A bill declaring that war exists between the united states of America and the kingdom of Spain.

Be it enacted, etc.: 

First—­That war be and the same is hereby declared to exist and that war has existed since the 2lst day of April, A. D. 1898, including said day, between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain.

Second—­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 the actual service of the United States the militia of the several States to such extent as may be necessary to carry this act into effect.

Diplomacy was still taking a hand in the war.  Spain was indignant at the attack on Spanish possessions and endeavored to arouse sympathy among her European neighbors.  The Queen Regent addressed telegrams to all the sovereigns of Europe protesting against the vitiation of the rights of Spain by the United States, and declaring that her government was firmly resolved never to yield until crushed.  This was a personal communication from one sovereign to her brother sovereigns of the continental kingdom.  At the same time there was made public Spain’s memorandum to all the European powers which was an official utterance of the Spanish ministry and signed by Senor Gullon, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The memorandum began by recording the “moral and material aid the Cuban rebels have received from the United States” in filibustering expeditions and the operations of the junta.  It mentioned Spain’s repeated and positive denials to the allegations of cruelty toward the Cubans, and laid great stress upon President Cleveland’s dispatch of Dec. 7, 1896, to the effect that peace would be possible if Spain gave a sufficient autonomy to Cuba.

The memorandum contended that, in the face of the new liberal constitution granted Cuba, which “has already borne fruits,” it was difficult to understand why President McKinley, in his message of Dec. 6, 1897, and General Woodford, in the note of Dec. 20, 1897, should still doubt Spain’s loyalty.

The document then spoke at some length of the Maine accident, and asserted that the Americans, under the pretext of the extra territoriality of the vessel, never allowed the Spanish authorities to visit the wreck for purposes of investigation; and it most solemnly asserted the absolute innocence of Spanish officials and of Spanish subjects generally.

The fairness and loyalty of Spain were then shown by a reference to the equitable treatment which American filibusters, more especially those of the Competitor, received at the hands of Spain, and in order to show more fully how pacific and correct have been the attitude of the Spanish government the memorandum enumerated the four clauses of the Spanish proposals.  They were: