasionally to
communicate to the state Of
his mind and to indicate the steps 1t is
necessary for to take to get
in line Herewith. 1 deem IL my duty
to call you attention to the fact hat
there is an island called Cuba lying or
our southeastern coast. which has been
island lie the property of a European
nation called Spain. some of whose
methods ] am free to confess / do not
altogether admire. The relations be-
tween Spain and Cuba are not strictly
harmonious. Fol- some years Cuba has
been e~ndeavoring to jar itself loose
from Spain, M the effort has been
painful. incidents. Indeed. the sensi-
bilities Of myself and friends have been
repeatedly shocked by events which /
cannot regard otherwise than as un-
fortunate and re~grettable.
I am informed tina there has been
considerable sickness in Cuba the past
winter. that the market has not al
"dyb ptti stochtu VII all tuc ucliCd
cies Of the season. and that there has
been a noticeable falling off of BAN
quets, collations. reflections and de-
%jeuners. So far from distributing free
seeds and encouraging agricultural
pursuits generally, Spain has convened
h farmers in extraordinary session
in the towns and villages, and the re-
.,,I,. Ia,.1 hoz, lix;.x.l. III
to persons Of refined nerves.; indeed. !
can hardly contemplate them without
recourse to my bottle of smelling salts.
I desire to assure congress that I feel
very bad about it. My spirits have
been quite depressed. 1t has acted as
a wet blanket on my ordinarily cheer
full and sunshiny nature. / do not
break forth so often as | did in ripping
laughter. full of gaiety and glee. and
my friends keep wondering hi has
come over my jaunty. blitbesome. vi
vacious air.
As l have intimated. l do not heartily
endorse Spain's methods in subduing
the island of Cuba. Candidly and posi-
lively / do not like her style. AS !
remarked in my message last Decem-
Der. SPANS conduct does not commend
itself freely and un~reservedly to the
appreciation of myself and civilization.
In fact, on man. accounts il Is to be
regretted. / am very sorry that Spain
has seen fit to act in a manner that
does not merit the approval of my
judgment. l sincerely trust that con-
gress will never do anything like that.
II congress will have the kindness and
good sense to respect my wishes in all
matters. all danger of a clash between
us will be avoided Such a policy I
| earnestly recommend to the careful.
thoughtful and immediate considera-
ton of congress.
am unable to find any signs of a re-
publican form of government in Cuba.
At the present writing it appears to be
strongly democratic, and l therefore
cannot recognize the republic of Cuba.
A little later Mr.. Hanna may go down
there and fix things up right, but for
the present the republican party and
other republican institutions cannot be
said to exist. The notions of the Gu
bans as to the necessity of the gold
standard. the high tariff. the sugar
trust and other conditions essential to
a republican form of government are
lamentably lax and profoundly to be de-
/ plored. The recognition OF any gov
in the island at present might
also involve embarrassing complica-
tions when MIR Hanna gets ready to
annex il. and we will therefore post
pone further consideration of this u b
ject until the circumstances are more
suspicious for a satisfactory adjust
ment.
| desire to cali your attention to the
fact tina one of our battleships, popu-
larly known as the Maine. was blown
up i'm Havana harbor some weeks ago
and hat 25S American s~ailors,I believe,
were so unfortunate as to get killed.
The Circumstance was a great shock to
me and, as ! am informed, to several
other people. I do not regard the death
of these Americans with entire COM
~placency. I cannot altogether repress
a feeling OF INDIGNATION. At times !
have been strongly tempted To get
angry about il. ! do not think that
Spain ought to blow up our battleships
and sailors in time of peace. IL is un-
doubtedly real mean of hey. 1t is not
at all nice and | do not like to have
such things occur.
Spain and / have had some CORE
spondence about one thing and an
other. We kept the typewriters and
telegraph operators pretty busy for
several days. | made a few mild sug-
gestions about an armistice i'm Cuba
and ] regret to say that Spain told me
in substance To mind my own business
As | said before. spain has some ways
about her hat I do not like, but per
haps she did not fully understand whs
| am. Later I hear that at the re-