New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-17

CHURCHES. But NOT TO THE DRAWING
RooM-EDUcATIoN AND POPULATION
THE USAGE IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Despite the fact that Cuba has been the sub
.sct Of so much discussion and investigation dur
,ns the progress Of the revolution. many people
80 s.,u uniformed as to the part which The
roero plays and to what extent the blacks go TO
make I'D the population. the industries ana the
eoc!etv Of the island. This was shown only
,ev DAYS ago when man OF mere than average
Intelligence pronounced picture representing
sroup Of insurgent officers a fake" because two
Of the seven were black. The picture was true
one and a man who was born In CUBA, ou' VINO
has lived in New-York for number or years.
said that some Of the best officers In the insur-
cent army are negroes or half-bloods
81, makes no difference" he said. ito the
Cuban IL his neighbor is white or black he
racoguizcs him for what he is. and good man
& not less good in his eyes II he is black Some
- The insurgent officers who black have
white men under Them and there are black men
l., tho ranks alongside of whites. The blacks are
rstriots." he continued. and they fight. not for
r,,rv or for a possible office. They fight be-
cause they want TO be free from Spain. Only a
few DAYS ago black man came here from Chi
oaro. where he had been drafted by the Junta
He bought his uniform. his muske and his whole
outfit with his own money and went to Cuba to
night and ! am sure that If he shows himself
worthy ne will not have to wait long for pro-
motion. | know another who went in the same
way VINO is now captain. The men who are at
the head of the insurgent Government would
promote man OF that kind sooner than they
would an imported officer.
he, Of in he
,on. that is shown by the following tables made
from, the census of 1884:
Negroes. 100000; white natives 100000: white
Europeans including Canary Islanders, 10000;
Chinese, 10000; other foreigners. 10000.
The same record shows the penal statistics Of
the island Of Cuba for the same year. BY this 1t
appears that 1.415 individuals suffered terms of
imprisonment. OF these sos negroes. los
Chinese. 5SG European Spaniards. $50 native
white Cubans. 10 Canary Islanders and ii other
foreigners. Tho ratio shows that there was one
convict for every AIT white inhabitants, and
one for every 900 negroes.
SOCIAL. CLASSES IN CUBA
In order to understand the social position or
the negro. it must be borne in mind that there
are two distinct social classes in Cuba, the
patricians and the plebeians. The patrician, or
brera, is composed of all the Spanards who have
come and are still coming to reap the fortunes
not in prospect In their own country. some Of
whom engage in commerce and the trades; the
officials who live al the expense of the Govern
ment certain length OF time. then either return
or remain in the colony. according TO which way
the political wind is blowing: the ex-army officers
who live at their ease as civil government en-
plOyes; army officers duty as such; and. final
l.. all the Adventures of the home country who
Nm the personnel OF the colonial organization.
VI who. in general. not conspicuous for their
culture The members of this class have one abb
sorbing interest in common, namely bleeding the
country; and this interest is yelled behind pre-
tence of sentment-love for the nation which
gives them unlimited protection.
The other class is composed OF the native
,ubans. including the free negroes: the people
who till the land practise the arts the trades
and the professions. but who are nevertheless
Systematically excluded from all Government
positions and who do not enjoy privileges OF
any description; who pay. suffer and endure the
injustice Of their expoiters
These are also closely united by one sentiment !
one aspiration. the love of liberty. and the
!earnng for the justice OF which they stand in |
such sad need; but. unfortunately. they are not |
protected nor shielded by Q supreme authority |
mat enforces liberty and Justice and gives to |
every man his due at least endeavors to do |
20; on the contrary. they constantly cast off,
Prosecuted and treated with suspicion and mis- |
trust
SLAVERY IN CUBA
The negroes. who form a large part Of the sec |
ond class still in the first blush of their free
dom from slavery. and some do not even realize |
mat they are no longer in bondage Louis Ed
ward Levy. in his history OF the island SAYS that
Inc lieutenants Of De Soto ensaved the Cuban |
natives and like all American aborigines they |
could not live in slavery and rapidly died. Negro |
slavery thus became an important element Of the |
colonial organization. The commercial value |
u me slaves, however. began to decline in !
'uDa several years before emancipation took
pace and In 1850 the value OF an able bodied !
man was not more than about so in the later
years Of the slave system a black man could |
guy MS free papers" for his appraised value.
and there were hundreds OF laborers on the plan
'atlons who were working at low wages for the
men who once owned them. The law permitted
mem also to hold property in their own name
ana the thrifty and intelligent frequently owned
hlue patches Of land which they cultivated at
ooo times themselves or hired others 10 work for
them.
Maturn NJ Ballou says Of the emancipated
Nuoan slave; Slavery in Cuba and slavery in
'ne United States were always quite different
'n'he and. strange TO say the laws Of the Span
sh Government We're far more favorable and
humane toward the victims of enforced labor
nan We're those established in our Southern
''a'es When the American negro ceased to be
. s'aVe he ceased to cultivate the soil for his
master only 10 cultivate it for himself. Not so
I" the tropics The Cuban negro in the first
pace Is Of a far less intelligent type than the
,O'oreo people in the States: secondly, the album
s'nce OF natural food productions in the low lati-
'1Des such as fruit. fish and vegetables re-
t1nes o' the negro only to pluck and to eat:
lining and shelter are scarcely needed and vir-
sN""y cost nothing where one may sleep in the
si." air without danger every night in the year: