The San Francisco call., 1898-12-06

mand that it at once relinquish its au thority and government in the island o1 Cuba and withdraw its forces therefrom coupling this demand with announce. ments of the intentions of this Govern ment as to the future of the island, IT conformity with the fourth clause of tht resolution and giving Spain until noon o1 April g to reply.
 The demand, although, as above shown officially made known to the, Spanish en- voy here, was not delivered at Madrid After the instructions reached General Woodford, on the morning of April 2l, but before he could present It.. the spanish Minister of State notified him that upon the Presidents approval of the joint reso- lution the Madrid Government. regarding the act as equivalent to an evident dec laration of war;" had ordered its Minister in Washington to withdraw, thereby breaking off diplomatic relations between the two countries and ceasing all official communication. between their respective General Woodford thereupon demanded his passports and quilted Madrid the same day.
 of the United States and initiated that
 complete form of rup-
 War With ture of relations which
 attends a state of war.
 Spain the executive powers
 D.,1 authorized by the reso-
 OecAa1eu' lution were used by me
 to meet the enlarged contingency of actual war between Spain and the United States. On April P l pro- claimed blockade of the northern coast of Cuba, including ports on said coast be- tween Cardenas and Bahia Honda and the port of Cienfuegos on the south coast of Cuba; and on the 2Sd 1 called for yolun- teers to execute the purpose of the reso- lution.
 By my message of April 25 Congress was informed of the situation and I recom- mended formal declaration of the exist ence of state of war between the United States and Spain. The Congress nrflir rrlxy al ny hn hn act approved April 25. 1898, declaring the existence of such war from and includ- ing April q, and enacted the approval of the resolution of April 2l, directing the President to use all the armed force of the nation to carry that act into effect. Due notification of the existence of war as aforesaid was given April p by tele- graph to all the Governments with which the United States maintained relations in order that their neutrality might be as sured during the war. The various Gov ernments responded with proclamations of neutrality, each after Its own methods. It Is among the most gratifying incidents of the struggle that the obligations of neutrality were impartlally discharged by all. often under delicate and difficult cir cumstances.
 In further fulfllment of international duty issued, April 26, proclamation an- nouncing the treatment proposed to be accorded to vessels and their cargoes as to blockade, contraband, the exercise of the right of subjects and the immunity of
 
 enemy's flag. A similar proclamation was made by the Spanish Government Tn the conduct of hostilities the rules of the dec laration of Paris. including abstention from resort to priVateering, have accord ingly been observed by both belligerents, neither was a party to that dec laration.
 Our country. thus, after an interval of half a century of peace with all nations,
 found itself engaged in
 Patriotism deadly conflict with
 foreign enemy Every
 Fired Cne nerve was strained to
 Ma+;on meet the emergency.
 N"'ioH' The response to the ini-
 tial call for 125 900 volun- also the result of the second call of May 5 for 75,000 additional volunteers. The ranks of the regular army were increased to the limits provided by the act of April 23. The enlisted force of the navy on August 15. when it reached it's maximum. A.123 men and apprentices One hundred and three vessels were added to the navy by purchase, one was presented to the Government, one leased and the four vessels of the International Nayt- gation Company. the St Paul. St. Louis. New fork and Paris, were chartered. In addition to this the revenue cutters and lighthouse tenders were turned over to the Navy Department and became tenn pqnr,aarily a part of the auxiliary navy. of the navy during the war, separated in to classes. was as follows:
 Four hnttle-ships of the first class one battle-ship of the second class two ar mored cruisers, six coast defense moni- tors, one armored ram twelve protect ed cruisers, three unprotected cruisers, eleven torpedo boats, fourteen old vessels of the old navv. including monitors. Auxiliary navy = Auxiliary cruisers: converted yachts, twenty seven converted tugs, nineteen converted four revenue cutters, four light house tenders and nineteen miscellaneous vessels
 Much alarm was felt along the entire Atlantic seaboard lest an attack might
 be made by the enemy.
 Protected Every precaution was the Atlantic ble injury to our our great
 saaboard cities lying along the
 "oooio' coast. Temporary gar drawn from the State militia; infantry and light batteries were drawn from the vol unteer force. About 12 .000 troops were thus employed. The coast signal service was for observing the approach of an enemys ships to the coast of the Uni ted States and the lighthouse service CO., operated, which enabled the Navy De- partment to have all portions of the At Iantic coast from Maine to Texas under observation.
 the authority of Congress, and was off, cered and manned by the naval militia of the several States. This organization pa trolled the coast and performed the duty of second arm of defense Under the direction of the chief engi- neer submarine mines were placed at the most exposed points. Before the war mining casemates and cabE galleries had been constructed at all i'm portant harbors. Most of the torpedo was not to be found in the mar ket and had to be specially manufac- tured. Under date of April 19 district off, ,ers were directed to take all preliminary measures, short of actual attaching of the loaded mines to the cable, and on April p telegraphic orders were issued to The aggregate number of mines placed was 1855 at the principal harbors from Maine to California. Preparations were also made for the planting of mines at certain other harbors, but owing to the early destruction of the Spanish fleet these mines were not placed.
 The signal corps was promptly organ