The Treaty of Paris, signed Dec. 10, 1898, also granted Cuba its freedom. Its ratification was front page news in the Deseret Evening News. For Utahns, the end of the war meant a great deal.

After heated debate, United States Congress approved the Treaty of Paris on February 6, 1899, by a two-thirds margin (57 to 27). The following day, President McKinley signed the treaty ...

It also presented a dilemma of sorts for President William McKinley. The 1898 Treaty of Paris awarded the US annexation of the former Spanish colonies of Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines.