Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/190

 Mckinley

Mckinley

dent signed the joint resolutions of congress declaring the people of Cuba free and directing the President to use the land and naval forces of the United States to compel Spain to witlidraw from the island. On April 23 a call for 125,000 volunteers was issued by the President. On April 24 Spain also declared war against the United States and the next day the President recommended a formal declaration of war by congress and issued a call for 75,000 more volun- teers. On April 30 congress authorized an issue of $500,000,000 in bonds, which issue was speedily taken up by prominent financiers. In his proc- lamation of April 26, 1898, the President adopted the essential principles as laid down by the Declaration of Paris of 1856, as to rights of neutrals in naval warfare, although neither the United States nor Spain was a party to that agree- ment between the nations. The victory of the U.S. navy in destroying the Spanish fleet at Manila on May 1, 1898, followed by the still more decisive victory over the Spanish fleet at San- tiago, July 3, 1898, marked the beginning and end of the war, the other incidents of the cam- paign of historic imix>rt being the battle of El Caney and San Juan, where on July 1-2, 1898, the U.S. army lost 230 killed, 1284 wounded and 79 missing, and gained a decisive victory over the Spanish troops. On July 26 the French minister at Washington made known the desire of Spain to negotiate for peace and President McKinley named the conditions that the United States would insist upon as a basis of negotiations. Tliese included the evacuation of Cuba, the ceding of Porto Rico and other Spanish islands in the West Indies, and that the city, bay and harbor of Manila should be continued in the pos- session of the United States pending the conclu- sion of the treaty. These terms were accepted by Spain, Aug. 9, 1898, the peace protocol was signed on August 12 by Secretary Day and the French ambassador Carabon, and the Cuban blockade was raised, October 1 following being named as the time for the meeting to arrange the details of settlement. On August 26 the Presi- dent appoitjted William R. Day, Cushman K. Davis, William P. Frye, Whitelaw Reid and Edward D. White, peace commissioners, and on September 9 George Gray was substituted for Mr. Justice White. They met in Paris, Oct. 1, and adjourned Dec. 10, 1898. The treaty, signed on the latter date, provided the relinquishment by Spain of all claims of sovereignty over and title to Cuba, the surrender of all other of the West India islands held by Spain, and of the island of Guam in the Ladrone group, and the cession of the Philippines to the United States. The United States agreed to pay to Spain for the islands $20,000,000, to repatriate all Spanish soldiers at

its expense, and to various minor provisions. On Jan. 4, 1899, the President transmitted the treaty to the senate, which body referred it to the committee on foreign affairs and it was ratified Feb. 6, 1899. Meantime hostilities had broken out in the Philippine islands between the natives and the U.S. troops, and the President appointed Admiral George Dewey, Gen. Elwell S. Otis, President J. G. Shurman, of Cornell university. Dean C. Worcester of the faculty of the Univer- sity of Michigan, and Charles Denby, former U.S. minister to China, a commission to study the situation there and advise as to the best method for governing the newly acquired terri- tory. The President approved the joint resolu- tion of congress providing for the annexation of Hawaii, July 7, 1898, and in the same year he appointed a delegation to represent the United States at the peace-conference called by the Czar of Russia in 1898, to meet at The Hague in May, 1899. The delegation was as follows: Andrew D. White, U.S. ambassador to Germany; Stanford Newel, U.S. minister to the Nether- lands; Seth Low, president of Columbia uni- versity; Capt. A. T. Mahan, U.S.N, (retired), and Capt. William Crozier, U.S.A.; with Frederick W. Holls as secretary and counsel. On March 4, 1900, the President signed the gold standard, currency act. In 1897-98, when the whole com- mercial world was watching the Russian and German governments, looking for relief from industrial depression through some excuse to invade northern China, and thus prepare the way for unlimited expansion. President Mc- Kinley saw the danger that threatened Amer- ican commerce should the integrity of the Chinese empire be endangered, and in 1900 he promptly met the condition that was presented by the acts of the Chinese themselves in allow- ing the uprising of the Boxers, and adopted what proved to be the only plan of action possible for the United States to preserve its commercial interests. He did not hesitate to assume the responsibility thrust upon him, and by ordering an advance on Pekin without w^aiting to learn if he would have the co-operation of the other powers, he solved the problem of preserving peace by acting as an ally of the Chinese gov- ernment and preventing other nations, led by Germany, from carrying out their purpose of par- tition. The action of the United States relieved the legations before the German marshal arrived, and the President took the next step in diplo- macy by removing the army of occupation and leaving the nations opposed to his policy unsup- ported. The Republican national convention which met at Philadelphia, June 25, 1900, gave President McKinley every one of the 930 votes of the delegates for renomination as the party