Office of the Historian

Second call for volunteers—Spain.

By the President of the United States:

A PROCLAMATION.

Whereas an act of Congress was approved on the twenty-fifth day of April, 1898, entitled, “An act declaring that war exists between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain,” and

Whereas by an act of Congress entitled, “An act to provide for temporarily increasing the military establishment of the United States in time of war and for other purposes,” approved April 22, 1898; the President is authorized, in order to raise a volunteer army, to issue his proclamation calling for volunteers to serve in the Army of the United States:

Now, therefore, I, William McKinley, President of the United States, by virtue of the power vested in me by the Constitution and the laws, and deeming sufficient occasion to exist, have thought fit to call forth and hereby do call forth, volunteers to the aggregate number of 75,000 in addition to the volunteers called forth by my proclamation of the twenty-third day of April, in the present year; the same to be apportioned, as far as practicable, among the several States and Territories and the District of Columbia, according to population, and to serve for two years, unless sooner discharged. The proportion of each arm and the details of enlistment and organization will be made known through the War Department.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

[seal.] Done at the city of Washington, this twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety eight, and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-second.
William McKinley.

By the President:
William R. Day,
Secretary of State.