The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-28
CUBA.
A Letter TO Secretary sewOrd-The Re-
VOIutionists Praying for RecOg gnitiOl
ns ReIItRereuts.


The following communication was addressed
during the latter part of October last, by Gene
raj G. Cespedes, General int Chief OF the liberat-
ing forces in Cuba, and the members OF the
Junts of the Provisional Government, toISecre-
tary Seward:-
The Cubans, weary of the degrading oppres.
sion by which they have been ruled during more
than three centuries; detrauded of all their
hopes TO obtain the rights TO which all men as
pire who in their conscience wish for Ioerty;
humiliated even to the deprivation OF freedom
of speech in order to claim place at the table
of civilization, to which their known aptitude Tor
filing all careers and public offices entities them,
have finally raised the standard OF liberty on
our beautiful aud unfortunate native soil, under
the folds of which all those have rallied who,
like ourselves, nourish the desire OF conquering
our liberties and constituting free government
that can assure our future and open broad
field, enabling us to march on the path OF pro-
gress towards those aspirations which are the
hope of humanity.
Animated by such a holy cause and by the
voice of our country, weaarose against the Gov
ernment of Spain, in the encampment OF Dema.
iagua in the jurisdiction of Manzanillo, to the
number of five hundred men, who although not
all trained to warfare, were determined TO
defend even unto death the standard that we
had raised, until we had obtained the object OF
our hopes, our independence-in fact, until We
had driven the tyranny and despotlsm OF Spain
forever from our shores, which to the present
day has marked our brows with the stigma OF
the most degrading slavery.
Providence, that always helps and guides
men who feel their existence in order to follow
their autonomy, has granted that we happily
took the path of revolution, and although we
were only five hundred men, badly armed, and
still worse disciplined, and driven to moan.
tain by we'll organized Government troops OF
Spain, we now number fifteen thousand men,
sufficiently well equipped and possessing ample
munitions of war-an army that has arrived
triulnphantly, continually routing the enemy
and augmentng, because the voice OF liberty is
responded to from the bosoms of our forests, by
men willing to struggle against tyranny, like
tile plants that rise and become animated by
the first rays of the sun; and 80 unsparing is
the hand OF oppression that ignorance awakes
from the depths Of Its darkness to join in the
strife.
We now hold much more than fifty leagues of
the interior of this island in the Eastern Depart
n ent, among which are the people Cor commu-
nities) of Jiguani Tunas, Barre, Yara, Barran-
cas- DAM, Canto, Embarcadero, Guisa, and
Homo, besides the cities of Bayamo and
Holguin, in all numbering 167,S53 inhabitants,
who obey us and have sworn 10 shed the last
drop OF blood in our cause.
In the mentioned city of Bagamo we have
established provisional government aud
formed our general quarters, where we hold
more than 800 of the enemy prisoners, taken
from the Spanish army, among whom are gene
rails and governors of high rank. All this has
been accomplished in ten days, without other
resources than those offered by the country we
have passed through, without other arms
than those taken from the enemy, and
without other losses than three or four killed
and six or eight wounded. What does this in
dicate? 1t indicates that the Cubans are not so
weak nor such towards as rumorei; 1t indicates
that we are prepared and capable to remove
the government that oppresses US, that injustice
cannot reign forever, that day will come when
all great crimes will meet with punishment,
and that the aspirations of a people guided on
their rough path by the finger of Providence
cannot SO easily be deviated or held back.
However, in order to succeed in our holy
cause, we require the intervention of the inhu-
ence of civilized and free nations, so that, re-
cognzed as belIigerents, they will cause the
rights of people and the laws of humanity to
be respected, and avoid barbarous measures
that are not OF modern times, and could be
brought into action by such a government as
that of Spain, obhging US to make reprisals that
are repugnant to our sentiments, and that
would tend TO stain the purity and the nobleness
OF our cause.
For this reason we recollect that In America
there exists great and generous nation to
which we are united by important ties of COM
merce, and great sympathy for its wise repub-
lican institutions that have served us as basis
for the formation OF ours; we have not doubted
for one moment in addressing ourselves to it,
through the medium of the Minister of State,
praying for It's concurrence and aid of its in
huence in favor of the conquest OF our liberty.
which cannot be doubtful or strange, since after
being constituted we must form, sooner or later,
an integral part of such powerful nation; for
the same reasons that the people OF America
are called to form one nation, and to be the
admiration and the fear of the whole world.
We take the liberty TO hand you copy of the
manifesto that we have published, with the
Two first copies OF our official paper the Cabdno
Libre,l tie only independent publication that
etc. c. NJ. CEsPEDEs, General-in-Chief etc.