The New York herald., 1873-12-04


Cuba.
Five years ago the Cuban revolutionists in
the district of Yara. numbering some one hun
dred and fifty men, rose against Spanish rule
in the island Before many days had passed
the small band had received such liberal
additions that the insurrectionists were
counted by thousands. From that time to
the present moment the power Of the Spanish
government, whatever form that government
may have taken, has been unable to sup
press the rebellion. Monarchy, dictatorship.
provisional government imported king, re-
public, each in turn has held authority at
Madrid and under each the condition OF Cuba
has remained unchanged. The reason Of this
is that second rebellion followed that OF
1868, rebellion which has long held power at
Havana and. ruled the rulers of the island
There is q, triple authority in Cuba-the shift
ing head at Madrid, the insurrection Of
the Casino Espaiiol and the insurrection
Of The bush. The power Of the home govern
ment is merely nominal; it must be exercised
in accordance with the wishes of the Casino
Espahol and its tools, the volunteers or it
cannot be enforced. The Casino did not like
drove him back to Spain The Casino did
not like the action Of the council of war which
acquitted the boy students of the Havana Uni
versity of the alleged offence Of injuring tombs
in the cemetery, and SO it sent the volunteers to
clamor for their lives and to murder eight of
the children in defiance Of the law. The
impotency of the Madrid government has
been acknowledged in the debates in the
Spanish Legislature. On the 14th of October,
1872, Senior Diaz Quintero, in a speech in the
Spanish Senate, said, in relation 10 the ex-
pulsion of the Captain General, ''If there had
been any sense of decorum in the gov
ernment General Dulce would have returned
with squadron at his back to force
him upon these rebels, for in plain truth the
real Cuban rebels are the slave volunteers of
Havana" A few days later Seiior Benot an
other Senator, said, ''Spain does not govern
in Cuba Authorities in Havana have
ceased to exist Cuba is groaning under
the scourge of arbitrary power; there is no
law, no code, no constitution; the principles
of modern law are trampled in the dust,
and the ancient laws are disregarded.
Children are inundated, judgment is
passed on the dead, the innocent
suffer for the guilty, human ears are fried and
eaten, the only power is brute force, the vile
greed Of bad officials and the infamy of
pirates and slavers.' In the Spanish House
of Representatives, only one year ago, Se1or
Payela said:-sThe government is asking us
for soldiers to send to Cuba as if it really
commanded in the island. I can tell you,
gentlemen, that the power that commands in
Cuba now are the volunteers of Havana
and they command there because, for some
reason which / do not know, they fear for
their lives and fortunes, and they believe
better to think and act for themselves in the
matter of Cuba. The proof of this is that Wv
send them generals and they send them back
to us again. The volunteers of Cuba hold
councils of war of their own Accord
These plain words, spoken by Spaniards
themselves in their national Legislature
only year ago, prove that the gov
erment at Madrid was then power
less in Cuba. It is as powerless
now. The little swashbuckler, Burriel, who
openly defed the orders of his superiors in
the murders at Santiago de Cuba, is feted and
lauded as he parades through the island, ex-
hibting himself as the hero whose first
bloody victory over the enemies of his country
was won over the bound victims of the San
tiago slaughter house. The terms of settle
ment agreed upon by Secretary Fish, dis
honorable as they are to the United
States, are repudiated by the Casino
Espanol, Notwithstanding the rose-colored
official reports from Havana, and the volun-
teers will, in all probability, prevent the full
filment of the conditions. The ''pirates and
slavers'' of the Casino Espaiiol and the revolu-
Cuba between them and both are in rebellion
against the government at Madrid How alb
surd, then, for the United States to treat with
CASTELAR, for settlement he is powerless
to make How degrading to volunteer a
sacrifice Of our national honor, when our
humiliation only draws down upon us fresh
insult and outrage! How idle to patch up
disagraceful paper truce, in fear and trembling
lest it's compromises should be scattered to the
winds before they are carried out, and in the
certainty that the atrocious acts thus INSULT
GENTLY atoned will be repeated by the Offend
ers on the next opportunity!
If Secretary Fish is 30 eager to surrender
our national honor he should treat not with
Senior CASTELAR,, but with the head of the Casino
Espanol; not with Madrid. but with Havana.
The high flown compliments he now showers
upon Admiral Polo should be paid to the
butcher of Santiago, the truculent Burriel He
should laud the valor of the bloodstained voun-
teers and ring in their ears his contempt for the
Cuban revolutionists. 1t is from the casinos
ha shnnld snlicit tho retnrn of tha VIZ