Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-11-18
THE CUBAN BUSINESS. i.

has come the NlrglnIuS affalr, mas now Deen
continued five years. 1t started in the fall
of 1868, Immediately after the beginning
of the revolution in Spain which drove the
Bourbon family from the throne of that
country. The standard Of revolution was
raised by Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, on
his estate of Demajagua, at Il short dis
lance from the town of Yara. in the east
tern department. Cespedes was an able
lawyer and wealthy planter, He began
his contest with only few patriots and his
slaves to aid him, the latter being liberat-
ed as soon as he took up arms. His whole
force at first was only one hundred and
forty-seven men, poorly equipped, but in
three days it had swelled to four thousand
men, and at the end of month to nine
thousand. This was the opening of the
instruction still dragging its slow but
bloody length along.
The cause OF the insurrecton was the
oppression which the Spanish government
exercised upon Cuba. There was abun.
dant reason for rebellion. The colon
lists were taxed severely, hampered in their
trade for the interest or caprice of the
Spanish government, allowed no voice in
the government, excluded from all public
stations. while they were kept under the
heel of foreign officials and military gov
eminent. The statement Of distin-
guished English writer, that the Cubans
had no national privilege except that of
undergoing taxation, and that every office
was held by Spaniard, was ii, ally true.
The Captain General the military COM
mandant OF the island. held in his hands
all the attributes and powers of the COLO
NAL government For the welfare OF the
people he had no regard. His business
was to keep them in control and make all
the money out of them that he could. He
had a swarm of leechcs and parasites
around him, bankrupt, spendthrift, un-
principled. broken-down Spaniards, who
were provided with opportunities to prey
upon the people. Remonstrance was use
less. 1t had been tried repeatedly, the
last time in 1865, when commission was
appointed to inquire into the causes OF dis.
content, the result of whose labors was to
bind more closely the chains which had
been riveted upon Cuba by the Spanish
government. When Cespedes raised his
banner these grievances were fully set
forth in a public proclamation, which also
declared that his object was justice and
freedom, and that he desired the abolition
OF slavery, a government founded upoi
the sovereignty of the people, and de
manded "a religious regard for the in
alienable rights of man, as the basis o
freedom and national greatness
This much for the origin of the rebellion
and its purposes. OF the character of tn
war, most readers of the newspapers ar
not unacquainted. 1t has been bloody, re
lentless, barbarous on the part of tn
Spaniards. At first the Spanish troops Oh
the island were relied upon to put dow
the instruction, but as the difficulties il
Spain increased and all the forceslwert
needed at home that could be raised there
the officials in Cuba were authorized to
raise on the island the force known as Vol
unteers. From the ranks ofthe Volunteers
all but Spaniards from the mother country
were excluded. Between them and the
native Cubans there existed the bitlerest
enmity. The number of Volunteers en-
rolled has been estimated at upwards OF
sixty thousand, and at last they have come
to be so powerful that they act indcpcnd-
emily of or control and domineer over the
Spanish authorities. The massacrcs that
have occurred have been perpetrated
chiefly by that party. Besides the massa-
ores at Villanauva Theatre and other OF
like atrocious character, list has been
published containing the names of more
than eighteen hundred persons that have
been murdered. The Spanish authorities
instructed it appears against the eX-
ecution of the persons on the Virginius,
but the Volunteer leaders intercepted and
destroyed the despatch from the home
government and took the responsibility
OF numbering the prisoners into their own
hands. Thus the real power against which
the Cuban insurgents are contending is
the Volunteers, force that has set aside
the authority of Spain while claiming to
act under it. They have only been toler-
ated by Spain because she was powerless
to rule them.
Thus the Cuban business into which oui
government is obliged to move is diff
cult and complicated. Spain is in revolu
ton, and Cuba presents Spanish authority
over-ridden by its own agents. OF course
our government must look to the Spanish
government for redress in the Virginius
affair. 1t must answer for the acts of the
Volunteers. Towards the present Spanisl
government we have the best wishes, but
the rights of our citizens and the honor OF
our flag must be protected to the utter
most. We must demand redress and cy-