Chapter XV: Part 15

That, responsive to the request of the Central Cuban Relief Committee, appointed by the President of the United States and acting under the direction of the Department of State, it shall be permissible for the railway companies, parties to the Joint Traffic Association, to forward free of transportation charges, from points subject to its jurisdiction to or from New York, New Orleans, Mobile, Montgomery and Tampa, shipments of food, clothing and medicines, and other necessary supplies intended for the use and relief of the inhabitants of the island of Cuba who are suffering from sickness and famine.

Through this generous action on the part of the Joint Traffic Association, comprising the principal railroads east of Chicago, with branch lines extending north and south, all contributions were carried to the Atlantic and Gulf ports free. The Ward Line from New York, and the Plant System of railways and steamships had already taken similar action, then the great trunk lines of the West, the New England companies, the Southern railways, and all the coastwise steamship companies and the Munson Line united in furnishing free transportation to the ports of Cuba. Of the steamship lines whose kind assistance did so much to further the work of relief, special mention is due to Messrs. James E. Ward & Co., of New York, owners of the Ward Line, whose steamers running to Havana, Santiago, Cienfuegos and ports along the southern shore of Cuba, not only carried the larger amount of provisions, but unloaded it and delivered it on shore without charge.

No single agency did greater service than the press. By the daily and widespread dissemination of news concerning the actual conditions in Cuba, by the reports of their own representatives in the famine-stricken districts, and by the persistent reiteration of appeals the great heart of the American people was reached, and the response was prompt and abundant.

Operating over such a large territory, communication by mail would have often been too slow to be effective, and it was constantly necessary to resort to the telegraph, and the cost of such service would have ordinarily been very great. But the Postal Telegraph Company and the Western Union Telegraph and Cable Company, in order to assist the work, extended unusual privileges, the first company transmitting all messages free, and the second accepting messages at the government rates. The Central Cuban Relief Committee in their report to the President, extend their thanks to many other companies, and individuals, for whose kindly assistance they are indebted, and special mention is made of the valuable service rendered by the United States dispatch agent, Mr. I.P. Roosa, in the receipt and storage, the purchase and shipment of relief supplies.

In the latter part of March a conference was held at Washington, between the Secretary of State and the Central Cuban Relief Committee, which resulted in bringing the committee into relationship with the American National Red Cross, and the designation of the Red Cross as the distributing agent in Cuba, acting for the State Department and the committee. As told elsewhere, the work of distribution in Cuba was scarcely begun when friendly relations between the United States and Spain were suspended, and upon the advice of the Consul-General at Havana, the Red Cross retired when the President called all Americans home.

In the meantime the committee, upon the advice of the Department of State, had chartered the steamship "State of Texas" of the Mallory Line, and, loading her with a general cargo of food, clothing, medicines and hospital supplies, dispatched her, under the flag of the Red Cross, to Key West.

The purpose for which this good ship was dispatched, and the conditions under which she was sent, are best explained by the correspondence exchanged at that time by the Departments of State and Navy, the American National Red Cross, the Central Cuban Relief Committee and the naval commanders:

THE CENTRAL CUBAN RELIEF COMMITTEE,

Appointed by the President of the United States and acting under the
direction of the Department of State.

NEW YORK, _April 20, 1898._

MISS CLARA BARTON,
_President, American National Red Cross, Washington, D.C._:

DEAR MISS BARTON: In confirmation of the verbal request by the
chairman and treasurer of the Central Cuban Relief Committee, in
conjunction with the Hon. Wm. R. Day, Assistant Secretary of State,
that you proceed to the island of Cuba, there to carry on the work
of distribution and relief to the suffering people in behalf of this
committee and in co-operation with the United States Consuls, I beg
to inform you that at a special meeting of this committee, held on
thirteenth of April, 1898, the following action was taken:

WHEREAS, The Department of State having extended the authority of
this committee to the supervision of the distribution of relief
supplies, and the carrying out of all necessary relief measures, in
co-operation with the American Consuls in Cuba; and this committee,
having verbally joined with the Department of State in asking the
American National Red Cross, Miss Clara Barton, president, to
proceed at once to Cuba as the representative of this committee, and
to perform, in behalf of the committee, all necessary work of
relief; therefore be it

_Resolved_, That the chairman be authorized to write suitable
letters to Miss Clara Barton, Consul-General Lee and the other
American Consuls in Cuba, notifying them of this action.

As you are aware, this committee at request of the Department of
State, has determined to send the steamship "State of Texas," with
relief supplies from New York City to Key West, Florida, there to
await orders and instructions from the United States Government. By
instructions from the Department of State, the committee have to
send the steamship under the Red Cross flag and the provisions of
the Geneva Convention, turning the vessel over to the American
National Red Cross upon leaving New York.

I, therefore, beg to say to you that in all probability the vessel
will be loaded and made ready to sail on Saturday the twenty-third
inst., and you are expected to have such of your representatives--as
you desire shall accompany and take charge of the ship from New York
to Key West--in readiness to go aboard Saturday forenoon. The
arrival of the vessel at Key West should be reported to this
committee by telegraph immediately, when instructions will be given
by the Government at Washington for proceeding further. If
hostilities shall have begun between the United States and Spain, it
will be your duty to call upon the United States Government for the
necessary naval consort--as provided by the Geneva Convention.

This program has been proposed by the Assistant Secretary of State,
who will immediately issue the necessary orders upon hearing from
us.

Before your departure from Key West for Cuba, this committee will
give you further information as to its desires and recommendation
concerning the distribution of supplies from the different ports in
Cuba.

This committee stands ready to furnish you with the funds necessary
to carry on this work of relief to the extent of its ability, and it
is expected that you will render to the treasurer a detailed account
of your expenditures in the work entrusted to your organization.

You are requested to make requisition by letter or telegraph from
time to time, as you need further funds.

We will thank you for your official acknowledgment of this
communication in writing.

Very truly yours,
STEPHEN E. BARTON, _Chairman_.

NAVY DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON, _April 25, 1898_.

SIR: Miss Clara Barton, the representative of the American National
Red Cross Society, is about to proceed to Key West to take charge of
the distribution of the supplies now aboard the steamship "State of
Texas," and which supplies it is proposed to distribute among the
starving reconcentrados of Cuba. There are enclosed herewith copies
of letters from the Department of State to the Department of the
Navy and from the Secretary of the Navy to the Commander-in-Chief of
the North Atlantic Station which contain the terms upon which this
trust is undertaken, and the Department's instructions in relation
thereto.

The Department desires that you will afford every assistance within
your power to Miss Barton and her associates, while they are in Key
West.

The departure of the "State of Texas" from Key West and its
destination are, of course, matters coming entirely under the
jurisdiction of the Commander-in-Chief of the North Atlantic
Station.

Very respectfully,
JOHN D. LONG,
_Secretary_,
Commandant,
Naval Station, Key West, Fla.

NAVY DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON, _April 25, 1898_.

SIR: There is forwarded enclosed a copy of a letter received this
day from the Department of State, which fully states the conditions
under which Miss Clara Barton, as the representative of the American
National Red Cross Society, proceeds to Key West. You will afford
Miss Barton every facility that shall become feasible for the
distribution of the supplies now on board the steamship "State of
Texas" to the starving reconcentrados, but it is, of course,
necessary that none of these supplies shall come into the possession
of the Spanish Army, as this would result in defeating the purposes
for which the blockade has been established.

It is believed that you will fully appreciate the wishes of the
Departments of State and the Navy in this matter, and all the
details are necessarily left to your discretion.

Very respectfully,
Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Force, JOHN D. LONG,
North Atlantic Station. _Secretary_.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, _April 25, 1898_.

_The Honorable the Secretary of the Navy_:

SIR: The Central Cuban Relief Committee of New York, organized by
direction and under the authority of the President, for the
collection and transmission to Cuba of supplies for the relief of
the suffering and destitute in that island, has, after consultation
with this Department and with full approval of its course, chartered
and dispatched from New York the steamer "State of Texas" laden with
supplies and sailing under the ensign of the National Red Cross. The
only passengers she carries are officers and employes of the Red
Cross for the purpose of assisting in the distribution of this
charitable relief.

As at present contemplated, the destination of the "State of Texas"
is either Matanzas or Cardenas, or perhaps, if circumstances favor,
both; but the point of landing will largely be determined by
circumstances of which the Admiral commanding the blockading force
on the north coast of Cuba will necessarily be the best judge.

Miss Clara Barton, president of the American National Red Cross, is
about to proceed to Tampa and Key West at which latter point she
will go aboard the "State of Texas" upon its arrival there.

Upon reaching Key West Miss Barton, as the person in charge of the
relief expedition, will report to such naval officer as you may
designate and take from him directions as to the movements of the
"State of Texas" from that point on.

I have the honor to commend Miss Barton to the kind attentions of
your Department in order that she may receive, before leaving
Washington, such instructions as you may deem it necessary and
proper to give her.

Respectfully yours,
JOHN SHERMAN,
_Secretary_.

With these credentials, the President and staff of the American National Red Cross immediately proceeded to Key West, and, after reporting to the commandant of the naval station and to the representative of Admiral Sampson, the party boarded the "State of Texas" and awaited an opportunity to carry out the mission of the Red Cross.

During the year prior to the outbreak of hostilities between the United States and Spain, Cuban families were fleeing from the island, and this exodus continued until war began. The refugees, numbering several thousand, took up their abode at Tampa, Key West and other Atlantic and gulf ports. They had been obliged to leave their native country hastily, leaving nearly all their personal property behind them, and in a short time after their arrival in America were actually without food and with no means wherewith to purchase it.

Committees and agents of the Red Cross were established in both Tampa and Key West, and acting as the distributing agencies for the supplies forwarded by the Central Cuban Relief Committee, the refugees were cared for. In Key West the number supplied with food from the warehouse and kitchen of the Red Cross were over seventeen hundred people, and the distribution still continues. Key West has been one of the most important distributing stations, and from the beginning has been under the efficient direction of Mr. George W. Hyatt, for whose continuous and faithful service the Red Cross is much indebted.

The distributing station was kept constantly supplied by the Central Cuban Relief Committee, and when the stock began to run low in the latter part of July, the committee dispatched the schooner "Nokomis" from New York with 125 tons of assorted provisions to replenish the storehouse.

Before the "State of Texas" arrived at Key West, war had been declared between the United States and Spain, and soon after the prize ships, schooners, steamers and fishing smacks, captured off the Cuban coast began to come in, in tow, or in charge of prize crews. The navy worked rapidly and brought in their prizes so quickly that the government officials were not prepared to feed the prisoners of war. On the ninth of May the United States Marshal for the southern district of Florida made the following appeal:

MISS CLARA BARTON,
_President, American National Red Cross_:

DEAR MISS BARTON: On board the captured vessels we find quite a
number of aliens among the crews, mostly Cubans, and some American
citizens, and their detention here and inability to get away for
want of funds has exhausted their supply of food, and some of them
will soon be entirely out. As there is no appropriation available
from which food could be purchased, would you kindly provide for
them until I can get definite instructions from the Department at
Washington?

Very respectfully,
JOHN F. HORR,
_U.S. Marshal_.

Attached to this letter was an official list of the Spanish prizes whose crews were in need of food. The boats of the "State of Texas" were quickly loaded with a supply of assorted provisions and, being taken in tow by the steam-launch of the transport "Panther," the work of distribution began. All the ships in need were supplied with food and medicines for ten days, and their supply renewed every ten days for some weeks until government rations were regularly issued and auxiliary assistance was no longer necessary. The supplies on the "State of Texas" being intended for the reconcentrados in Cuba, her cargo was drawn upon to the smallest possible extent. Many of the prizes had on board cargoes of bananas and plantains, and the wells of the "Viveros" were filled with live fish. After some negotiating, arrangements were made to secure these cargoes at a trifling cost, and they were distributed among the crews of the vessels that carried nothing eatable. Tasajo, or jerked meat, was also bought and given out in the same way, and from one of the prizes loaded with dried meat from the Argentine, which was afterward sold at auction in Key West, forty tons were purchased and stored in the warehouse to supply the refugees, and to replace that portion of the cargo of the "State of Texas" which had been distributed to the prisoners of war.

While waiting for an opportunity to get into Cuba, the reports which reached us showed that the distress among the reconcentrados was daily increasing, and it was determined to make an attempt to land with the "State of Texas," or at least to show the willingness of the Red Cross to do so, if permitted. As the ship was under the direction of the Navy Department, the following letter was addressed to the admiral in command of the blockading fleet:

S.S. "STATE OF TEXAS," _May 2, 1898_.

ADMIRAL WILLIAM T. SAMPSON, U.S.N.,
_Commanding fleet before Havana_:

ADMIRAL: But for the introduction kindly proffered by our mutual
acquaintance, Captain Harrington, I should scarcely presume to
address you. He will have made known to you the subject which I
desire to bring to your gracious consideration.

Papers forwarded by direction of our government will have shown the
charge entrusted to me, viz: To get food to the starving people of
Cuba. I have with me a cargo of fourteen hundred tons, under the
flag of the Red Cross, the one international emblem of neutrality
and humanity known to civilization. Spain knows and regards it.

Fourteen months ago, the entire Spanish Government at Madrid cabled
me permission to take to, and distribute food to the suffering
people in Cuba. This official permission was broadly published; if
read by our people, no response was made, no action taken until two
months ago, when under the humane and gracious call of our honored
President, I did go, and distributed food unmolested anywhere on the
island, until arrangements were made by our government for all
American citizens to leave Cuba. Persons must now be dying there by
the hundreds if not thousands daily, for the want of the food we are
shutting out. Will not the world hold us accountable? Will history
write us blameless? Will it not be said of us that we completed the
scheme of extermination commenced by Weyler? I fear the mutterings
are already in the air.

Fortunately, I know the Spanish authorities in Cuba, Captain-General
Blanco and his assistants. We parted with perfect friendliness. They
do not regard me as an American merely, but as the national
representative of an international treaty to which themselves are
signatory and under which they act. I believe they would receive and
confer with me, if such a thing were made possible.

I would like to ask Spanish permission and protection to land and
distribute the food now on the "State of Texas." Could I be
permitted to ask to see them under flag of truce? If we make the
effort and are refused, the blame rests with them; if we fail to
make it, it rests with us. I hold it good statesmanship to at least
divide the responsibility. I am told that some days must elapse
before our troops can be in position to reach and feed this starving
people. Our food and our force are here, ready to commence at once.

With assurances of highest regard, I am, Admiral,
Very respectfully yours,
CLARA BARTON.

YACHT "RED CROSS."--Failed to reach Cuba in time for
service, and was used for transporting sick between
military camps and New York.

S.S. "SAN ANTONIO."--Carried assorted cargo and hospital
supplies to Matanzas and Cardenas for distribution to
the interior towns.

S.S. "STATE OF TEXAS."--Loaded before the declaration of
war, with 1400 tons of food and hospital supplies and
clothing for Cuban hungry.

Carried Red Cross president and working staff and
nurses. Used cargo for both U.S. Army and Cubans at
Guantanamo, Siboney, the front and Santiago.

SCHOONER "MARY E MORSE."--Carried 800 tons of ice to
Santiago, used on transports carrying returned soldiers
and sick men. Afterward carried transferred cargo of
"Port Victor" to Baracoa and Jibarra for distribution
among Cuban hungry.

SCHOONER "NOCOMIS."--Carried 700 tons of ice to Porto
Rico.]

On the same day, Admiral Sampson, in his reply, pointed out why, as commander of the blockading squadron, his instructions would not permit him to admit food into Cuba at that time.

U.S. FLAGSHIP "NEW YORK," FIRST RATE.
KEY WEST, FLORIDA, _May 2, 1898_.

MISS CLARA BARTON,
_President, American National Red Cross, Key West, Fla._:

DEAR MADAM: I have received, through the senior naval officer
present, a copy of a letter from the State Department to the
Secretary of the Navy, a copy of a letter of the Secretary of the
Navy to the commander-in-chief of the naval force on this station,
and also a copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Navy to the
commandant of the naval station at Key West.

2. From these communications it appears that the destination of the
steamship "State of Texas," loaded with supplies for the starving
reconcentrados in Cuba, is left, in a measure, to my judgment.

3. At present I am acting under instructions from the Navy
Department to blockade the coast of Cuba for the purpose of
preventing, among other things, any food supply from reaching the
Spanish forces in Cuba. Under these circumstances it seems to me
unwise to let a ship-load of such supplies be sent to the
reconcentrados, for, in my opinion, they would be distributed to the
Spanish army. Until some point be occupied in Cuba by our forces,
from which such distribution may be made to those for whom the
supplies are intended, I am unwilling that they should be landed on
Cuban soil.

Yours, very respectfully,
W.T. SAMPSON,
_Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy_,
_Commander-in-Chief U.S. Naval Force,
North Atlantic Station_.

The Red Cross had been requested to hasten south to take food into Cuba, but the admiral had been instructed to keep it out. Nothing remained to do but to inform the government at Washington, and the committee in New York, regarding the situation as developed by this correspondence, and await farther instructions, which was done by cablegram addressed to the chairman of the Central Cuban Relief Committee in New York:

KEY WEST, FLA., _May 3, 1898_.

Herewith I transmit copies of letters passed between Admiral Sampson
and myself. I think it important that you should immediately present
this correspondence personally to the government, as it will place
before them the exact situation here. The utmost cordiality exists
between Admiral Sampson and myself. The admiral feels it his duty,
as chief of the blockading squadron to keep food out of Cuba, and
recognizes that from my standpoint my duty is to try to get food
into Cuba and this correspondence is transmitted with his cordial
consent. If I insist, Admiral Sampson will try to open communication
under a flag of truce, but his letter expresses his opinion
regarding the best method. Advices from the government would enable
us to reach a decision. Unless there is objection at Washington, you
are at liberty to publish this correspondence if you wish.

CLARA BARTON.

In a few days the following cablegram was received in reply:

WASHINGTON, _May 6, 1898_.

CLARA BARTON, _Key West_:

Submitted your message to President and cabinet, and it was read
with moistened eyes. Considered serious and pathetic. Admiral
Sampson's views regarded as wisest at present. Hope to land you
soon. President, Long and Moore send highest regards.

BARTON.
(S.E.)

We too hoped to land soon, but the opportunity never came, and the "State of Texas" whose finely assorted cargo was primarily intended for the starving reconcentrados, did not get to Cuba until she went with the transports conveying the invading army, and, after doing good service in the relief of the sick and wounded at El Caney and Siboney, she entered the harbor of Santiago, the first American ship to reach the city.

While these things were transpiring, preparations were being made by the Red Cross, in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Geneva, to render auxiliary medical and hospital service during the war. Upon the declaration of war, a special committee was appointed, composed of Dr. J.B. Hubbell, Mr. John Hitz and Mr. Stephen E. Barton, to wait upon the President of the United States, the Secretaries of State, War and Navy, and the Surgeon General, to give oral notice of the intention of the Red Cross to be ready to furnish any supplemental aid that might be required by the armies in the field.

Following the usual custom, the American National Red Cross was about to issue a statement to the American people for funds and materials to support its ministrations to the sick and wounded, when a resolution was passed by the board of directors of the New York Red Cross Hospital, of which institution Mr. William T. Wardwell is president, proposing the formation of a Relief Committee. The purpose of this committee was to raise funds and supplies, in the name of the Red Cross, and to act as a national auxiliary in the capacity of trustees and temporary custodians of the contributions of the people in support of the work to be done by the American National Red Cross.

The tender of the proposed Relief Committee, thus voluntarily formed, was provisionally accepted by Mr. Stephen E. Barton, subject to the official acceptance by the American National Red Cross. Upon this provisional acceptance the Relief Committee proceeded to organize, and its membership was enlarged by the addition of men well known in social and financial circles of the City and State of New York.

The name adopted by the committee: "The American National Red Cross Relief Committee," was perhaps unfortunate, in some respects, inasmuch as it created a certain confusion in the minds of the people, who were often unable to distinguish between the parent organization, the American National Red Cross, and the Relief Committee of New York. The committee having completed its organization, the tender of its services during the war was made and accepted in the following terms:

NEW YORK, _May 3, 1898_.

GENTLEMEN: We have before us the official communication in which
your secretary, Mr. John P. Faure, transmits to us for action
thereon, the following resolution from your executive committee:

_Resolved_, That the secretary be and he hereby is instructed to
officially notify the American National Red Cross of the fact of the
organization of this committee, requesting official acknowledgment
and acceptance by the American National Red Cross, of the tender of
financial co-operation and support offered by this committee.

In reply we would say that it gives us great pleasure to accept your
generous offer of financial co-operation and support. In carrying
out the object of your offer, you are authorized to make such a
public appeal, in the name of the American National Red Cross, as
you may think best.

For the purpose of unifying all effort, and concentrating all
financial and material support to the American National Red Cross,
we also confidently entrust to you, in consultation with our own
executive committee, the work of inviting, through your committee,
the co-operation of all Red Cross Relief Committees throughout the
United States.

Very truly yours,
The American National Red Cross,
CLARA BARTON, President,
GEO. KENNAN, Vice-President,
STEPHEN E. BARTON, Second Vice-President.

The acceptance of this offer made necessary the formation of an executive committee of the American National Red Cross, with headquarters in the city of New York, whose function it would be to represent the Red Cross in its official dealings with the government at Washington, the American people and the Relief Committee, and to devise ways and means for the administration of the contributions of the people, through the appointment and direction of official representatives of the Red Cross in the camps. The executive committee was at once appointed and consisted of the following members: Stephen E. Barton, Charles A. Schieren, Hon. Joseph Sheldon, George W. Boldt and William B. Howland, and organized with Mr. Barton as chairman and Mr. Schieren as treasurer.

* * * * *

On the fourteenth day of May the Relief Committee addressed the following letter to the President of the United States, reciting the formal offer of the American National Red Cross to supplement the field and hospital service of the army and navy, and reiterating their tender of co-operation and financial support:

NEW YORK, _May 20, 1898_.

_To the President_:

SIR: In accordance with the request made by you to the special
committee appointed by the American National Red Cross Relief
Committee, during its recent visit to you, the undersigned members
of said special committee beg leave to submit the following
statements for your consideration:

The American National Red Cross Relief Committee of New York,
organized with an unlimited number of co-operating and auxiliary
bodies throughout the country, for the purpose of providing
financial and material sustenance to the work of the American
National Red Cross, Miss Clara Barton, president, begs leave to
represent to the Government of the United States as follows, viz:

_First._--That the American National Red Cross is the duly
incorporated committee representing the work of the Red Cross in its
civil capacity, and is recognized as such by the Government of the
United States, the governments of other countries and the
International Committee at Geneva.

_Second._--That we are informed that the said American National Red
Cross has given formal notice to the Departments of State, War and
Navy and the Surgeons-General of the army and navy of its readiness
to respond to any calls for civil aid to supplement the hospital
work of the army and navy, in accordance with the provisions of the
resolutions of the Geneva Conference of 1863 and the Geneva
Convention of 1864, and their amendments.

_Third._--That, in order to guarantee the fullest effectiveness of
the aid thus offered by the civil Red Cross, this committee hereby
gives you official notice that it stands ready, together with other
co-operating committees, to furnish all necessary money and material
to support the work of the said American National Red Cross, as
hereinbefore outlined.

We beg to request, Mr. President, that you take the necessary action
to have the several departments of the government duly notified of
this financial guarantee of the assistance tendered by the American
National Red Cross, to the end that the fullest reliance may be
placed upon its offer, should the extent of the present war over tax
the preparations of the medical departments of the army and navy.

Please favor us with a prompt acknowledgment of this letter and
information as to your action thereon.

Respectfully,
LEVI P. MORTON,
HENRY C. POTTER, D.D., LL.D.,
WILLIAM T. WARDWELL,
GEORGE F. SHRADY, M.D.,
A. MONAE LESSER, M.D.

On May 24, the above communication was transmitted by the Secretary of State to the Department of War, in the following letter in which he explains the position of the American National Red Cross and its national and international status:

DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

_The Honorable the Secretary of War_:

SIR: I have the honor to transmit to you copy of a letter addressed
to the President under date of the twentieth inst., by Messrs. Levi
P. Morton, Henry C. Potter, D.D., William T. Wardwell, George F.
Shrady, M.D., and A. Monae Lesser, M.D., a special committee
appointed by the American National Red Cross Relief Committee, in
regard to the work proposed to be undertaken by that organization
for the purpose of providing financial and material support to the
work of the American National Red Cross, of which latter Miss Clara
Barton is president.

The proposal has the President's cordial approbation in view of the
distinctive position of the American National Red Cross as the sole
central organization in the United States in affiliation with the
International Committee of Berne, and through it with the Central
Red Cross Committees which have been formed in every country which
has adhered to the Geneva Convention of 1864.

It is to be remembered that the Geneva Convention itself is largely
the outgrowth of American initiative. The American Sanitary
Commission, organized during the first years of the War of the
Rebellion, proved the efficacy of uniform and concentrated effort to
bring into play the benevolent influences of the people to aid the
military authorities in caring for the sick and wounded in war, and
its conspicuous success attracted attention abroad to such a degree
that, in obedience to a very general desire in European countries,
the Swiss Government, in 1863, invited an international conference
to formulate and adopt a general plan for the amelioration of the
suffering of the sick and wounded in war. As a result of that
conference arrangements were perfected for the organization of
central civil committees in the several countries to supplement the
work done by the military service of the armies in the field, thus
creating in nearly all the Continental States organizations similar
to the American Sanitary Commission. The following year another
conference was held at Geneva, under the auspices of the
International Committee, which resulted in the signing of the Geneva
Convention of 1864, to which the United States is a party. Still
another conference in 1868 resulted in the additional articles
extending the principles of the Geneva Convention to naval
operations, which have been adopted by this government and Spain as
a _modus vivendi_ during the present war.

Besides these truly international conventions, conferences held at
Geneva in 1867 and in 1869 still further perfected the organization
and operation of the International Committee of Berne and its
relations to the several civil central Red Cross Committees in the
adhering States, to the end that the latter might not alone
cooperate with the governments of their respective nations in time
of war, but should perform analogous relief work in each State in
time of pestilence, famine or other national calamity.

The American National Red Cross, incorporated under the laws of the
United States for the District of Columbia, constitutes the sole
legitimate and recognized local branch in this country of the great
international association, of which the International Committee of
Berne is the head. Of its conspicuous peaceful services in time of
national suffering at home and abroad, it is superfluous to speak.
Its relation to the military and naval hospital service in time of
war is now under consideration. Under the terms of the Geneva
conventions, its aid may be powerfully given to the military and
naval armies, with the added prestige which belongs to it as the
American branch of the International Red Cross. By the terms of the
Geneva Convention of 1864, the participation of its agents in the
active ambulance and hospital service of the armies and naval forces
of the United States is effected through the express neutralization
of its individual workers by the military and naval authorities and
the issuance to them of the stipulated armlet bearing the sign of
the Red Cross. Its assistance, however, is not limited to this
individual employment of its agents in the field; it stands ready to
co-operate in the equipment and supply of ambulances and medical
stores, drawing for its resources on the benevolence of the
community and systematizing effort and aid throughout the country by
the various local committees it has organized.

By Article II of the protocol of the Geneva Conference of 1863,
which created the International Committee of Berne and its
associated national committees, each National Central Committee is
to enter into relations with the government of its country so that
its services may be accepted if occasion should present itself, and
by Article III, on being called upon, or with the assent of the
military authorities, the respective Central Committee is to send
volunteer nurses to the field of battle, there to be placed under
the orders of the commanding officer. These articles sufficiently
show the character of the aid to be rendered in time of war by the
widespread organization of which the International Committee of
Berne is the head.

There is pending in Congress at the present time an act to
legitimize the national status of the American National Red Cross
and to protect its exclusive use of the insignia of the Red Cross
for the work it was organized to perform, and its early passage is
expected. Indeed, it would probably have become a law before now but
for a need of a slight amendment which this Department has advised.
The purpose of that act has the President's cordial approval.

In referring to me the annexed letter from the special committee of
the American National Red Cross Relief Committee the President has
requested me to take such steps as may be necessary and effective to
recognize the American National Red Cross as the proper and sole
representative in the United States of the International Committee,
and, as such, corresponding to the central committees which have
been constituted in the several States which have adhered to the
Geneva Convention. So far as international correspondence with the
Swiss Government in relation to the deliberations of the Geneva
Conference is concerned, this government has uniformly recognized
the American National Red Cross as the only civil body in the United
States which is regularly affiliated with the International
Committee of Berne for the purpose of carrying out the arrangements
elaborated by the various conferences held at Geneva, and the
representatives of the American National Red Cross at those
conferences have uniformly attended with the sanction of the United
States Government. No additional recognition or sanction is needed
in that quarter.

I have therefore the honor to inform you, by direction of the
President, that this government recognizes, for any appropriate
co-operative purposes, the American National Red Cross as the Civil
Central American Committee in correspondence with the International
Committee for the relief of the wounded in war and to invite similar
recognition of its status by your department with a view to taking
advantage of its proffered aid during the present war so far as may
be available.

Respectfully yours,
WILLIAM R. DAY,
_Secretary of State_.

The foregoing letter from the Secretary of State defines the position of the American National Red Cross, as uniformly recognized by the Government of the United States, and by the International Committee representing all the treaty nations. The treaty contemplates that there shall be in each country one national organization of the Red Cross, with power to organize an unlimited number of subordinate branches, or auxiliaries, all directly tributary to the national body. As the personnel and equipment of the Red Cross are expressly neutralized and protected by the treaty, it was essential to the security of all, that the civil power and responsibility should be concentrated. It was for this reason that the president of the International Committee, in his letter of March 24, 1882, urged that:

It is important that we be able to certify that your government is
prepared to accept your services in case of war; that it will
readily enter into co-operation with you and will encourage the
centralization, under your direction, of all voluntary aid.

We have no doubt that you will readily obtain, from the competent
authorities, an official declaration to that effect, and we believe
this matter will be merely a formality; but we attach the greatest
importance to the fact, in order to cover our responsibility,
especially in view of the pretensions of rival societies which might
claim to be acknowledged by us. It is your society and none other
that we will recognize.

It will be seen that, in the opinion of the International Committee, not recognition alone, but cordial co-operation on the part of the government is of vital importance. In each country, the National Red Cross, or national committee as it is sometimes called, is the only civil medium contemplated by the treaty, through which the people of the respective countries may lawfully communicate with the armies in the field, for the purpose of rendering such auxiliary medical and hospital service, and other relief, as may be required. It must be constantly born in mind, in order to clearly understand the operations of the Red Cross, that our government and the people are bound, not only by the solemn provisions of the treaty, but also by the resolutions of the international conferences, composed of delegates authorized by their respective governments. Thus, the Secretary of State in his letter says:

The American National Red Cross constitutes the sole legitimate and
recognized local branch, in this country, of the great International
Association, of which the International Committee at Berne is the
head. This government has uniformly recognized the American National
Red Cross as the only civil body in the United States which is
regularly affiliated with the International Committee of Berne, for
the purpose of carrying out the arrangements elaborated by the
various conferences held at Geneva, and the representatives of the
American National Red Cross at those conferences have uniformly
attended with the sanction of the United States Government. No
additional recognition or sanction is needed in that quarter.

The American National Red Cross is, consequently, the recognized source from which is derived all civil authority to use the official insignia and to work under the Red Cross as auxiliary to the army and navy. The national Red Cross, in each country, is responsible to its own government and, through the International Committee, to all the nations of the treaty, for the integrity of its branches. Auxiliaries of the Red Cross must therefore receive their charters or certificates of authority from the parent organization, which, in turn, is held to a strict observance of all its treaty obligations. Hence the use of the name or of the insignia of the Red Cross by civil societies, in relief work, without the sanction of the national organization, is an imposition and a violation of the treaty. Without such official permission or charter, no auxiliary can have any rightful existence, as a branch of the American National Red Cross.

After having secured for the people by treaty the right, through their own national organizations of the Red Cross, to contribute to the relief of the sick and wounded in war, the delegates to the international conventions at Geneva continued their labors until there was added to the functions of the Red Cross, the power to administer relief, in times of peace, on fields of national disaster. Out of compliment to the president of the American National Red Cross, who advocated this extension, the addition to the treaty is known as "The American Amendment." Referring to it, the Secretary of State in his letter continues:

Conferences held at Geneva in 1867 and 1869, still further perfected
the organization and operation of the International Committee of
Berne, and its relations to the several civil Central Red Cross
Committees in the adhering States, to the end that the latter might
not alone co-operate with the governments of their respective
nations in time of war, but should perform analogous relief work in
each State in time of pestilence, famine or other national calamity.
Of the American National Red Cross, and its conspicuous peaceful
services in time of national suffering at home and abroad, it is
superfluous to speak.

Thus is clearly explained why, on such great fields of suffering and disaster as the Ohio Floods, the Russian Famine, the Sea Islands Hurricane, in Armenia and in Cuba, the American National Red Cross is found endeavoring to carry out the benign intentions of the Treaty of Geneva.

For the first time in the history of warfare, it was now proposed to fit out, and maintain at sea, hospital ships for the relief of sick and wounded. The Treaty of Geneva, however, only provided for the recognition and protection of the hospital service of the army in its operations upon the land. An amendment to the treaty was proposed by the convention which met at Geneva on October 20, 1868, extending the treaty to include hospital service at sea. This amendment, concerning naval hospital service, was known as the "Additional Articles," and, although the Government of the United States in acceding to the Treaty of Geneva included the proposed amendment, President Arthur in his proclamation of August 9, 1882, reserved the promulgation of the Additional Articles until after the exchange of ratifications by the signatory Powers. The Additional Articles were never ratified by the other treaty nations, and, at the beginning of the Spanish-American war, they were not in force as a part of the treaty. Spain was therefore under no treaty obligation to respect the flag of the Red Cross upon the ocean.

Although the Additional Articles had not yet been formally ratified, the Swiss Government, acting as an intermediary, and with a view to securing their observance by both belligerents during the war, opened a diplomatic correspondence between the governments of the United States and Spain, proposing the adoption of a temporary agreement, or _modus vivendi_, during the continuance of hostilities. The official correspondence on the subject between the Secretary of State and the Swiss Minister will be of interest, as showing the method by which the temporary agreement between the two countries was secured, the modifications made and the interpretation placed upon some of the doubtful clauses:

SWISS LEGATION,
WASHINGTON, _April 23, 1898_.

MR. SECRETARY OF STATE: War having been now unhappily declared
between the United States and Spain, my government, in its capacity
as the intermediary organ between the signatory states of the
convention of Geneva, has decided to propose to the cabinets of
Washington and Madrid to recognize and carry into execution, as a
_modus vivendi_, during the whole duration of hostilities, the
additional articles, proposed by the International Conference which
met at Geneva on October 20, 1868, to the convention of Geneva of
August 22, 1864, which (additional articles) extend the effects of
that convention to naval wars. Although it has as yet been
impossible to convert the said draft of additional articles into a
treaty, still, in 1870, Germany and France, at the suggestion of the
Swiss Federal Council, consented to apply the additional articles as
a _modus vivendi_, during the whole duration of hostilities. The
Federal Council proposes the additional articles as they have been
amended at the request of France and construed by that power and
Great Britain.

My government, while instructing me to make this proposition to Your
Excellency, recalls the fact that, on March 1, 1882, the President
of the United States declared that he acceded, not only to the
Geneva Convention of August 22, 1864, but also to the additional
articles of October 20, 1868.

The Spanish Government, likewise, in 1872, declared itself ready to
adhere to these articles. The Federal Council, therefore, hopes that
the two governments will agree to adopt the measure, the object of
which is to secure the application on the seas of the humane
principles laid down in the Geneva Convention.

With the confident expectation of a favorable reply from the United
States Government to this proposal, I avail myself, etc.,

J.B. PIODA.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, _April 25, 1898_.

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the
twenty-third instant, whereby, in view of the condition of war
existing between the United States and Spain, you communicate the
purpose of your government to propose to the cabinets of Washington
and Madrid that they recognize and carry into execution, as a _modus
vivendi_, during the whole duration of hostilities, the additional
articles proposed by the International Conference of Geneva, under
date of October 20, 1868, for the purpose of extending to naval wars
the effects of the convention of Geneva of August 22, 1864, for the
succor of the wounded in armies in the field.

As you note in the communication to which I have the honor to reply,
the United States, through the act of the President, did on the
first day of March, 1882, accede to the said additional articles of
October 20, 1868, at the same time that it acceded to the original
convention of Geneva of August 22, 1864; but, as is recited in the
President's proclamation of July 26, 1882, a copy of which I enclose
herewith, the exchange of the ratifications of the aforesaid
additional articles of October 20, 1868, had not then (nor has
since) taken place between the contracting parties, so that the
promulgation of the accession of the United States to the said
additional articles was (and still remains) reserved until the
exchange of the ratifications thereof between the several
contracting states shall have been effected and the said additional
articles shall have acquired full force and effect as an
international treaty.

I find, upon examination of the published correspondence which took
place in 1870 at the time of the war between France and North
Germany (British and Foreign State Papers, vol. 60, pp. 945-946),
that upon the initiative of the Prussian minister at Berne, followed
by the proposal made by the government of the Swiss confederation to
the French and North German governments, the then belligerents
severally notified to the government of Switzerland their
willingness to accept provisionally and at once to establish as a
_modus vivendi_ applicable to the war then in progress, both by sea
and land, all the additional articles to the convention of Geneva of
October 20, 1868, together with the subsequent interpretations of
the ninth and tenth articles thereof agreed upon and proposed by
England and France. I understand from your note that, although those
articles have not as yet become a matter of international
convention, it is desired that the United States and Spain accede to
the same, together with the same amendments and construction as
above stated. I entertain no doubt that the United States will
readily lend its support and approval to the general purpose of
those articles and be in favor of adopting them as a _modus
vivendi_; it has ever been in favor of proper regulations for the
mitigation of the hardships of war. But before it can accede to them
as a matter of fact, in the present instance, it must first fully
understand the nature and text of the amendments and construction
placed upon the articles by France and England as stated by you.

I would respectfully suggest, therefore, that there be furnished to
this government either the text or a clear exposition of the
articles, with the amendments and constructions referred to, in
order that the understanding may be complete. A certain pamphlet,
written by Lieutenant Colonel Poland in 1886, is said to contain
these amendments and constructions, but there is not now accessible
to the Department of State a copy of such pamphlet or other reliable
means of information on the subject. I shall await with pleasure
fuller and exact information from you of the terms to which we are
asked to accede.

Accept, etc.
JOHN SHERMAN.

SWISS LEGATION,
WASHINGTON, D.C., _May 4, 1898_.

MR. SECRETARY OF STATE: I have had the honor to receive the note
which your honorable predecessor did me the favor of addressing to
me under the date of the twenty-fifth of April, in reply to mine of
the twenty-third of the same month, upon the subject of the
proposition of my government to the cabinets of Washington and
Madrid to adopt as a _modus vivendi_ pending the entire duration of
the war, the articles of the twentieth of October, 1868, additional
to those of the convention of Geneva of the twenty-second of August,
1864.

The documents which, in the aforesaid note of your predecessor, were
desired and which, as I have had the opportunity of telling you
verbally, my government had sent at the same time that it instructed
me by cable to make the overtures on the subject, have just arrived,
and I enclose them herein in duplicate copies. They confirm the text
of the additional articles, the modification of Article IX proposed
by France and the notes exchanged between England and France
concerning the import of Article X. The Spanish Government having,
by note of its Legation of the seventh of September, 1872, also
declared that it was ready to adhere to the articles in question,
the Federal Council hopes that the governments of America and Spain,
appreciating the sentiments which have guided it in its course, will
be of accord in adopting as a _modus vivendi_ a measure which has
for its purpose the securing of the application upon the sea of the
humanitarian principles consecrated by the Geneva Convention.

Awaiting your communication to me of the decision which the
Government of the United States shall see fit to take in regard to
this proposition, I offer you, Mr. Secretary of State, the
expression of my very highest consideration.

J.B. PIODA.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, _May 9, 1898_.

SIR: Upon receiving your note of the fourth instant, in reply to
mine of the twenty-fifth of April, concerning the proposition of the
Government of the Swiss Confederation that the United States and
Spain adopt as a _modus vivendi_, pending the entire duration of the
war, the articles of October 20, 1868, additional to those of the
convention of Geneva on August 22, 1864, I communicated all the
papers in the case to the Secretary of the Navy, calling his
attention to the form of the _modus vivendi_ adopted during the
Franco-German war, which your government was pleased to suggest as a
precedent to be followed during the existing war. The printed paper
you enclose, besides giving the text of the original additional
articles of October 20, 1868, contains the correspondence had in
1868 and 1869 concerning the interpretation of Articles IX and X of
the said additional convention and thus establishes the precise
nature of the understanding to which France and the North German
States respectively acceded.

As so expressed, the Government of the United States finds no
difficulty in acceding to the suggestion of the Government of
Switzerland. It had, in fact, anticipated it, so far as concerns its
own conduct of hostilities and its own purpose to observe the humane
dictates of modern civilization in the prosecution of warfare upon
the sea as well as upon land by fitting out and equipping a special
ambulance ship, the "Solace," in conformity with the terms of the
additional convention aforesaid, thus confirming emphatically its
adhesion to the principles of that beneficient arrangement without
regard to the absence of its formal ratification by the various
signatories.