President signed Cuban joint resolutions at 11.24.
Señor Polo y Bernabé, the Spanish Minister, was notified. He at once requested his passports.
April 21.—General Woodford, the American Minister at Madrid, left Spain.
The President directed the Secretary of the Navy to order the vessels of the North Atlantic squadron to proceed without delay to Cuban waters to blockade Havana and other ports of the island.
April 23.—President McKinley signed the proclamation calling for 125,000 volunteers.
April 25.—Formal declaration of war recommended by the President, and a bill "declaring that war exists between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain," passed by both houses.
And so the United States embarked on its first war with any European Power, save England—a war forced upon us by every consideration of humanity—a war which shall be of great advantage or of great harm to our Republic, according as its fruits are wisely or wrongly administered.
