The record-union., 1896-05-12

Cpening the session, which it was
known would deal at length with the
situation in Cuba. The speech was read
in person by the Queen Regent. repre-
sentlng the young King, Her majesty
said:
Senators and Deputies: Heavy pre-
occupations lay on my mind on address
ing you in this day of opening of the
session of the CorteS. All of you have
with me those preoccupations, dS l am
sure they are shared by the nation. You
cannot have forgotten those days, rich
in hopes, of February and March of
last year, when the legislative bodies
approved the laws to reconstruct the
administration of Cuba and Porto Rico.
To this enforcement the representatives
of the loyal parties of Cuba and Porto
Rico pledged themselves and those who
share the power in the peninsula, but
those good intentions were counteracted
on the 21st of February, when the dis
cussion had not yet begun in the Sem
ate. by the discovery by the Governor
General of Cuba of the symptoms OF
rebellion, and three days later it was
necessary to proclaim martial law.
1T was most plain that the announce
ment of reforms applauded unanimous
ly by the Liberal parties, far from re-
straining the secessionists, gave them
impulse to resort to arms with the clear
intention of preventing the application
of liberal reforms. From the f1rst mo-
ment that was understood by the Illus
trious General to whom the pacificatlon
of the territory was intrusted, the same
declaration was made to his Govern
rnent bv the commercial agent of the
United States, which said that the rev.
oiutionists, seeing in the reforms great
advantage to their country, qulckened
the movement in order to prevent their
aspira ton of creating an Independent
State becoming impaired.
The rebel chiefs, principally the for
eigners and the colored, did not walt
long to say that they did not attach i'm
rortance to political, economical or ad-
ninistrative reforms, no matter how
liberal, even the most extended form or
local home rule as they had to submit
to the sovereignty of Spain, and the
good and the prosperity Of the .Cubans
was nothin gto them. On the contrary,
that class of revolutionists showed
themselves the encouragers of groups OF
bandits that formed the nucleus Of their
forces, destroying private property,
burning towns without defense, and
making public that they will destroy
the island if they are unable to conquer
the public power, and that they VIII
thereafter dispute with arms IN hand
eternally.
what the consequence would be of
the substitution of the sovereignty OF
Spain over races nearly balanced and
with irreconcilable character, there Is
no statesman who will not forsee. The
result would be that Cuba would make
a step backward in civilization. 1t
would be an error to imagine that the
interest of the country and commerce
in and out of the island Of Cuba could
in such condition prosper or continue
in existence.
"'The Spanish nation in the meantime
is not going to be Indifferent to the fu-
ture of those of her sors misguided by
improvident political ambitions, and
she will not abandon the mission of
civilization that she has imposed upon
herself, and that she has to this mo-
rnent accomplished, and her history and
honor impose upon her; and much less
will she deny the rights and advantage
demanded with reason to those inhab-
itants of the Antilles who, forming in
the different political parties, have in
dignantly condemned the insurrection
from the first moment, being morally
and materially by the side of the me-
tropolis and have shed their blood for
her
There are also many who only by fear
have Joined the rebels, and who are be-
ginning to profit by the facilities Of
fered them by the state of demoraliZa-
tion of the insurrection to come under
the nations flag, and there viii not be
before long many who, convinced of the
absolute impotence Of their efforts to
suppress the sovereignty of Spain, but
who will return with a peaceful spirit
to their homes to become good citizens.
To all of them Spain viii always ex-
tend her open arms, after her dignity
and authority are safe, for the mainten-
ance of which she has made and will
repeat when necessary, sacrifices which
have not been equaled by any other
nation in America.
I'm the meantime 1t is not just to
suppose that the present Government
has not enforced the reforms for a lack
of love for them. He (the King has
had in their enactment as great a
share as any other. In the first in
stance. 1t is to be noted that ii was not
possible to do this without profound
study and preparation, because they
completely changed all the organization
and the laws in force. On the other
hand, the rapid spread of the insur-
gents, in spite of Spain having restored
and increased in a marvellous way in
Cuba the production destroyed by the
past war. very soon broke the unanim-
ity of sentiment with which the law of
the 18th of March, 1895, had been ap-
proved This was first demanded by
the more advanced of the Cuban po-
litical parties which had given its votes
in the Cortes. and which presented
first to the Governor General and af-
terward to the Government at Madrid
a plan of considerable notifications to
said reforms. as If their spirit of action
was not more the same than before the
war
''The same thing was made public by
a political group, which called itself re-
formist, presenting to the Government
in Madrid a project of Congress of great
importance also, and the late chief OF
said group declared that the applica-
ton of the reforms voted was incom-
patible with the state of the rebellion.
FINALLY, the worthy General that
governs Cuba, disposed, as his prede-