LAD

McKinley's message about the war in Cuba was that it must stop. Althoughthe US maintained a policy of neutrality the government sent an ultimatum to Madrid demanding that Spain cease fighting in Cuba and grant an armistice to the Cuban revolutionists. Spain accepted the ultimatum and then later President McKinley asked Congress to end the conflict in Cuba due to the out of hand war spirit within the nation. With a joint resolution, the US entered into war siding with the Cubans. In McKinley's message he starts off by saying that because of the unrest in Cuba the US has suffered greatly in ways such as the capital invested, trade in addition to barbarous acts of warfare which has offended many. McKinley continues in his address to suggest how to end the raging war by saying that the US could impose a rational compromise between the two or become an active ally on one side of the situation. There were justifyible grounds for the forcible intervention which include the fact that it is the duty of the US to end the misery that existed there. Secondly, the US owes it to the citizens of Cuba to protect their life and property. A third reason was that the war between Cuba and Spain seriously hurt the commerce, trad and business of the United States and lastly, the raging war poses as a constant threat to the peace of the nation which includes the seizure of US ships. One ship seized ship known as the Maine in the harbor of Havana caused much disorder throughout the nation. The seizure of this ship ultimately proves that Spain is not able to provide safety and security to an American ship and therefore intervention is the only possible way to deal with the war. Once Cuba is secured, Congress is asked to set up a stable government and to use to the naval forces of the US to do this. McKinley then closes his message by saying that this war all rests upon the decision of Congress and that he had received word from Spain that they had suspended hosilties within Cuba. He also states that if the US is successful that we will have realized the ideals of good Christian loving people.