1898] Conclusion of Hostilities 569 cans, admirably led, pressed on across the island, when the approach of peace stopped the further armed invasion. 1898. As soon as the news of Dewey's brilliant victory was The fall of received, preparations were begun to send him the soldiers Manila, August 17, that he needed to capture and hold Manila. The command of the army was given to General Wesley Merritt, a great soldier, who, like Miles, had rendered distinguished service in the Civil War. It proved to be very difficult to secure suitable transports on the Pacific coast. As fast as troops and transports could be got ready, they were sent from San Francisco. The first expedition left California on May 25. But it was the end of July before the land attack on Manila was begun. Meantime the insurgents, for there were insurgents in the Philippines as well as in Cuba, were blockading the city on the land side, while Dewey blockaded it from the water. July 31 the Spaniards suddenly attacked the American lines in the darkness of the night. After a hard fight, in which both regulars and volunteers did splendid work, the enemy was beaten off with heavy loss. Finally, on August 13, after more troops had arrived, Dewey and Merritt made a joint attack. The city surrendered after a slight resistance." the protocol August 11, 1898. 398. Conclusion of Hostilities. - July 26 the French Signing of ambassador at Washington, on behalf of Spain, inquired upon what terms peace might be had. The President stated the conditions. After some delay on the part of Spain these terms were set down in a preliminary agreement or protocol, as it is termed by the diplomatists. This agreement was signed August 11. It provided in brief (1) that Spain shall relinquish all claim of sovereignty and title to Cuba and cede to the United States Porto Rico and all other Spanish West India islands and an island in the Ladrones. (2) The city, bay, and harbor of Manila to be held by the Americans until a final agreement as to the Philippines shall be made. (3) Hostilities shall immediately cease. The President at once issued a proclamation directing the American armies to cease further aggressive operations. Annexation of Hawaii, 1898. The The war loan. Meantime the Manila campaign had shown the strategic importance of Hawaii. Before this, indeed, Hawaii and the other Sandwich Islands had attracted attention in the United States. American capital is largely invested in sugar and other plantations in those islands, and the white men are generally of American parentage. For many years the natives and the whites lived happily together. But in time less wise rulers succeeded. Successful rebellion was the result. A republic was instituted and annexation to the United States proposed. For some time the matter remained undecided, but in July, 1898, Hawaii was declared annexed by joint resolution. This provided for the appointment of a commission of five, of whom at least two should be resident Hawaiians. This commission shall recommend to Congress such legislation as may seem advisable. Until Congress shall pass legislation of this kind the government of the islands shall be carried on as the President from time to time may direct. There are forty-five thousand Chinese and Japanese in the islands, forty thousand native Hawaiians, and only five thousand English speakers. Captain Mahan, the greatest authority on naval strategy, has stated that the possession of these islands is essential for our protection. With Hawaii in our hands, few nations can attack the Pacific coast of the United States. Plainly the fifty million dollars would not long support active war. Other measures were necessary; new taxes were provided and a loan was authorized. The new taxes contained, among others, provisions for annual taxes to be paid by bankers, brokers, theatrical managers; stamps must be affixed to bank checks, stocks and bonds, public telephone messages, telegrams, and patent medicines; also legacies were taxed, and the tax on beer was increased. These taxes were very successful and, at one time, brought in two hundred million dollars a year. The Secretary of the Treasury asked for public subscriptions to a loan of two hundred million three-per-cent bonds at par. Subscriptions were received for as small amounts as twenty dollars. The 1900] Population 571 amount subscribed was nearly fourteen hundred millions. The year 1897-1898 was one of great prosperity. Especially foreign trade increased, exports reaching the enormous total of twelve hundred million dollars. Of this total more than three hundred million dollars was in manufactured goods. The largest single export was grain. Indeed, so prosperous was the country, that the pressure of the war was scarcely felt. On December 10, 1898, American and Spanish commissioners signed a treaty of peace at Paris. Following the terms of the protocol (p. 569) Spain gave up all claim to sovereignty in Cuba and ceded Porto Rico and other smaller islands to the United States. Before news of the signing of the protocol could reach the Philippines the American soldiers, aided by the fleet, captured Manila. It was now arranged that Spain should cede the whole Philippine group to the United States and should receive twenty million dollars. For a time the inhabitants of the Philippine The Islands, or some of them, desired to be an independent Philippines. nation and resisted the armed forces of the United States. By 1902, however, peace was established throughout the islands. It will be remembered that the United States came into Cuba, the possession of Cuba under a pledge to give independence. to the people of that island. This did not prove to be possible at once and for some years military government was in force there, first under General John R. Brooke and later under Major General Leonard A. Wood. In 1902, however, the United States troops were withdrawn and the island was turned over to its inhabitants under certain restrictions as to its government and relations with other nations. In 1904 arrangements were completed for giving trade advantages to the Cubans. 399. Population, 1900. Since 1860 the population has Numbers. more than doubled, and is given in the census of 1900 as seventy-six millions; in 1880 it was fifty millions. The estimate for 1900 includes Alaska but does not include the Philippines, Porto Rico, Hawaii, and other islands; adding these to the continental part of the United States, the total population is estimated at about eighty-five millions. During the Civil War immigration fell off, but as soon as peaceful conditions again prevailed foreigners began to come into Immigration. the country in increased numbers. In the ten years ending with 1900, nearly four million immigrants entered the United States. This was a smaller number than came in the ten years preceding 1890, but since 1900 the number has again risen — no less than eight hundred and fifty-seven thousand coming in the year 1903. In 1900 there were ten million foreigners living in the country; these formed nearly fourteen per cent of the population. The Germans were the most numerous of any one race with two and one half millions, the English with the Norwegians and the Swedes numbered rather less than two millions,—a total Germanic foreign-born population of nearly four and one half millions. The Celtic foreign-born population was nearly two millions, of whom the Irish formed more than one and one half million; the remainder being immigrants from Scotland and Wales. There are also more than one million Canadians living in the United States; they are partly of English and partly of French extraction, but many of them are immigrants from Europe who have tried Canada before finally coming to the United States. It may be said, as the result of this study of the census figures, that immigrants of Germanic and Celtic stocks form over three quarters of the total foreign-born population of the country. It should be noted, however, that Italians, Bohemians, Hungarians, and Russians have thronged to the United States in recent years, no less than one half million landing in the year 1903. The conditions of living in the South still prevent immigration to that region, although there is some improvement in this respect: out of the ten million immigrants whose parentage we have just been noting, less than one half million dwell in the old slave states. These are the figures as given in the official tables, but many of those who are 1890] Population 573 here enumerated among the foreign-born residents of the United States are only temporary residents. Hardy fishermen come from the Maritime Provinces of Canada every spring to man the fishing vessels of New England; other Canadians come to work in the fields and the mills of the North. Many of these fishermen, laborers, and mill hands return home in the autumn, and others remain for a year or two only; they all appear in the tables as residents. Moreover, many Canadian fishermen and laborers come to the United States summer after summer, counting each time as one immigrant; in this way one man may often be represented in the tables as ten or more immigrants. The same thing is true of the Italians, who frequently return home for the winter or after a few years of toil; these, too, appear in the lists as immigrants, while, as a matter of fact, they are rather to be classed as visitors. But when every deduction has been made, the constant influx of immigrants has been one of the chief factors in our prosperity. They have made possible the building of our railroads, mills, and warehouses; they perform much of the work required in running our mills, and our great agricultural and grazing establishments; they descend into our mines and make accessible the mineral wealth of the country. In short, the value of the work done by immigrants in building up American industries has been enormous; and it should never be underestimated in a consideration of the forces which have made the United States what it is. Many persons think, however, that the time has now come when some limitation should be placed on immigration. Distribution of popula tion. 400. Distribution of Population, Area, etc. -The settled area of the continental United States has increased from a little over one million square miles in 1860 to two million square miles in 1900. At the same time the urban population has greatly increased: in 1860 about sixteen per cent of the people were gathered in cities and towns; in 1890 thirty-three per cent of the population was classed as urban. The great cities have all grown. New York, including The cities. |