The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-04-15

dent to-day sent the following mes
sage TO the congress of the United
States:
Obedient to that precept Of the constitution
1lcn commands the president TO give from
tine 70 tine the congress Information OF the
state q the union and 70 recommend 70 their
consideration such measures as he shall Judge
necessary and expedient, it becomes my duty
new % address your body with regard to the
80 crisis that has arisen in the relations Of
9ne United States 20 Spain BY reason OF the
ear1ar6 that for more than three years has
raged IN the neighbOring island OF Cuba. I do
50 because OF the Intimate connection Of the
-11an @ question with the state Of orr union
and the grave relation the course which IS now
Incumbent upon the nation TO adopt must needs
pear 20 the traditional policy OF our govern
asns Il Is 70 accord with the preCepts laid down
= re LOuIQ2rS OF the republic and religtOuslT
observed - succeeding administrations TO the
present day The present revOIuvn7 is
~ tRa successor OF other an iRilar
Aa5orrectiOns which have occurred Cuba
against the dominion Of Spain extending over o
period Of nearly half q century, each OF which.
during its progress, has subjected the United
safes TO great effort and expense in enforcing
us neutrality laws. caused enormous losses TO
the American trade and commerce, caused irri-
t1tiou, annoyance and distur bance among our
citizens, and BY the exercise Of cruel barbar-
Gus and uuCiVfltzsd practices Of warfare
shocked the sensibilities and offended the hu-
name sEmpathieS Of our people Since the
present revolution began in February 1895
snlS country has seen the fertile domain at our
t1reshhOld raTaged By FIRE and sword in the
curse OF q struggle Unequaled in the history Of
sae Island and rarely paralleled as to the num-
Der OF the cOmbatauts aud the bitterness OF
the contests by any revolution Of modern times
where dependent people, striving to be free
have been opposed by the power Of the sovereign
state Our people have beheid q once prosperous
community reduced 70 comparative want its
commerce virtually paraiyZsd. its exceptional
urOductiveness diminished. its fields laid waste
It's mills in ruins and its people perishing by
tens Of thousands from hunger and dsstitutiOn-
We have found ourselves constrained. in the
Observance Of that strict neutrality which our
laws enjOin and which the law Of nations com
n1ands, 70 police our own waters and watch our
oWn seapOrts IN prevention Of any unlawful act
II aid Of the Cubans- Our trade has suffered:
the capital invested BY our citizens in Cuba has
been largely lost, and the temper and forbear-
Enoe Of our people have been so soreIy tried as
% oeget pertious unrest among our own citi-
zens, which has inevitably found its expression
from time to time in the national legislature
50 that issues wholly external to our own body
polite engrOss attention aud stand in the way
OF that close devotion to domestic advancement
tAst becomes a self-contsnted commonwealth
whose primal maxim has been the avoidance Of
al foreign entangIements All this must
needs awaken and has indeed aroused the Ut
most concern on the part Of this government as
well during my predecessors as my. own
Efforts 10 Bring About Peace
In April 1895. the evils from which our coun-
U al
o1erous that ny predecessor made Al eEJrt %
bring about peace through the mediation Of
this government in any way that might tend 70
a honorable adjustment OF the contest be-
tween Spain and her revolted colony, on the
basis Of some elective scheme Of sslf-gOvern-
msnt for Cuba under the nag and sovereignty
OF Spain Il failed through the refusal OF the
Spanish government then in power TO cousid-
er any form OF mediation or indeed any plan o.
settlement which did not begin with actual
submission OF the insurgents 70 the mother
country. and then only on such terms as spain
herself might see lit TO grant The war con-
finued unabated- Ths Resistance OF the in
sEEgeuts was il no wise diminished
PolicE OF Devastation
- The Efforts Of Spain were increased both By
the dispatch Of fresh IeTies TO Cuba and by the
addition 20 the horrors Of the strife OF new
ard inhuman phase happily unprecedented in
ehs modern history Of civilized Christian psO-
pleS The policy Of devastation and cOEcentra-
ton. fnaugurased by the captain-Eeneral-s
bands Of Ostober p. 1s5d in the province OF
Pinar del Rio was then extended 70 embrace all
q the island 70 which the power OF the Spanish
arms was able 20 reach BIZ occupation or Mill
tsrT operations The psasantry, including al
dwelling In the open agricultural interior, we're
driven into the garrison towns or isolated
places held b. the troops The raising AMI
movement Of provisions Of all kinds were in
gerdicted- The fields were laid waste. dwell
ings unr0Ofed and fired mills destroyed. and in
short everything that could desOlate the land
and render IL unfit for human habitation or
support was commanded b. one OF the other OF
the contending parties. ana executed by all the
powers a. their disposal
By The tine the present administration took
once, year ngO. reconeentr1tiOn. 50 called,
had been made elective over the better part
OF the four central and western provinces
Santa Clara. Eatanzas, Havana and Pinar del
Rio The agricultural population, to the es-
Eznatsd number OF 500 900 or more, was de-
priTsd o. the means Of support, rendered desti-
tufe Of shelter, left poorly clad and exposed TO
city OF food increased with the devastation OF
the 6epopulated areas OF production. destitu-
1 tier and want became misery and starvation
ETonth by month the death rate increased in
an alarming ratio. b March, 1897. according
70 conservative estimates from Official Span
fsh sources, the mortality emonE the rsc0ncen-
rrados from starvation ana the diseases there
20 incident exceeded 30 Per cent Of their total
number No practical relief was accorded 20
ahs destitute The overburdcned towns. al
ready suffering from the general dearth. could
give no aid So-caIi5G zones OF cultivation
established within the Immediate area OF e.
festive military control about the cities
ana fortified camps proved uluSory as 4 rem
cdy for the suffering. The unfortu-
nstss being for the most part women and chill
fren with AGED and helpless men. enfesbled by
disease and hunger, could not have titled the
sol without tools. Scel or shelter. FOR their
orn support OF Tor the supply O the cities
Rcconcen tratiOH adopted aFowedly as a war
measure in order TO cur OF the resources OF the
said IN my message OF last December It was
roe civilized warfare &c vas determination
ne only peace Il could beget Vas that Of the
wilderness and the grave
Relarscd Intn = D0gEed StrEEgle-
Meanwhile the military situation in the is
l5n6 had undergone O noticeable change Tue
a1traordinary activity that characterized the
second year OF the var 77nen the tnsurgen 8 in
vadea even the hiLhsrt0 unharmsd fields Of
Eins del RIO and carried havoc and destitution
up % ne walls Of the city OF Havana itself
BAD rsIapsed into doEEsd struggle in The cen
-Esi and eastern provinces me Spa1ish arms
rszllned q measure o. control II Pinar
al no and parts o. Havana auE under
tls eListirz conditionr % the rural country.
-fteeas translate improvement q theiF pro
rlre 1ifualion- Even thus partially radis-
-cled tie reTolutlouists had thslr oHn and
ss1nlsslou. put forEard b Spaia - the
zrt-1i nnd sole basis of peace. seemed IS FAR
IS g nc oulset. n this state q lIlirs
ednl1i1tratisa f1uld itssu cc1troztsd
raa SAYS problem . - cay