Newspapers / The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, … / Dec. 6, 1898, edition 1 / Page 2
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If - 2 A1IH0AL MESSAGE. (Continued From First Page X and giving Spain until noon of April 23rd to reply. , SEVERING DIPLOMATIC RELA- TtAVO - ' "That demand, .although, as above lihown, officially' made known to the Spanish envoy- here, was not deliver ed "at Madrid. "After the instructions reached General Woodford on the morning of April 21st, but before he could present It. the Spanish minis ter of state notified him that upon the president's approval of the joint resolution, the Madrid government, regarding- the act as 'equivocal to an open declaration of war,' had order ed 4.ts minister in Washington to with draw, thereby breaking off diplomatic 'relation between the two cX-intries nnd ceasing all official communication between their respective representa ti ves. General Woodford . thereupon df-rnand'-rl his ' passports and quitted 'Madrid7 the sarrfe day. r .-- ' FO KM AL DEC LA It ATI ON AND no tice TO OTHER r OWE its. ".'.Spain having thus denied the de mand of the United States and Initia - ted that complete form of rupture of relations which attends a state of war, the- executive powers authorized by the resolution were at once used by me to. mfrl xne enmrscu cumiiiseui;j ui ' -actual war between sovereign states. On April 22nd, I proclaimed a block ade of the north coast" of Cuba, in cluding; pofrts on said coast, between Cardenas and Bahia Honda and the port of Cienfuegos on tfte south coast of Cuba; -and on the 23rd I called for volunteers to execute the purpose of the resolution. J By1 my message of April 25th the congress was informed of the situation and 1 recommended formal ' declaration of the existence of a. state of war I between the , United .States and Spain. The ! congress ac cordingly voted on -the . arne day the net approved the existence April 2", .IVJ'i. declared of such war f rem and 21st day '.$f. -April," and including the re-enacted the provision of the reso- lutlon of April 20th. directing- the pres ident to use all, the' armed forces of the nation to carry' that act into ef fectJ Due notjficiatlon of ' Che existence of war as aforesaid was given April 25h by telegraph to all the govern ments with which the United StateSH maintain relations, irr order that their neutrality might be' assured during the war.,- The various governments , re fpondeH with proclamations of neu trality, each lifter its own methods. It is not among the least gratifying in cidents of the struggle that the obli gations of neutrality were impartially discharged by all, often under diffl-, cult circumstances. In further fulfill ment of international duty, I issued, "April'26, 1898, a proclamation announc ing the treatment' 'proposed to be ac corded to vessels and their cargoes as to blockade, Contraband, the exercise of right of search and the immunity of neutral Hags and neutral goods un- cler enemy's flag. i A similar proclama tion was made by the Spanish govern- -rnent. In the conduct of hostilities the rules of ! the declaration of Paris, in-' eluding abstinatlon, " from - resort to privateering, have accordingly been observed by both belligerents, although, neither was a party to the declaration. "Our country thus, after an interval of half a century of peace with all na. tions. found itself engaged in deadly - conflict with a foreign enemy. Every nerve was strained to meet the emer gency. The response .to the initial call for 123,000' volunteers was instant and complete, as1 was also the result of the second call of May 2oth for 75,000 ad ditional" volunteers. The ranks of the regular army were' increased to the limits provided by the act of April 26, 1898. ' ;-.' . - OUR NAVAL FORCE. "The enlistment force of the navy on the 15th day of August, -when it reach ed it maximum, numbered 24,123-men and- apprentices. One hundred and three vessels were added to the navy T)y purchase, one was presented to the government, one leased and the four vessels 'of the International Navigation 'Company, the St. Paul, St, Louis, New York and Paris, were chartered. In nddition- to these the revenue cutlers :ind lighthouse tenders were turned overdo the navy department and be came temporarily a part of the aux iliary navy. , ' "The .maximum effective fighting force of the navy, during the war ,seoarated into classes, was as fol 1 lows: Four battleships of the first 'elass; one battleship of the second class;;' two armored cruisers; six: coast defense monitors:; one armored ram; twelve protected Icrulsersf; three unpro tected cruisers;, eighteen! gunboats; onf dvnamite cruiser; Meven torpedo 'boats-vessels of the old navy, includ-. ing monitors, fourteen; Auxiliary navy eleven auxiliary "cruisers, twenty-eight . converted yachts, twenty-seven tugs, " nineteen converted colliers, fifteen revenue cutters, four lighthouse tend ers' and nineteen miscellaneous ves- FOK DEFENSE OF ATLANTIC . SEABOARD. MTVTrh alarm wasf el t ' along our en tire Atlantic seaboard lest some attack miirvit made mv the enemy. Every nronn 11 H on was- taken to prevent pos iiif' friiurv to our rgreat cities lying .along the coast. Temporary garrisons were provided, drawn from the state militia; infantry and light batteries were .drawn from the volunteer force. About 12,000 troops were thus employ r ed. The coast signal service was es tablished for observing the approach of en enemy's ships - to the Neoast of the United States and the. life saving and lighthouse services: co-operated, which 'enabled the navy department to have all portions of the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Texas, under observation. "The auxiliary navy wast created mnder the authority of congress and " was officered and manned by the na val militia of the several states. This ' organization patrolled the coast and performed the duty of a second line of defense. -. II ARBAR DEFENSES. "Under the direction of the chief of --engineers submarine mines were plac : ed at the most exposed points. Be , fore the outbreak of the war perma nent mining casements and cable gal 's leries had been- constructed at nearly all important harbors. Most .of the torpedo material was not to be found Mn the market and had to be specially manufactured. Under date of April 19th, district officers were directed to "take preliminary measures, short of the actual attaching of the loaded mines to the cables, and on April 22nd telegraphic orders were issues to place the loaded mines in position. The ag , gregatel number of mines placed was 1,535, at - the principal harbors from Maine to California, Preparations were -made for tne planting of mines at a number of other harbors, but owing to the early destruction, of I the Spanish hips, these mines were not placed,. IMPORTANT WORK OF THE SIG V 1 NAL CO RFS. " ' 'The signal corps was promptly or ganized and performed service of the THE WILMINGTON MESSENGER: most difficult and Important charac ter. Iu operations during the war covered the electrical connection at ail coast fortifications the,, establishment of telephonic and ; teleghaphic facili ties for the camps at Manila. Santiago and In Porto Rico. There .were con structed 300 m ilea of line : at ten great camps. thus facilitating military movements from those points in a manner heretofore unknown in milita ry administration. -Fle;d telegraph lines were established and maintained under the enemys fire at Manila and later the Manila was reopened. Hong Kong cable "In Porto Rico cable communications were opened oyer a discontinued route and on land the headquarters of the commanding officer was kept In tele graphic or telephonic communication with the division- commands on four different lines of operations. "There was placed in Cuban waters a completely outfitted cableship, with war cables and cable gear, suitable both for the. destruction of communi cations belonging to the enemy and the "establishment of pur own. Two ocean-cables were destroyed1 under the enemy's batteries at, Santiago. The day previous to. the landing of General Shafters Corps at Cairn en era, .within twenty miles of the landing' place, cable communications were established and a cable station opened, giving dl Yect communication .'with.! he govern ment at Washington This sei ice was invaluable to the executive: in directing the operations of the army and navy. With a - total force of over 1.300 the loss was by disease in camp and field, officers and men included, only five. THE FIFTY MILLION APPROPRI- ' AT I ON. .''';' V t: "'The national defense fund of $50, 000, W0 was expended in large part by the army and navy, and the objects for which it was used are fully shown in the reports of the several secreta ries. It was a most timely appropria tion enabling the government to strengthen its defenses and make prep arations greatly needed in case of war. This fund being inadequate to the re quirements of equipment and for the conduct of the war. the patriotism of the congress provided the means in the war revenue act of June 13th by authorizing a 13 per cent, popular loan Tiot to exceed $400,000,000 and by levy ing additional imports' and taxes. Of the authorized loan $200,000,000 were of fered and promtly taken, the subscrip tions so far exceeding the call as to cover it ntahy times over while prefer ence being given to the smaller-bids no single allotment " exceeded .$5,000 This was a most encouraging and sig nificant result, showing the vast re sources of the nation and the determi nation of the people to Uphold thei Country's honor. , '.' J ! L CHIEF FEATURES OF THE WAR "It is not within the province of this message to narrate the history of the extraordinary war that" followed the Spanish declaration of April 21st, but a brief recital of its more salient fea tures is appropriate. -." j . "The first encounter or ; the war, in point of date, took place April 27th, when a detachment of the blockading squadron made a reconnoisance in force at Matanzas. shelled the harbor and thus demolished' several new works in course, of construction. DEWEY'S VICTORY. - . "The next engagement was destined to mark a memorable epoch in ,mari time warfare. The Pacific fleet under Commodore George Dewey had lain for some weeks at Hong Kong. Upon the colonial proclamation of neutrality being issued and the customary twen-ty-fOur hours' notice being , given, it repaired to Ministers bay, near Hong Kong, whence it proceeded to the Phil ippine islands under, telegraphed or ders to capture or destroy the for midable Spanish fleet assembled at Manila. At daybreak on the 1st of May the American force entered Manila bay and after a few hours engagement ef fected the total destruction of the Spanish fleet, consisting- of ten war ships and one transport besides cap turing the naval station of Cavite, thus annihilating the Spanish naval power in 'the Pacific ocean and completely controlling the bay of Manila with the ability to take the city at will. "Not a life was lost on. our ships, the wound ed only numbering seven, while .not a vessel was injured. For this gallant achievement the congress, upon my recommendation, fitly bestowed upon the actors preferment and substan tial reward. The effect of this remark able victory upon the spirits of our people and upon the" fortunes of war was instant: A prestige of vincibility thereby attached to arms, which continued throughout the the strusrcle. Reinforcements were hur-, ried to Manila under the command of Major General Merritt and firmly es tablished within sight of , the capital, which" lay helpless before our guns. m- "On the 7th of May the government was advised officially of the victory at Manila and at once inquired of the Commander - of our fleet what troops would be required. The information was received on the 15th day of May and the first army , expedition sailed May 25th and arrived June 30th. Oth er expeditions soon followed, the total force consisting of 641 officers and 15,058 enlisted men. ; J "Only reluctance to cause needless loss of life and property "prevented the early storming and capture of the city, and therewith the absolute military occupancy of tlie whole group. The in surgents meanwhile had, resumed the active hostilities suspended by the uncompleted truce of December, 1897. Their forces invested Manila from the northern- and eastern side, but were constrained by Admiral Dewey and General Merritt from attempting an assault. It was fitting that whatever was to be done in the way of decisive operations in that quarter should be accomplished by the strong arm of the United States alone.' Obeying the stern precept of war, which enjoins the overcoming of the adversary and the extinction! of his power wherever as sailable as the speedy and sure means to win a peace, divided victory was not permissible, .for no, partition of the rights and responsibilities attending the enforcement of a just and ad van tageous peace could be thought1 of. DEATH OF ENSIGN BAG LEY "Following the comprehensive scheme of attack, powerful forces were as sembled at various points on. our coast to invade Cuba and Porto Rico. Mean while naval demonstrations were- made at several exposed points. On May 11th the cruiser Wilmington and torr pedo boat Winslow were unsuccessful in an attempt to silence the batteries at Cardenas, a gallant ensign. Worth Bagley, and four seamen falling. These grievous fatalities were strangely enough among the very few which oc curred during our naval operations in this extraordinary conflict. CERVERA'S FLEET. "Meanwhile the--Spahislvnaval prep arations had been pushed with great vigor. A powerful squadron under Ad miral Cervera. which ,had assembled at the Cape Verde islands before the outbreak of hostilities, shad crosse- th ocean, and by its erratic movements in the Caribbean sea, delayed our 'mili tary plans while baffling the pursuits T of our fleet. For it time fears were an expcjHon for th&t purpose. Fortu felt least the Oregon and Marietta, .nately was already at San tlac then nearlng home after their long where tfthad arrived on the 11th of voyage from San Francisco of. over July wiWH reinforcements for General iSjm miles, might-be parprised by, Fhafter&anr With these troops, Admiral Cervera'a fleet, but their for- conslstiJf 3.41S I ifantry and aril 1 tunate arrl-al dispelled these -apdrf- j leiJ" t "S-umpanies of e-ngineers and nensions. ana lent much .needea . re inforcement. Not until Admiral Cer vera took refuge In the harbor of Santiago de Cuba about May ISth. was it practicable to plan a systematic na val and military attack upon the A tillean rossesslons of Spain. S "Several demoni?tratlons occurred cn f the coasts of Cuba, and Porto Rico in preparation for the larger event. Qn May 13th the North Atlantic squadron shelled San Juan de Porto Rico. On May SOth Commodore Schley's squad ron bombarded the forts guarding the mouth of Santiago harbr. Neither at tack had any material result. It was evident that well ordered land jopera t ions were indisnensible to achieved a decisive advantage. i : IIOBSON'S EXPLOIT. "The next act in the war thrilled not alone the hearts of our countrymen, but the world, by its exceptional hero ism. On the night of June 3rd, Lieu tenant Hobson, aided by seven devoted volunteers, blocked the narrow chan nel outlet from Santiago, harbor, by sinking- the collier Merrlmac in the channel, under a fierce fire from the shore batteries, escaping with their lives as by a miracle, but falling into the hands of the Spaniards. It is a most gratifying incident of the war that the bravery of this little band of heroes was cordially appreciated by the Spanish admiral, who sent a flag of truce to notify Admiral Sampson of their safety and to compliment them on their daring act. They were subse quently exchanged July 7th. ..- LANDIUG OF FIRST TROOPS. "By June 7th the cutting of the last Cuban cable isolated the island. There after the invasion waS vigorously pros ecuted. On June 10th under a heavy fire, a landing of 60O marines from the Oregon, Marblehead and Yankee was effected in Guantanamo bay ....where it had been determined to establish a naval station. "This important and essential port was taken from the enemy after severe fighting by the marines,- who were the first organized force of, ' the .' United States to land in CubaJ The position so won was held despite desperate at tempts to dislodge our forces. FIGHTING BEFORE SANTIAGO. "Rv June 16th additional forces were landed and strongly entrenched. On June 22nd the, advance of the invad ing army under Major General Shafter landed at Daiquiri, about fifteen miles east of Santiago. This was accomplish frt undpr ereat difficulty, but . with marvelous dispatch. On June 23rd; the' movement against .Santiago was be gun. On the 24th the first serious en-, gagement took place in which the First and Tenth cavalry and the First United States volunteer cavalry, Gen eral Young's brigade of General Wheel-i er's division participated, losing heav ily. By nightfall, however, ground within five miles of Santiago was won. The advantage was steadily increas ed. On July 1st a severe battle took place, our forces gaining the outworks of Santiago; on the 2nd El Caney and San Juan were taken after a desper ate charge, and the investment of the city was completed. The navy co-operated by shelling the town and the coast forts., DESTRUCTION OF CERVERA'S FLEET. 'On the day following this brilliant achievement of our land forces, the 3rd of July, occurred the decisive na val combat of the war. The Spanish fleet, attempting to leave the harbor, was met by the American squadron under command of Commodore Samp son In less than three hours all the Spanish ships were destroyed, the two torn Art a boats beine: sunk and the Ma ria Teresa, Almirante Oquendo, Viz caya and Cristobal Colon driven ashore. The Spanish admiral and over 1,300 men were taken prisoners, while the enemy's loss of life was deplorably large, some 600 perishing. On our side but one man was killed, on the Brook lyn, and one man seriously wounded. Although our ships were repeatedly struck, not one was seriously injured. Where all so conspicuously distin guished themselves, from tne com manders to the gunners ana unarmea heroes in the boiler room, each and ail contributing, toward the achieve ment or this astounding victory, for which neither ancient nor modern his tory affords a parallel In the complete ness of the event and the marvelous disproportion of casualties, it would be invidious to single out any for espe cial honor. Deserved promotion has re warded the more conspicuous actors. The nation's prof oundest gratitude is due-to all of these brave men who by their skill and devotion in a few short" hours crushed the sea power of Spain and wrought a triumph whose decisiveness md far reaching conse quences can scarcely be measured. Nor can we be unmindful of the achievements of our builders, mechan icsand artisans for their skill in the construction of our warships, i "With the catastrophe of Santiago Spain's effort upon the ocean virtually ceased. A spasmodic effort toward the end of June to send her Mediterranean fleet under Admiral Camara to relieve Manila was abandoned, the expedition being recalled after it had passed through the Suez canal, . -j CAPITULATION OF SANTIAGO. "The capitulation of Santiago follow ed. The city was closely besieged by land, while the entrance of our ships into the harbor cut off all relief on that side. After a truce to allow, ot the removal of non-combatants, pro tracted negotiations, continued from Julv 3rd to July 15th. under menace of immediate assault, ' until the pre liminaries of surrender were agreed upon. On the 17th General Shafter oc cupied the city. The capitulation em braced the entire eastern end of Cuba. The number of Spanish soldiers .sur rendered was 22,000, all of whom were subsequently conveyed to Spain at the charge of the United States. The story of this successful campaign is told in the report of the secretary of war. Which will be laid before you. Thi in dividual valor of officers and soldiers was never more strikingly shown than in the several engagements leading io the surrender of Santiago, while the prompt movements and successive vic tories won instant and universal ap plause. To those who gained this complete triumph, which established the ascendency of the United" States udoii land, as tne fight off S had fixed our supremacy on the seas, the earnest and lasting gratitude of the nation is unsparingly due. Nor should we alone remember the gallant ry of the living: the dead claim our tears and our losses by battle and dis ease must cloud any exultation at the result and teach us to weigh the awful cost of war, however righteous the causer or signal, the victory. , ! OCCUPATION OF PORTO RICO. "With the fall of Santiago the occu- nation of Porto Rico became the n-xt strategic necessity. -General Miles had previously been. assigned to oanise TUESDAY, JECEMBER 6, 1893. s .... r"--'f on xnrsgr.y of the signal corp?. Gm erai Miffc left uuaintanamo on juiy 21sX haStir nine trknswrts convoyed r-th'fft under Captain Iligginson with iljSEn MasacHusetts flagship). Gloucestfefj Columbia and Yale, the two latt" carrying troops. The exye- ditiohMf ed at Guanica July 25th. wnicn pr was entered with- little op positJoriaere the lleet was Joined "y the AnftA.olis and the ' Wasp, while the Jur$m and Amphitrlte went to San Juaefhd Joined! the New Orleans, which ttas8 engaged in blockading' that port. Trfe" major general commanding was suliiuently reinforced by Gen- erai rcftn s pngaae ot the Third army cFi. byj Get eral Wilson with a' part fhis division, and also by Oeneral.rilr'onke. wi h a part of his all lft,3?3 officers 27th he eitered t important ports corp. nHfb'-ring in and m'-fc.tOn July Ponce, ovT,or tne mo in the iajvd, from which he thereaf- ter d4reTt3J, operations for the capture of the . "Withfge .excepti with thf?T-'Tnemy. at gueros, Civ0-mo. and in or encounters Guayaraa. Iloxmi- Yaueo, and an at- tack on mS force- lari ded at Cape San Juan."1 tlfhQ as no The can?fign was serious resistance. prosecuted with great viWM: and by t t.3, he 12th of August much oftt-e island was ;in ou r , posses - sion an(fhe 'acqui teition of the re- mainderis only a matter of a short time. .Alamost of fche points -in the island, orf troipj w. ere welcomed r-n- thus iast fea ly. Prote itations of lojalty tn Iho ffi' Jilirl' T3fitii("( fnr rtHvrv from- Spfch rule rmet our command ers at ett- stage As a potent infiu- ence toiid peace t he outcome or tne Porto - IJL2:..n expedi ion was of 'gTe.it consequqe and generous comrnen-J datton-iaUKJre to th in it. . LASCEXE "The fiSt-scerie e who participated OF THE WAR. oft the war was en- acted at Manila.! its starting place. On brief assault upon August after a the'. worK.by land prces in which the sa'u'adrof J&ssisjled. the capital surren- dered, -undiiional were corrratlvely y. The casualties few. By this th-; ppine islands, vir- cohquestjjt, the Phil t u al 1 y a c, "n p 1 i s h ea when the Spanish capaeity5rSr resistance was destroyed by AdmUSi -Dewey's victory of 1st of May, wa$4rm'ally. Merritt; -ii officers sealed. To General and men for their uncomplying, and devoted service and for thei?;aHantry in .action the na- r ion l s geerely: grateful. Their lonp suc-' the vovaere made with simrular cess ancirfe- soldierly cohduct of men; motajajof - whom vious e.Sfifience in were witnout the military vice; desT-es unmeasured praise. oltr&sses. IN THE WAR. "The Km1 casualties in killed and woundedtfj the arm y during the war witn isyiwi were: Officers killed, 23; enlisted-gn killed, ?57; total, 280; offi cers Y'opTfeOd, 113; erilisted men .w ound ed 1,464 ijt'al,: l,577lj. Of the navy; Killed, r Wounded, 67; died as result of Avounjl; invalided from, service, 6- total, l ; i . . . - V ""It wi'c4e observed that while our navy :s&ngaged in two great bat tles and'iinumerov s perilous under takings blockade vnd bombardment and morrjjart 50,000 Df our troops were transporic-'-to distar t lands? and were erigagedjitfssault and siege and bat tle and iy skirmis hes in unfamiliar territoryie lost in both arms of thft service SCtotal of 1,668 killed and wounded,nd in thr entire campaign by land sea, we c id not lose a gun or a fiagltS a transport or a ship, artd with th55ftcePtion f the crew of the iVltilJ.IIIlclV" TWJl a. 'SUIUICI UI oanui a-a taken .pr5lier. On August 7th, forty six days'fym the dare of the landing of fipnpM Shaffer's . -..virA . rmy in juoa, and tweRvVw-one days from the surren' der of SUitiago, . thd United States troops fefrlmenced Embarkation for home an?v cur entire orce was return. ed to; tri' United States as early as abse'nt from Auerust t They i'ere the Unitt3f'Stafe-3 oniv two months. "It is 3tng that I tehould bea,r testi mony toJa.!j patriotism and devotion of that rarioTtion of our army which,; aithougrt'ger to be ordered to tho post cf tiatest exposure, fortunaiely was n'ot qhii-ed outside of the. Unid Sfates.- Siy did their whole duty and like thei5$'fpmrades a,t the front, have; earned tEggratitude of the nation. In like .ma iSJKm -the .officers and men of the sTmyyLl-of the 1: av'y .ho remain ed "in 1 ) depart me tits :and stations ,faithfulltrforrnin:s mst important duties collected with the war, and whose revests for 'assignment 'in the field and fl. sea I was compelled to re-; fuse beccte their services were in dispensilhere, are entitled to the hig-hest nmendatioti. It is my re- gret.thaAere seems' to be no provi ion for. lr- suitable recognition. WORK THEY'RE D CROSS SOCI- ?J ETY. j "In thybnnection -it is a pleasure for me tention in trms of cordial appreciable for the timely and use ful worlC5f the American National Red Cro4both i,n relief measures preparatS to the campaigns; In san itary as.ance at several .of the camps oiflssemblag ?, and later, un dei the and experience! leader ship ,pf presidenjtof the' society. Miss Cl&it Barton, on the fields of . . . : .wwr:, . - - battle anyi the hospitals at the front in Cuba. Storking in conjunction with the govewent authorities and under their sarflfswn and approval, and with thp pnth'&SfssHh cO-oberation of many 'patriotic neh and societies in the various" sHsthe Rd Cross has fully main tainLM ts already high reputation for intengearnestnejs's , and ability to exercise. My -noble purposes of its in- ternationliSSorEranization. thus justify ing the idehce aid support which it has r'Cued at the hands- of the Americanlople. To the members and officers ofttais society and all who aid ed them 5? their, philanthropic work, the sincettsLnd lasting gratitude of the 'soldiers- the public 'ts. due and is freely actded "In- tra&Jrlg these events we are Corstantlit.minded of our obligation to the diiiB . Master for His watchful care overacts ana tiis . sare guiaance for whiChrie nation makes reverent acknowleifetiment andoffers numme His fa- nraver- fo&Hhe continuance of vor. - ffhid SPAIN'S iERfURES FOR PEACE. The aftaulation of Admiral Ce. vera s reeis-tiJiiioweii qy ine capuuiauaa of Rantfa3S!. ria.vrnr brouerht to the Spanish jrnment, a realizing sense of the hefSFsessness lot continuing, a struggle iCrvr become .wholly unequal. it made osSures of peace through the French a&.assador, who, with the assent- of zms Kovernmertt, had acted as the frtfeiHy xepresentative of Span ish Interej during itne war. un rne 26th of Jift M. Cain bon presented a communlcijjbn jsigned by the duke of AJmodo va? : She Spanish minister of Estate ihv7ti3g the United States to f state the jms upon which it would J be willing make peace. On the 30th of July.'b. communication addressed ! to the diifAwt Aloao'ar an handed to 31. Cambon, the terms or inw ernment were announced. suOstantial? iy aj In. the protocol aftern&rda ing ed. On the 10th of August the Span ifh reply, d4ted Augutt Tth. was baed ed by M. Ctmboa to, the secretAry ?f state. It accept' uncondt tonally the terms imp..ed as to Cuba. Forto Rico and an island in the La droae group, but appeared to seek to Introduce in admissible reserratlon'a In. regard to cur demand as to the PhiUppine is lands. Corjceiving that discussion on this poin could neither be practical nor profltabie. I directed that -In order to avoid misunderstanding the matter should be forthwith closed by propos ing the embodiment in a formal prx ioctol of the terms upon which the ne gotiations for -peace were to be under taken. The vague and inexplicit sug gestions of; the Spanish not could not be i accepted, the only reply being to present as a virtual ultimatum a draft of protocol emblylng the precise terms tendered to l-pain in our note or July 30th, with addel stiplatlons of detail as to the app-intment of com missioners to arrange for the evacu tion of the Spanish Antilles. On Au gust 12th. M. .Cambon. as the plenI- potentiarj- of Spain, and the secretary of state, as the plenipotentiary of the United States, signed a protocol pro viding: " 'Article 1.. Spain will relinquish' all claim of sovereignty over and title t. Cuba. . - - J , : ' , " 'Article 2. Sjain will cede to the United States the Islam of Puerto Rico and other islands now under Spanish sovereignty in the West Indi, -and also an Island in the Iadrone to be selected by the United States, i " 'Article 3The United States will occupy and hold the city, bay and har bor of Manila, pending the conclusion of a treaty of peace, which shall determine- the control, . disposition and government of the Philippines: - "The fourth article provided for the appointment of joint cnmmUal.ir.s on the part of the United States and ".Spain to meet in Havana and San Juan, respectively, for the purpose of arranging andcarrying out the de tails of the stipulated evacuation of Cuba, Puerto Rico and other Spanish islands in the West Indies. "The fifth article provided for the appointment of .not more than i five commissioners on eaeh side., to meet at Paris not later than October 1st. and to proceed to the negotiation and con clusion of a treaty of peace, subject to ratification according to the respective constitutional forms Of the two coun tries. ; . "The sixth and last article provided that upon the signature of the proto col hostilities between the two coun tries should be suspended; that notice to that effect should be given as soon as possible by each government to the commanders of its military and naval forces. ' y HOSTILITIES SUSPENDED. "Immediately upon the-conclusion of the protocol I issued a proclamation on Augusti 12th, suspending hostilities on the part of the United States.-The necessary orders to that end were at once given by telegraph. The " block ade of the ports of Cuba and San Juan de Porto Rico, Was in like manner rais ed. On the 18th of August; the muster out of .100,000 "volunteers, or- as near that number as was found-to be prac ticable, was ordered. "On December 1st 101,165 officers and men had been mustered out and dis charged : from the . service and- 9,002 more will be mustered out by the 10th of this ; month. Also a- corresponding number of general and staff officers have been honorably discharged from the service. ; ' "The military commissions to. super intend the evacuation of Cuba, Porto Rico and the adjacent islands, were forthwith appointedr For Cuba, Major General James F. Wade, Rear . Ad miral William T. Sampson, Major Gen eral M. C. Butler; for Porto Rico, Ma jor 'General John R. Brooke, Rear Ad miral Winfield . Schley, Brigadier General William W. Gordon, who soon afterwards met the Spanish commis; sioners at Havana and ban Juan, re-. spectively. The .Porto Rican joint commission speedily accomplished its task, and by the. 18th of October the evacuation of the island was complet ed. - The United States, flag was raised over the island at noon on that day. The administration of its affairs ha. beqn provisionally intrusted to a mill tary govoirr till congress s'mM oth erwise provide. The Cuban joint corri mission has not yet terminated its la bor's. Owing -to the difficulties in the way of removing the large numbers'' ,f Spanish, troops still in Cuba, the evac uation cannot be completed : before January 1st next. . THE PEACE COMMISSION. . "Pursuant to the fifth article of the protocol, I appointed William ,R. Day, lately secretary of state; Cushman K. Davis, William P. Frye and George Gray, senators of the United States, and Whitelaw Reid, i to be the ; peace commissioners on the part of the United States. ' Proceeding in due sea son To Paris, they there met on Octo ber 1st five commissioners similarly appointed on the part of Spain. Their negotiations have made hopefull prog ress, so that I trust soon to be able to lay a definite treaty of peace before the senat?, with, a review .of .the steps leading to its signature. FUTURE GOVERNMENT OF THE ISLANDS. "I do not dlscus3 at this time the government or the future of the new possessions -which win come to us as the result of the war with Spain. Such discussion will be appropriate after the treaty of peace shall be ratified In the meantime and until the congress has legislated otherwise It will be ray jduty to continue the military govern merrts which have existea since our occupation and give to the people se cunty in lire ana property ana en- ouragement under a Just and benef ici-nt rul.. . .;'..- , , THE FUTURE OF CUBA. , "As soon as we are in possession of Cuba and have pacified the island It will be necessary to give aid and di rectlon to its people tto form a gov ernment for themselves. This should be- undertaken at the earliest moment consistent with safety and assured suc cess It is Important that our.relations with this people shall be of the' most friendly character and our commercial relations close and reciprocal. . It should be our duty to assist in every prpper way to build up the waste places of the-island, encoura'ge the in dustry of , the people and assist, them to form a government which shall, "be free and irdependent, thus realizing the Wt asriiat?ons of the Cubin jeo ple. Spanlsli i tile must be replaced by a just, benevolent and humane gov ernment, created by the People of Ca bu.i, capable, of performing aliTTnter national obligations and which shall encourage thrift. Industry, and pros perity ahd promote peace .and good will among all of the, inhabitant what ever may have ben their relations in the past Neither revenge nor passion should have a ppce in the new. gov ernment. Until there is complete iran- I Quility in tu island nd a staple sdv- f:rnmoi'.: n3Tfi, crated r tioh : win t roitinued. Al f OT11KR FOREIGN RKuvr.xs "'."t'AitlCADLtK. . l:. 'lih the one xr.ption of th ru- tur .-It iSpain th irte'Huu-S' of ih . tTnUetl states with th' great Tan. y ..f tiidni" h4s'.-been'; rKi."fr.ij ' -;.sh- r;.n:.l. : jtllty r.d the Ios of 'h fn-;.;ft. )v.u finds niost o he isues that nc.ari ly artf In the complex relations sovereign . suites adjusted r freseht'inV' r r!ous ohstacfe to a just an t hr rabh solution, ty arrsi cable; agr-v-mrt.:""' ' ' , -' '.'. : "V : v.' - '- ha fuund -occasion to npptoacU thei A routine-government with view t remavrng diffenA" of rate chars tirisl upon the vables of an Amni cJttt f pojntloii in the trni -nl-y n I?c tne't Rueno Ayif and ihe tHi4 of Urtfra and -Jraiftl of thru?h me-' s.vge paisin f:c ni and ! th UmtJ Slates Although the mnHet i com plicated by exclusive cinresions: by i:riauv ?nJ Ilrasil i" forir cttpj nies, there Is- strong Kopflthat '3 gl undfrstandlng wi!l hi ra:ved and th.it the ;iojrortant c in'i'ol of ccn;hiunicatiin bvle-n . StiVtc iird the AtUntV citi AmiiitV may b'ftJ' fnm cr alto- pr'"..liftory dlscrinnn.i m. rlTERNATIONr; "TEL EG It A PI I SYSTEM. -fn tins relation. I .may In Irnilltcd to express my tn. of the an international agrtHment t.e 1 . Intt ichngejio$-ntoasr'?3 titn. f '- whereby ovi r y t i' tg may i rvgvi tU I At n fair lfls of unslctn-y. .jThe-v4:id has; mn the ihujh at sy lorn. -J,y l .. d from a congaries f in.K-iw'rdnt'J.ahd fx ' elusive services 'into a vvU rdei--inl un- . ion. ojf which- all emit.-;-,- en-'iy th mat -ictd benetlts. -p.'-w.iM; cm irnr.i:-?-.-wcre the nations wnm .tn;e htoutjnt to realize that- n4b rn -;civtbatfot. s which owes so fn4i of it ir.c5 tv the annilhilati.'U of spate Uv th; elc-t . trie force, demands th u this All lm-l'' Iirtant means uf comirunifaii-in b? a heriiagfc. ofxall peoples,' t b tfl:ninls tered and regulated Jn ih-ir common behoof. A step in this direoti.ir. was taken when the intrniitlittal convv--tlon of for the protection f sub- - marine cables va9- signed and the diy -is, I trust, not far distnnt when this medium for the transmlssum of thought from land to land may be . brousrht within the domain of ii'm-rna-. tional concert as completely ' as is th. material carriage of con.vmrc and corres'rwinidence. upon the face p( th 'waters? that divide them." AUSTRIA'S DEMAND OF INDEMNI ?',Tvt FOR .KILLING -OFi RIOT ' ' . -' ING MINERS. "On'the lOth of September, 1 S3", a conflict took place at Lattlmer. lVnn., between a bodr of striking miners and the sheriff of Luzerne county and his deputit,s in Which twenty-two miners were killed, and forty-four woundt-u, of whom ten of the killed and twelve of the. Wounded were Austrian artd Hungarian subjects. This deplorable event naturally aroused the solicitude of the Austro-Hungarian government . which on the assumtion that the kill- ing-and wounding involved the; unjus tifieable misuse of authority, claimed reparation for the sufferers. Apart from the searching investigation and peremptory action of -the -authorities of Pennsylvania, the -federal; executive , took appropriate steps to learn the merits of the case, in order to be 'in a position; to meet the urgent complaint ! j.ioMdly p-iwer. I he sh r and his deputies, having been indicted for af- the on murder,: were tried and acquitted ter ; protracted . proceedings ; and hearing "of hundreds of witnesses, the grdund that the killing was In the line of their official duty to uphold law and preserve public order in the state. A representative of the department of justice attended the trial and reported its. course fully..-' With all the facts m its. possession, this government expects to reach a harmonious understanding on the subject with that of Austria- Hungary, notwithstanding the renewed claim of the latter after learning th result of the trial.'for indemnity for its injured subjects. L ... BELGIAN RESTRICTION ON CER TAIN OF OUR PRODUCTS. "I trust that th(v Belgian restrictions en the Importation of cattle from the United States, originally adopted as a sanitary precaution, wilL at an early day be relaxed as to their present fea tures of hardship and discrimination, so as to .admit live rattle under due regulation, of their slaughter after landing. I am hopeful too, of favor able change In the Belgian treatment of our preserved and sal ted meats. The growth of direct trade betweefithe tw. countries, not alone for Belgian con sumption' and Belgian products, but by way of transit from and together con tinental states has been both encourag ing and beneficial. No effort, will be by m-in- spared to enlarge its advantages seeking; the removal of needless peaiments and by arrangements for creased commercial exchanges THE YEAR S EVENTS IN CENTRAL "AMERICA. ! ' "I "The year's .events in .Central jAmer--fca deserve more than passing men tion. , i )- - "A menacing rupture between; Costa Rica and Nicaragua was happily - com posed by the signature of a convention between the parties, with the concur rence of the Guatmalan representative -as a meditator, the act being negotiated and signed on board the United States steamer Alert, then, lying in Central American -waters. It Is believed that the good offices of our envoy and of the commander of that vessel contributed, toward this gratifying outcome. f UNITED STATES OF 1CENTRAL '':rZ-r''-' . -AMERICA. j' ;' . , ' j "In any last annual message the sit uations was presented with respect j to the diplomatic representation - of ' this government in Central America creat- ' ed by the association of Nicaragua. Honduras and Salvador under the titlu of the Greater Ilepu-blic of, Central America, and the delegation of their International functions to ; the-, ' let thereof. While the representative: char acter of the diet was -recognized by my predecessor and has been confirmed during my administration by receiving its accredited envoy and granting ex- . equaturs-to consuls commissioned un- der Its authority that recognition was qualified by the distinct understanding that the responsibility of each of tl component sovereign republic towards tSte United States remained wholly "uh- eflected. This proviso . was needfuU Inasmuch as the compact or ther threes republics was at the outset an asso ciation 'whereby tfertaln represeataUva functions ; were delegated to a tripar tite: commission, rather than a federa tion possessing centralized powers Sof government and adminlstratloA. 'ln this view of their relation, and of the relation of the United, States to the several republics a change Ljn the rep-, reserrtation of this country in Central America was neither recommended Xyy, the executive nor Initiated by con gress; thus leaving one of our envoys accredited as heretofore Separately ! to twostates of the Greater "Republic, 3al- , (Continued. 0D Third Page,) "l m
The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 6, 1898, edition 1
2
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