Our War with Spain for Cuba's FreedomWhite, Trumbull
History
Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom
White, Trumbull
Cuba -- History; Spain -- Foreign relations -- United States; Spanish-American War, 1898; United States -- Foreign relations -- Spain
The memorandum proceeded to declare that the United States had not
accepted even these far-reaching concessions, and that the good
offices of the pope had been equally unavailing. It asserted that
the Maine accident was used by political parties in America as a
means of hurling "most gratuitous and intolerable calumnies at the
Spanish government," and yet, the document said, Mr. Olney, in an
official note dated April 4, 1896, to the Spanish minister in
Washington, himself expressed very serious apprehensions lest the
only existing bond of union in Cuba should disappear in the event
of Spain withdrawing from that island. Mr. Olney, as the
memorandum argued, feared at that time that a war of races would
ensue, all the more sanguinary in proportion to the experience and
discipline acquired during the insurrection, and that two
republics would at once be formed--one white, the other black--the
upshot being that one of the two would swallow the other.
The grave view thus taken by Mr. Olney of the future of Cuba freed
from Spain's rule was then enlarged upon, and inevitable racial
wars were foreshadowed, which were "certain to wreck the existence
of Cuba as a state, should Spain be deprived of sovereignty" over
the island. Thus, being convinced, as Spain was, that right and
equity are on her side "she will not and cannot surrender her
sovereignty in Cuba."
TROUBLE FOR SPAIN AT HOME.
Spain's embarrassments at home were multiplying, and threatening
danger only less than that from the hostilities of the United
States. Twenty thousand republicans of all shades of opinion in
Madrid signed and addressed to Senor Castelar, the republican
leader, under the pretext of congratulating him upon his recovery
from recent sickness, but in reality offering him their services
if he would proclaim a republic.
At the same time Don Carlos, the pretender to the Spanish throne,
was a disturbing element, threatening a revolution against the
present dynasty if an opportunity were to offer.
During all these complications, which included at one time even a
threat that the Spanish ministry would resign, there was no
discordant note of any sort in the United States. Secretary of
State John Sherman and Postmaster General Gary resigned from
President McKinley's cabinet because of ill health, in order that
the government might be in no way handicapped during the time of
emergency. Secretary Sherman was succeeded by Assistant Secretary
Judge William R. Day of Canton, Ohio, who had displayed remarkable
aptitude for the office during his term of service, while Mr.
Gary's successor was the Honorable Charles Emory Smith, of
Philadelphia, a newspaper editor and formerly ambassador to
Russia.
ALONG THE CUBAN COAST.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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