North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-08-02
PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE
THE
CUBAN REPUBLICANS, S,
AT PRINCIPE, & S
July &th, 1s5 l..
AT PRINCIPE


al and noli,ical condition of people can be noeh
ntelv nroonged in which man-strpPed OF all rights
and Guarantees with security OF person or proper
tv no endowment the present. no hope In the iu!uIe
lives only by the will, and under the conditions
imposed by the pleasure Of his tyrants' wheIe WIG
caiumny,,a prisoners denuncatIon deSPo' > Sus-
picon, word caught up by surprise IN me sauc'usy
Of home or from the violated privacy OF letter. inr-
nisbes annie grounds for tearing man IToi' MS
hearth and casting him forth 10 die OF destlinnon or
despair in foreign soil, If he escapes being SUBJECT
ed to the Insulting forms of barbarous and arbitrary
tribunal where his prosecutors are themselves the
Judges who condemn him. and where instead OF their
proving his offence, he is required to prove his inno
A situation so violent as this, Cuba has now been
for many years endurings and far from any promise
of remedy appearing, every day adds new proof that
the poliey Of the moher-country, and the eroclty OF
her rulers will grant neither rest till she Is
reduced to the condition OF Immense prison, where
every Cuban will be watched by guard, and VIII
have to pay that guard for watching him. Ia VAIN
have this people exhibited mildness, pr"dence'
and even submission and loyalty, which have Oee''
Proverhfal. - hos M, bsep
able 10 find any ostenSible grounds Tor Persecu'oi ~
has had recourse to ecwardy arts and snarteS 10 ehP
it's victims into some offence. thus were various
Individuals Of Matanzas entrappeG mo an
Of the Scf9iery, by the PreeNt OF seliih lhei Soe
arms pneler circumstances which made them believe
those arms were necessary for seltdetence against
threatened attacks from the PenlnsularS. Thus have
ssroeants and even officers, been seen 10 mIngle
amSnc the country people, and pass themselves OFT as
enemies Of the government. for the purpose OF be;ray
ing them into avowas OF their sentiments, TO the ruin
of many persons informed against, as we'll as to
the disgrace of military honor on the part OF those
yho have lent themselves to so vllalnoNS service.
If the sons of Cuba. moved by the dread of greater
evils, have ever determined to employ legitimate
means Of imposing law, or some restraint, upon
the unbridled excuses of their rulers, these latter
have always found the way to dlstort such acts into
attempts at rebellion.
For having dared TO give utterance principles and
afbpr he
datcn of their moral progress and glory, the Cubans
most distinguished for their virtues and talents have
found themselves wanderers and exIles For the Of
fence of having exhibited their opposition to the
lawful and perlous slave trade, from which the
rice of General O'Donnell promised itself so rich
harvest of lucre, the latter satated his resentment
with the monstrous vengeance of involving them in
a charge of conspiracy with the free colored people
and the slaves of the esates as the last
outrage that an immoral government could offer to
law to reason, nature, TO prove the object of
that conspiracy, in which they implicated whites of
the most eminent virtue, knowledge, and patriotism,
have been other than the destruction of their
own race"
All the laws of society and nature trampled under
foot-aI races and conditions confounded together
the island of Cuba then presented to the civilized
world spectacle worthy of the rejoicings of hell.
The wretched slaves saw their flesh torn from them
under the ash and despatched with blood the faces
of their execuoners, who did not cease exacting
from their fortunes denunciaons against accompces.
Others shot in platoons, without form of trial,
under which they were massacred.
The free colored people. after having been first
ace:ated by the lash, then hurried to the scat
fold, and those only escaped with life who had gold
enough to appease the fury of their executioncrs.
And nevertheless, When the government its fol-
lowers, has come to fear rising of the Cubans,
their first threat has been that of armng the coored
people against them for their determination. We
abstain for very shame from repeating the senseless
pretences which they have had tcrrfy
The timid. Wretches how have they been able to
imagine hat the victims their fury, with whom the
whites Of Cuba have shared In common the horrors
ofmisery and persecution, will against their
friends the call of the very tyr4nt who has
torn them in pieces If the free colored people, who
know their interest we'll the whites, take any
part in the movement of Cuba, ii certainly will not
be to the injury of the mother who shelters them in
her bosom of those other sons of hers who have
never made them feel the difference of their and
condition, and who, far from Punderng them, have
taken pride in being their defenders, and in merng
the title of their benafactors.
The world would refuse to believe the history of
the horrid crimes which have been perpetraed in |
Cuba, and would reasonably consider that if there
had been monsters to commit it, it is uncomfortable
that there could so long have been men to endure
them But if there are few able to penetrate the
truth OF particular facts, through all the means en-
ployed by the government to obscure and dsort them
will resist the evidence of public and official
facts.
Publicly, and with arms in his hands, did Gen.
Tacon desPoil Cuba of the Constitution of SPAIN
proclaimed by all the powers of the monarchy and .
sent to be sworn to in Cuba, as the Fundamental law
of the whole kingdom.
Publicly, and by legislative act, was Cuba declared
to be deprived of all the rights enjoyed by all Span
iards and conceded by nature and the laws of nations
the least advanced in civilization.
Publicly have the of Cuba been cut off from
all admission &c. the commands and lucrative employ
ments of the State.
Publicly are the unlimited powers, of every de-
scription, granted 10 the Captain General of Cuba
VINO can refuse to those whom they condemn even
the right of trial, and the privilege of being SEN
fenced by tribunal.
Public and permanent in the Island of Cnba are
those courts martial which the laws permit onIy in
extraordinary cases of war, for offences against the
State.
Publicly has the Spanish press hurled against Gu
ba the threat Of converting tie Island into ruin and
ashes by beratng the slaves, and enchanting against
her the hordes of barbarian Africans.
Public are the imPediments and difficulties inposed
upon every individual to restrain him from moving
from place to place, and from exercising any branch
oil lndusry-none being safe from arrest and fine for
some deficiency of authority license at every stem
he may take. f
Public are the taxes which have wasted away the
substance of the Island and the prospects of other
new ones which threaten to abolish ali the products
OF Its rlches-nothng being left for its people but the
tolls 10 produce them.
Fuolc are the petty exactons and plunderinps at
eEety turn, inflicted in the unblushinq manner
IN ADDITION to the general imposition by the subaltern
dMudnhs OF authority in their respective localities
r,L1iy' me government has publicly and officially
the journals in its paw have Iabored 10
'n he declaratlon with foul commentaries that
ne inhabitants of Cuba have no organ nor rioht of
action, even for the purpose of Directing an hGnh1
prayer to the feet of the Sovereign The fact tb,
the corporation Of Puerto Princine with Tho ,i 10