The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-23

conferrlng upon me the direction Of
their military operations"
After citing the reasons which i'm
PEELED the Cuhan people to their pres
ent forcible resistance OF the Spanish
yoke, the valiant old warrior continues
In accordance with these views, as soon
as the revolution permitted It, we assem-
bcd i'm solemn session the representatives
elected by the Cuban people in arms so
that they would give a formal organi2a-
tlon to the revolutionary movement.
They agreed and voted law to which all
must submit as the fundamental consti-
tuition of our country. Assembled at jim
aguayu, a memorable place in the history
of Cuba, they unanimously declared Il
separation from Spain ana voted a con-
stitution, which was consecrated by the
oath Of loyalty, taken by the army of llb-
Grafton which at the voice of its chief,
there appointed and proclaimed, united it's
fate and It's honor to that emblem of our
desires, to which I have offered my
sword in the service and defense of
its principles, which for me are sacred.
TO the call that we then made to the
honor ana manhood of the Cubans, they
responded admirably, and today the world
Contemplates with increasing interest that
while Spain confirms its determinations to
resist to an extent that even not those
who had exact knowledge of her tenacity
and of the tremendous Importance of the
loss of her most important position in
America would have thought her capable
Of. yet the armies of liberty occupy al
most all tine country, and fight every day
with more faith and valor, and tho Cuban
! war assumes such proportions that it has
| become today the most notable event reg
| istered in the annals of the present ceit-
| tury.
Coming thence to n direct considera-
| ton of President Cleveland's assertions
! as quoted at the beginning of this ar
! ticle, General Gomez says:
That constitution, which harmonizes
I with our actual necessities, places at the
| head of the revolutionary organism gov
crnment council, with declared powers,
while the armed forces of the revolution
ana the direction of the military opera
| tons are confided to the direct command
| of Il genoral-n-c a position which /
| have the honor today TO fill for all the OBJ
jects of my oath. That government coun-
| ell may deserve of President Cleveland
| whatever consideration he may deem fit
| to give it. But it Is, and it will be for
all the Cubars in arms, the supreme con-
stituted authority for those ends to which
they freely and spontaneously proclaimed
1t. 1t is not true that |, as general-in-
chief of the nsurgent army, have asked
| the Cuban government to give up the
| functions that belong to it exclusively, as
| prescribed by our constitution, nor is II
true that the government council has
abandoned the exercise Of those powers.
The government is in the place the law
has given to it, respected and recognized
by the Eeneral-in-chief, who, himself oc-
Cupies his own, while the one and the
other obey always the indisputable SOW
ereignty which we have accepted of the
constitution.
This is his impassioned conclusion:
have deemed it my duty to make this
solemn declaration to the world inter.
ested in our fate, so that this misstate.
ment shall not be an obstacle for then
to exercise in our behalf, which is tha
of humanity, of right and of justice, Of
any action whatsoever We have never
counted with it, as an Indispensable ele
ment of our triumph, but we would ac
cept it. if it were in honorable condition
offered and in a form and manner conve
| nent to the future of the Republic o
Cuba. Let all this be known to those whC
give us their sympathy and to those whC
tender their aid from whatever part O.
the world they be. Let the Americans
who offer us their good offices and ser
| vices know it; let all the Cubans know 1t
and never forget it, that our only motto
our sole ideal. is the absolute independ
ence of the island of Cuba, and our onl!
aim the constitution of a democratic, FREE
and sovereign republic.
Where is the American who can rea'
this without blushn@ for the cours
toward Cuba of President Grove
: Cleveland?