Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/238

ccxvi but naturalization comes under the Federal power, and not that of the State. In many of the States, probably one-half of them, aliens—that is, persons foreign born—who have declared their intention to become citizens have the right to vote equally with those native born, but in the remainder of the States only citizens native born or naturalized may vote. The naturalization laws of the Federal Government, of course, apply to all localities, and the naturalized citizen must conform to State laws, notwithstanding his naturalization. Under the section on State Governments the requirements or qualifications for voting will be stated. The War With Spain, 1898

The conditions in Cuba resulting from the long-continued civil strife of the Cubans against the Spanish government, were accompanied with a great loss of life, disturbance to commercial and industrial relations between Cuba and the United States, and considerable expense on the part of the latter in various directions. The President had called the attention of Spain to these conditions, pointing out the great injury to American trade and commerce and urging the relief of the Cubans and the granting to them certain privileges which it was thought might secure an improvement.

On the 15th of February, 1898, the United States battleship Maine, while lying in the harbor of Havana on a mission of international courtesy and good will, was destroyed.

At the suggestion of the Executive, Congress, by a unanimous vote, on the 9th of March, 1898, appropriated $50,000,000 "for the national defence and for each and every purpose connected therewith, to be expended at the discretion of the President," who, nevertheless, made every exertion in his power to secure, through diplomatic negotiations, the immediate conclusion of a six months' armistice in Cuba, with the ultimate view of effecting the recognition of her people's right to independence. Nothing came of these negotiations, and on April 11, 1898, the President announced to Congress that he had exhausted diplomatic effort, and that in the name of humanity and in behalf of endangered American interests the war in Cuba should be stopped.

After nine days of earnest deliberation, Congress, on the 19th of April, by a vote of 42 to 35 in the Senate and 311 to 6 in the House of Representatives, passed a joint resolution declaring