The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-01-09

f<Nz<IzEI< the cause-fght
m@@ like heroes and
suffer like martyrs It is no idle
dream that holds sway in the minds
Of the friends Of Cuba, leading them to
hope the present revolution will end in
the downfall Of Spanish oppression.
They believe that the cause is noble and
the Cubans worthy Of their cause. Since
1926 the island has been disturbed BY
uprisings, and it was about that time
that martial law was declared. It was
first adopted to quell political disturb
ances having their origin in Spain. Mar
tial law has been continued since then
and grew TO be all instrument of the
cruelest oppression and extortion The
first great uprising was that headed by
Lopez in 1851. It met with disaster,
and Lopez paid the penalty with death.
After that the island was comparative
~ quiet until 1867, when a new and
onerous system of taxation was inaugu-
rated, and both Cubans and native Span
iards residing there began to conspire.
The right Of public meetings had
long been suppressed, but there existed
in defiance of the authorities numerous
lodges of F'reemasons, holding sessions
secretly. The head or supreme lodge
was styled the central junta. It was To-
Gated in Havana To this body Carlos
Emanuel Cespedes and Francisco Agui-
lera of Bayamo wrote in June, 1868,
threatening to inaugurate a revolution
on the holiday Of st. James, July IS.
At the instance Of the junta the out
break was postponed one year by agree
ment, but events precipjtated the move
ment earlier. In anticipation of war
the Cubans began to drill and engage
in other forms Of activity, which aroused
the suspicious Of Spain. Orders were
sent to Bayamo to arrest Cespedes and
Aguilera, but the governor privately
warned them, and with 900 followers
they seized the village Of Yara and pro-
claimed the republic. Both leaders
freed their slaves and sent out call for
the lodge members to rally around the
standard. About 1900 men responded
to the call. They marched into camp,
armed with every sort Of weapon, but
full Of enthusiasm and shouting "Cuba
1ibre - y
Cespedes led them at once against
the garrisoned town Of Bayamo, took it
and made it his capital.
From that time on the revolution
spread like wildfire. The capital of the
central department., Puerto Principe,
sent to Bayamo, in driblets, hundreds
Of young men Of the wealthy families
who had travelled abroad and imbibed
the principles of political and personal
freedom and chafed under the yoke of
Spain. They were, moreover, trained in
all manner Of athletic exercises, could
ride like cowboys, shoot with the best
and handle the sword like the agile
Turk, whose native weapon it is. These,
the flower of the youth, breathed and
preached revolution, but their actions
spoke loudest of all.
The voices of caution were unheeded,
and the widest enthusiasm took hold
of the people, The Puerto Participants
seized line Of railroad, with all it's To-
comotives, garrisons deserted their posts
or threw down their arms at the first
lire OF the insurgents, and within 60
days from the time Cespedes unfurled
4 his banner one-haf the island with sew
eral small cities was in possession Of
the revolutionists. There were at the
time only 10000 Spanish troops in Gu
ba, but the number of ablebodied Span
iards on the island loyal to the mother
country numbered 900, 1000. Captain
General Lersundi Immediately organ
lied the loyalists to fight the Cuban in
surgents. It would have done no good to
appeal to Spain. She was struggling un-
der fierce civil war, with no troops to
spare. This master stroke of Lersundi
started the fires of civil war in the is
land, not based on politics, as in Spain,
but upon racial characteristics The Gu
bans were the patricians, the Spanish
volunteers men Of humble origin. Glass
hatred was intense and the enlistment
OF volunteers actually drove into the in
surgent ranks large numbers of infuen-
t.. ..