The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-05-06
Four snh.secretaries were also elect

| tillo of the treasury, who came to New
York on a special commission from
the government, and is now sub dele
gate of the Cuban revolutionary party
in the United States. At the same
time General Gomez was chosen COM
mander.in of the army, General
Antonio Maceo as the second in COM
mand, with the title of Lieutenant.
general, and Senior Thomas Estranda
Palma as delegate plenipotentiary and
general agent of the republic abroad.
As soon as the members of the govern
ment took possession of their offices Or
ders we're issued to divide the provin-
ces into prefectures. On each OF these
taxes are imposed on all articles OF
commerce entering into the towns.
For the purpose of properly collecting
the taxes, the roads to all the cities,
as well as the coast are patrolled by
the Cubans. The money collected,
which amounts some months to Sc W
eral thousands of dollars is sent to
New York to Senior Palma to be spent
for arms and ammunition. The fund
so formed is called here the treasury of
of the republic. There is another treas
ury in the junta, that of the Cuban
revolutionary party.
The Cuban revolutionary party is
the organization founded by Jose
Marti in the United States by which
he obtained the necessary elements to
! work for several years in preparing
for the revolution. The party Is com:
posed of the many Cuban political
clubs which exist in the United States.
The clubs elect the delegate and treas.
urer of the party, and there is a coun-
Gil formed of the presidents of all the
clubs. The members of the clubs In.
clude most of the cigarmakers and
employees of the Cuban cigar factories
| in the United States. They number
over 1s, 900 and contribute for the Gu.
ban fund 10 per cent. of their wages
and the whole product of one day OF
labor during the week. They do even
more. When money is needed for
some special purpose, as after some un,
fortunate event which has entailed
extraordinary expense they give one
day OF labor mere to "Cuba Libre. "
After the wreck OF the Hawkins, for
| instance, this was done in order to pre-
pare the next expedition of General
Calixto Garcia. After the first unsuc.
cessful attempt of the Bermuda to sail
from this port, they offered to make
the same contribution, but Delegate
Palma did not like to accept the offer,
having then money enough to proceed
with his work. The patriotism OF the
Cubans seems exhaustless. They all
contribute to the Cuban fund,
from the highest to the lowest.
The amount collected monthly by
the Cubans, without including extraor-
diuary gifts of sympathizers, is from
$50, 600 to $1O0, 900. 1t is employed In
buying arms and ammunition for the
Cuban army and steamers in which
to send the expeditions Although
all the power is in the hands of the
delegate, who appoints the secretary
of the party, now Senor Gonzala de
Ouesada, who is in Washington, Senior
Palma consults voluntarily on i'm
portant matters some prominent Gu
ban living in New York. The infor-
NAL councillors constitute what is i'm
properly called the J2nta in the Am
erican newspapers. No such organiza-
ton as the Junta really exists. 1t is a
word which remains over from the last
war in 1868, when an organized Cuban
Junta existed in New York, presided
over by the wealthy Cuban, Senior
Miguel Aldama. The treasurer OF the
revolutionary party is Senior Benjamin
Guerra. When the time for the elec-
ton of delegate approached this year
all the clubs decided that the delegate
should be the plenipotentiary appoint
ed by the government of the republic,
now Senior Palma, who will probably
hold the Office until the independence
of Cuba.
The letter addressed by Senior Palma
to Secretary of State Olney, and
quoted above, ends with these words:
"In view of the history of this re-
volution as herein stated, in view OF
the causes which led to it, its rapid
growth its successes in arms, the
establishment, operation and resources
of the government of the Cuban re-
public, the organization, number and
discipline of its armies, the contrast in
the treatment of prisoners to that of
the enmey, the territory in its control
and subject to the carrying out of its
DEGREES; of the futility of the attempts
of the Spanish government to crush
the revolution, in spite, of the i'm
mense increase of its army in Cuba
and of its blockade and the many mil
lions spent for that purpose, the cruel
ties which, on the part of the Spanish,
have especially characterized this san
culinary and fercely conducted war
and the damage to the interests OF the
citizens of this country under the pres
ent conditions, I, as the duly accred-
tied representative, in the name of the
Cuban people in arms who have
fought singly and alone against the
monachy of Spain for nearly year
in the heart of a continent devoted to
republican institutions, in the name of
Justice, in the name of humanity, in
the name of liberty, petition you, and
through you the government of the
United States, to accord the rights of
belligerency to a people fighting for
their absolute independence"
A Case of Self Defence.
SPARTANBURG, S. O., April 29.- This
morning about sunrise stranger call
ed at the jail and asked to see Deputy
Dean, if he staid there. Dean said he