The copper era., 1906-09-27
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
on CUBAN TROUBLE.
Letter Of Chief Executive to Cuban
Minister Telling sf Ais Attitude In
Present Crisis

my Dear Senior Q1e5ada: In this
crisis in the affairs of the republic of
Cuba write you, not merely because
you are the minister in Cuba ac-
credited to this government, but be-
cause you and were Intimately |
drawn together at the time when |
the United States interviewed in the
affairs of Cuba with the result of |
making her an independent nation.
<<You know how sincere my affec- |
tionate admiration and regard for |
Cuba are. You know that / never |
have dore and never shall do any
thing in reference to Cuba save with |
such sincere regard for her welfare.
You also know the pride felt be- |
cause it came to me as president to
withdraw the American troops from
the island of Cuba and officially to
proclaim her Independence and to
wish her godspeed in her career as a
free republic.
81 desire now through you to say a
word of solemn warming to your peo-
pie, whose earnest well wisher 1 am.
For seven years Cuba has been in a
condition of profound peace and of
steadily growing prosperity. For
four years this peace and prosperity
have obtained under her own indie
pendent government. Her peace,
prosperity and independence are now
meuaced, for of all possible evils
10 9th ho l. he
evil of anarchy to which civil war
aud revolutionary disturbances will
assuredly throw her.
"Whoever is responsible for armed
revolt and outrage, whoever is re-
sponsible in any way for the condi-
ton of the affairs that now obtains,
is an enemy of Cuba, and doubly
heavy is the responsibility of the
man who, affecting to be the es-
pecial champion of Cuban independ-
ence, takes any step which will
jeopardize that independence. For
their is just one way in which Cuban
independence can be jeopardized,
and that is for the Cuban people to
show their inability to continue in
their path of peaceful and orderdy
progress.
WHAT WE DEMAND OF CUBA.
''This nation asks nothing of Cuba,
save that it shall continue to develop
as it has developed during the last
seven years, that it shall preserve
the orderly liberty which will as
suredly bring an ever increasing
measure of peace and prosperity to
the beautiful Queen of the Antilles.
''Our Intervention in Cuban affairs
will only come if Cuba herself shows
that she has fallen into the insur-
rectionary habit, that she lacks, the
self restraint necessary to secure
peaceful self-government and that
her contending factions have plunged
the country into anarchy.
~ solemnly adiure all Cuban
patriots to band together to sink all
differences and personal ambitions
and to remember that the only way
that they can preserve the indie
pendence of their republic is to pre-
vent the necessity of outside inter
ference by rescuing it from the an
archy of civil war.
81 earnestly hope that this word of
adjuration of mine. given in the
name of the American people, the
stanchest friends and well wishers of
Cuba that there are in all the world,
will be taken as it is meant, will be
seriously considered and will be
acted upon and if so acted upon
Cuba's permanent independence and
permanent success as a republic are
her assured.
THE PRESIDENTS DUTY.
"Under the treaty with your gov
eminent 1, as president of the United
States, have duty in this matter
which 1 cannot shirk. The third ar
ticle of that treaty explicitly con-
fers upon the United States the right
to intervene for the maintenance in
Cuba of a government adequate for
protection of life, property and in
dividual liberty. The treaty confer
ing this right is the supreme law of
the land and furnishes me with the
right and the means of fulfilling the
obligation that 1 am under to pro-
tect American interests.
"The information at hand shows
that the social bonds throughout the
island have been so relaxed that life,
property and individual liberty are
10 longer safe. 1 have received
authentic information of injury to,
and destruction of American prop
erty.
SIT is in my judgment imperative
for the sake of Cuba that there shall
be an immediate cessation of HOSTILE
ties and some arrangement which
will secure the permanent pacifica-
tion of the islands.
81 am sending to Havana the secre-
tary of war, Mr.. Taft, and the as
sistant secretary of state, Mr..
PocOn rs tho cna,>io1 reOraSeofat iveS