was the body of a young mother, cold and rigid, but with her young child still clinging to her breast. On her left side was the corpse of a woman holding her son in close embrace, a little further on a dying woman having in her arms a daughter of fourteen, crazy with pain, who after twelve or fourteen days died in spite of the care she received."

Spain had been prating for months about autonomy in Cuba, -the autonomy she had Autonomy established, the autonomy she was a Failure going to establish, the autonomy which she said the insurgents had accepted. In summing up the situation in the latter part of November, 1897, General Lee wrote:

A

"The insurgents will not accept autonomy. large majority of the Spanish subjects, who have commercial and business interests, and own property here, will not accept autonomy, but prefer annexation to the United States rather than an independent republic or genuine autonomy under the Spanish."

CHAPTER XVII

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS SEVERED

CONGRESS had been blaming the President for unnecessary delay in acting in reference to the Cuban situation, but when the message of McKinley put the responsibility of action upon Congress it was Congress that delayed. The President's message was referred to the foreign committees of the upper and lower houses and by them reported back with resolutions. The Senate wished to recognize the Cuban republic. The House did not. Conference committees were appointed and days of debate followed.

The House resolution read "that the people of Cuba of right ought to be free and indeCongress not pendent." The Senate resolution in Harmony read" that the people of Cuba are and of right ought to be free and independent." All Monday night, April 18, House and Senate wrangled. The conference committees met, agreed, reported, were ordered to meet again, but finally the Senate yielded the point of the recognition of the Cuban government and the

House agreed to the insertion of the words "are and" into the resolutions.

Early on Tuesday morning, April 19, a joint resolution was passed by a vote of 310 to 6 in the House and of 42 to 35 in the Senate demanding that Spain withdraw at once from the island of Cuba, authorizing the President to use the land and naval forces of the United States' to enforce the demand, and declaring that the sole reason for the United States interfering in Cuba was for the pacification of the island.1

1 The joint resolution adopted by Congress on April 19, 1898, and approved by the President the next day, read :

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled,

First, That the people of Cuba are and of right ought to be free and independent.

Second, That it is the duty of the United States to demand, and the government of the United States does hereby demand, that the government of Spain at once relinquish its authority and government of the island of Cuba and withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters.

Third, That the President of the United States be and he hereby is directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval forces of the United States and to call into actual service of the United States the militia of the several States to such an extent as may be necessary to carry these resolutions into effect.

Fourth, That the United States hereby disclaims any disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction, or con

The resolution was approved by the President on the next afternoon. Señor Polo de Bernabe, the Spanish Minister, on the passage of the resolution at once asked for his passports, turned over the business of the legation to the French Ambassador, M. Jules Cambon, and the same evening left for Canada with his secretaries and suite.

Immediately on the signing of the resolution of Congress by the President, Secretary of McKinley's State Sherman cabled the contents Ultimatum of the resolution to Minister Woodford in Madrid, directing him to inform the Spanish government that if the United States had not received a full and satisfactory response to the demands, by noon on Saturday, April 23 the President would proceed without further notice to use the power and authority conferred on him by Congress.

The cable message to General Woodford was not sent in cipher, as government despatches ordinarily are, and it was held in the cable company's office in Madrid for several hours before it was delivered to the United States

trol over said island except for the pacification thereof, and asserts its determination when that is accomplished to leave the government and control of the island to the people.

Minister. Meanwhile the Spanish Cabinet had been informed of its contents. Before Minister Woodford had an opportunity to communicate the President's ultimatum to Premier Sagasta he received a curt note informing him that diplomatic relations between the two countries had been broken off. He at once asked for his passports, notified the United States consuls in Spain, turned over the business of the American legation to the British embassy, and left for Paris, whither he had already sent his family and his household goods.