The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-04-15

centum of the total number. No practical
relief was accorded to the destitute. The
overburdened towns, already suffering
from the general -dearth, could give no
aid. So-called zones of cultivation, estab-
lished within the immediate area of effect
i've military control, about the cities and
fortified camps, proved illusory as rem
edy for the suffering. The unfortunates,
being for the most part women and chill
dren, with aged and helpless men, en-
feebled by disease and hunger, could not
have titled the soil without tools, seeds
or shelter, for their own support or for
the supply of the cities.
Recommendation adopted avowedly as a
war measure, to cut off the resources of
the insurgents, worked its predestined re-
suit AS l said in my message of last
December, it was not civilized warfare;
1t was determination, and the only peace
1t could beget was that of the wilderness
and the grave.
Progress of the War.
Meanwhile the military situation in the
island has undergone noticeable change.
The extraordinary activity that charac-
terized the second year of the war, when
the insurgents invaded even the hitherto
unharmed fields of Pinar del Rio and car
ried havoc and destitution up to the walls
of the city Of Havana itself, had relapSed
into a dogged struggle in the central and
eastern provinces. The Spanish army re-
gained measure of control in Pinar del
Rio and parts of Havana, but under the
existing conditions of the rural country,
without immediate improvement of their
productive situation. Even thus partial
ly restricted the revolutionists held their
own, and their submission, put forward
by Spain as the essential and sole basis
of peace, seemed as far distant as at the
outset. In this state of affairs my ad-
ministration found itself confronted with
the grave problem of it's duty. My mes
sage of last December reviewed the sit
uation and detailed the steps taken with
a view of relieving the acuteness and
opening the way to some form of hon
orable settlement.
Sagastn's Vain Promises.
The assassination of the prime minis
ter Canovas, led to a change of govern
ment in Spain. The former administra-
tion, which pledged subjugation without
concession, gave place to that Of a more
liberal party, committed long in advance
to policy of reform involving the wider
principle of home rule for Cuba and Porto
Rico.
The overtures of this government made
through its new envoy, General Wood
ford, and loking to an immediate effective
amelioration of the condition of the
island, although not accepted to the ex-
tent of admitted mediation in any shape.
were met by assurances that home rule
in an advanced phase should be forthwith
offered to Cuba, without waiting for the
war to end and that more humane meth
DDS should thenceforth prevail in the con-
duct of hostilitieS.
Incidentally with these declarations the
new government of Spain continued and
completed the policy already begun by
its predecessor of testifying friendly re-
gard for this nation by releasing Ameri-
can citizens held under one charge or
another connected with the insurrection,
so that, by the end of November, not a
single person entitled in any way to our
national protection remained In a Spanish
prison
The Relief Movement.
While these negotia tions were in progress
the increasing destitution of the unfor-
tunate reconcentrados- and the alarming
mortality among them claimed earnest at
tentfon. The success which had attended
the limited measure of relief extended to
the suffering American citizens among
them by the judieicus@ expenditure.
through the consular agencies, of the
money appropriated expressly for their
succor by the joint resolution approved
May "a, 1897 prompted the humane ex-
tension of similar scheme to that great
body of sufferers. A suggestion to this
end was acquiesced In by the Spanish au-
thorfties On the oath of December I
caused to be issued an appeal to the
American people, inviting contributions in
money or in kind for the succor of the
starving sufferers In Cuba.
Following this, on the Sth of January,
was a similar public announcement of the
formation of a central Cuban relief COM
mittee, which had headquarters in New
York city, composed of members rep
resenting the national Red Cross and the
religious and business elements of the
community. The efforts of that COM
mittee have been untiring and have accom-
plished much. Arrangements for free
transportation to Cuba have greatly aided
the charitable work.
The president of the American Red Cross
and representatives of other contrtbutory
organizations have generally visited Cuba
and co-operated with the consul-general
and the local authorities to make effective
distribution of the relief collected through
the efforts of the central committee. Near
ly $500, 600 in money and supplies has
reached the sufferers and more is forth
coming. The supplies are admitted duty
free and transportation to the interior
has been arranged so that the relief at
first necessarily confined to Havana and
the larger cities is now extended through
fering exists. Thousands Of lives have
already been saved.
The necessity for change in the con-
dttion of the reconcentrados is recognized
by the Spanish government. Within
few days past the orders of General Wey-
ler have been revoked, the reconcentra-
dos are, 1t is said, to be permitted to re-
turn to their homes, and aided to resume
the self-supporting pursuits of peace; pub
lie works have been started to give them
employment, and a sum of $500 900 has been
appropriated for their relief.
spain's Cause Hopeless.
The war in Cuba is of such nature
that, short of subjugation or extermina-
ton, a final military victory for the other
side seems impracticable. The alternative
lies in the physical exhaustion of the one
or the other party, or perhaps both, con-
dition which in effect ended the 10 years
war by the truce, of Zan Jon- The pros
pect of such a protraction and conclu-
sion of the present strife is a contingency
hardly to be contemplated with equa-
nimity by the civilized world. and least of
all by the United States, affected and
objected as we are deeply and Intimately
by its very existence.
An Offer of Mediation.
Realizing this, it appeared to be my
duty, In spirit of true friendliness. no
less to Spain than to the Cubans, who
have so much to lose by the prolongation
of the struggle, to seek to bring about
an immediate termination of the war. To
this end 1 submitted, on the 9th ultimo,
as a result of much representation and
correspondence through the United States
minister at Madrid, propositions to the
Spanish government looking to an armis-
tice until October l, for the negotiation
of peace with the good offices of the
president.
In addition, I asked the immediate revo-
cation of the order of RECOMMENDATION, so
as to permit the people to return to their
farms and the needy to be relieved with
provisions and supplies by the United
States, cooperating with the Spanish
authorities so as to afford full relief.
The reply of the Spanish cabinet was re-