River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-12-07
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and maintaining a government of their
own. He says that our pledge 10 Cuba to
establish an independent government Is OF
the highest honorable obligation and must
be sacrediy kept 81 the progress being
For the relief of the distressed i'm the
island of Cuh the war department has
through the officers of the army. which
have amounted TO 5.fs3,100 rations. at
cost of $1.417.554.M.
Cuban volunteer army, and in the interest
of public peace and the welfare OF the
people, the sum of SIS was paid to each
Cuban soldier borne upon the authentis
Gated rolls, on condition that he should
deposit his arms with the authorities
thus disbursed aggregated s2,5f7, $50, which
was paid from the. emergency fund pro-
vided by the act OF January 5, 1883. for that
Out Of the Cuban island revenues during
the six months ending June 80, 1899, ST.
7l20l42o was expended for sanitation,
S29s. SSH 10 for charities and hospitals and
ssS,944.oS for aid TO the destitute.
/ believe that substantial progress has
been made in this direction. All the admin
istrative measures dopted In Cuba have
aimed to ut 1t for a regenerated existence
by enforcing the supremacy Of law and
justice; by placing wherever practicable
the machinery Of administration In the
hands of the Inhabitants. by i%nstftuting
needed sanitary reforms: by spreading ed
ucation. by fostering industry and trade;
by intoxicating public morality, and, in
short, by taking every rational step to aid
! tAiE 1uDdH HGBlit u aAAdt % IIdI Ik1nG o
self-conseious respect and self-reiiant
unity which fits an enlightened community
| for self-goyernment within its own
sphere, while enabling It to fulhlI all out
ward obligations.
This nation has assumed before the world
a grave responsibility for the future good
trust the fulflllment of which calls for the
sternest integrity. OF purpose and the ex-
Cuba yet to arise from the ashes of the
past, must needs be bound to us by ties of
| singular intimacy and strength If it's en-
during welfare is to be assured. Whether
those ties shall be organic or conventional,
the destinies Of Cuba are In some rightful
form and manner irrevoeably linked with
our own, but how and how far is for the flu
ture 10 determine In the ripeness of events.
Whatever be the outcome. we must see TO
IL that free Cuba be a reality, not a name.
a perfect entity, not a hasty experiment
bearing within itself the elements of fail
took up the wages of battle, is not to be
fulfilled by turning. adrift any loosely
framed commonwealth to face the vieissi-
tudes which too often attend weaker states
whose natural wealth and abundant re-
sources are Offset by the incengruities Of
their political organization and the re-
curing occasions for internal rivalries to
sap Their strength and dissipate their en-
ergies. The greatest blessing which can
come to Cuba Is the restoration of her agri-
cultural and Industrial prosperity, which
establish the pursuits Of peace. This is her
chief and immediate need.
Census of Cub Being Taken.
On the 18th Of August last an order was
made for the taking of the census in the
island, to be completed on the SOth Of Mo-
vember. BY the treaty OF peace the Span
ish people on the island have until April II.
1900. to elect whether they will remain citi-
zens of Spain or become citizens of Cuba
tained who shall be entitled to participate
in the formation Of the government of
Cuba. By that time the results of the cen
sus viii have been tabulated and we shall
proceed to provide for elections which. will
commit the municipal governments of the
island to the officers elected by the people.
The experience thus acquired will prove of
great value In the formation Of a represen-
tative convention of the people to draft a
constitution and establish a general sys-
tenn of independent government for the is
land. In the meantime, and so long as we
axarcisa control over the ISLAND. the nrod-
ucts of Cuba should have a market in the
United States on as good terms and with
the West India islands un Ter treaties of
reciprocity which shall be made,
been resumed with Spain, and recommends
that legislation that viii permit the carry
ing out of that. part of the reace treaty
which provided for the settlement of claims
of American citizens against Spain by this
government be enacted.
III Peace Congress-.
Our connection with the peace congress
is reviewed at length, and the president
says that the results of the conference
meets the realization Of earnest desires on
the part of many of the American people.
- 49,
the president says:
While earnestly promoting the idea of
t tTibunai. the delegation Of the United
States was not unmindful of the incon-
trusive exercise of mediation, and in sign
ing the convention carefully guarded the
historic position of the United States by
the following declaration:
Nothing contained in this convention
shall be so construed as to require the
United States of America to depart from
sc traditional nOiipV of not iHfFIdinR npOD-
interfering with, or entangling itself in
the political questions or policy or inter-
nor shall anything contained in the said
convention be construed to imply a re-
America of it's traditional attitude toward
purely American questions"
Thus interpretedsh convention for the
pacific settlement of International conflicts
may be regarded as realizing the earnest
desire Of great numbers of America Cit
izens whose deep sense of justice, ex-
rails. has urged them to labor for this
noble achievement. The general charac-
the Delegates of more than 20 sovereign
states, further commends it to the favor
States. whose ratification it still awaits.
The War Department.
A history of the operations of the war
department. is given, including the work
of mastering out the volunteers of the
Spanish war and the organization of new
troops in compliance with legislation enact
ed by the last congress He commends
highly the action of the volunteers who re-
NAMED in service after the conclusion of
the treaty of peace with Spain, and says of
our army now in the Philippines:
The force now in Manila consists of sos
officers and 30,57S regulars, and 54 officers
and 15,3SS of the volunteers, making an
aggregate of 1893 officers and 1896 men.
When the troops now under orders shall
reach Manila, the force in the archipelago
will comprise 2,05l officers and 63,4S3 men.
The muster out of the great volunteer
army organized for the Spanish war and
the creation of a new army, the transpor-
tation from Manila to San Francisco of
those entitled TO discharge, and the trans
portation of the new troops to take their
places have been a work of great magni-
tude wen and ably done, for which too
much credit cannot be given the war de-
OF that portion of the army now serving
In Cuba and Porto Rico he says:
During the past year We. have reduced
our force in Cuba and Porto Rico. In
Cuba, we now have 334 officers and 1926
enlisted men: in Porto Rico, 81 officers and
1850 enlisted men and a battalion of 400
while stationed throughout the United
States are $40 officers and 1877 men, and in
Hawaii u officers and ASS enlisted men.
The Postal Service.
The work of the postal service both at
length, and the operations of the depart
ment in both places pronounced satisfac-
tory. of the service in the colonies he says:
The appointment of director general of
posts of Cuba, was given 10 an expert who
had been chief pest Office inspector and as
sistant postmaster general, and who united
large experience with administrative ca
pacity. For the postmastership at Hav-
ana. The range of skilled and available men
was scanned, and the choice fell upon one
who had been 20 years in the service as
deputy postmaster and postmaster of a
large city. This principle governed and
4 determined the selection of the American
officials sent not only to Cuba, but to Porto
Rico and the Philippines, ard they were
instructed to apply il so far as practicable
in the employment of the natives as minor
postmasters and clerks. The postal sys-
tenn in Cuba. though remaining under the
general guidance of the postmaster gem
eraL. was made essentially Independent. II
Was felt that ii should not be a burden
upon the postal service of the United States,
ana pravision was made that any deficit in
the postal revenue should be a charge
Though Porto Rico and the Philippines
held a different relation to the United
! states. vet. for convenience of adminis-
tration. the same principle of an aufono-
nous system has beer extended to them.
The development of the service in all of
fhe islands has been rapid and success
ful. 1t has moved forward on American
registry systems. and has given the peo-
ple mail facilities far greater and more re-
fable than any they have ever before en-
loved 1t is thus not only a vital agency
of Industrial, social and business progress,
but an important influence in diffusing a
Just understanding Of the true spirit and
Character Of American administration.
Domestic Postal Service.
The domestic postal service continues to
grow with extraordinary rapidly. The
expenditures and the revenues will each