Evening star., 1897-04-10

~ the 1vrtar ,rbou,.
untenaSle
1t has fallen TO the writer's lot to dwell
In the tents of the late President Cisneros.
and to study attentively the admirable sys-
TEN of rule by him established throughout
his native island
Although known as the Marquis of Santa
Lucia, Salvador Cisneros was by tempera-
ment and tuition, a democrat In spite of
MS beiag descended from a long line of
Spanish nobility, he was born a democrat.
In 1916 he first came to this country to
study the great principles which underlie
the foundation of this republic To give
Cuba government like it was the ambi-
tion of his life He was far from being. as
scme people in this country are inclined to
believe, a president in name only-a mere
hgurehead. He was president in fact. the
executive head of the million and a quar-
ter of people on the island, who are either
farming or 1lghting for the success Of the
al my VI liberation. AS in the United
states, the president is the commandment
cneI OF the forces on land and sea and on
his shoulders rests the actual responsibility
LOT the conduct of the war and the cstab-
nshinent of a permanent and enduring re
pubic. Although Cisneros was man Of
pronounced character and marked inda
pendence, he was far from being a dictator
Between him ard Gems Gomez and Garcia
lhefe was degree of mutual denandenca
ai.u co-opefatloa which has made the reyo-
!utlon almost free from the bitches and
oiunders which have occurred in si,niIa =
tplls,Hss IN many of the South and Central
IN e Ian lcan countries OF jealousies among
tre ieauers there have been none The
cause OF liberty is too sacred TO nerr,;t ~
- eeJicasioilal differences of opinion and
,,I d,ienuly clashes are unavoidable, but the
III on , sieat eI'd IN View enforces harmony in
wa
The constitution of the rennhlio of r,,t,
is constructed along the same lines ne onr
own. The broad principles of democrec,-
Micn t INSPIRED Thomas jefferson are to he
r,e.n rcuiiu an through its text. Salvador Cis-
heroS saw that they were Incorporated in Il,
5nd paced copies of the document in tha
na nus OF every prefecto" and "subpre-
iecto' with Instructions 10 read them to
the free people of Cuba Libro" "
No sooner did the first notes Of hattie
come down from the hills of the ..Ortente''
theH inns old veteran made preparations tn
go to the front He had sacrinced every
.hhlngIiands. wealth, position and title-on
the altar of liberty, and when Gen Gomez
crossed the frontier into Cana euey Saliva
DOR Cisneros was there to welcome him
ms patriotic Old man of seventy Years had
mounted his horse and ridden out of the
CITY OF Puerto Principe with fifteen com
panions, eager to devote the remainder of
ms life to the freedom of mis- country :
How Cuba is Administered
The people, through the assembly con-
vened in the following September, elected
him president of the provisional govern
ment, and in that capacity he worked
quietly and faithfully for nearly two years.
The result of this labor may not be appar-
ent to the outside world, but it's benefits are
most obvious to a traveller through the in
terror of Cuba
The entire island has been divided, first
into what are known as civil districts with
a civil governor over each These civil dis
tricts are divided into 'prefectos" and
"subprefectos," the latter usually about
three miles square, and officers known as
prefectos' and 'subprefectos," appointed
by the government, are in charge of their
respective territories. Each has his official
seal and functions carefully prescribed by
the constitution. 1t is his duty to instantly
notify the nearest body of insurgent troops
of the approach and strength of any Span
ish column and to furnish 'practicos," or
guides, whenever called upon. If an in
surgent force camps in his district 1t is his
duty to furnish, SO far as possible, any food
they may need
To all complaints or requests for food
clothes or medicines coming from families
whose fathers or sons may be fighting for
Cuba Libre" he must lend an ever-willing
ear, and if it is impossible to satisfy the re-
quirements of the case 1t Is his duty to in
form his "prefecto," and he In turn relies
upon the support of the civil governor. II
this official is unable to cope with the diff
ficulty he must appeal to the secretary OF
the interior, and lastly to the president of
the republic
The carrying and distribution of mail
matter By means of mounted messengers,
who traverse the interior, is both efficient
and rapid. President Cisneros told me that
twenty-four hours after the passage OF
the concurrent resolution by our congress
last spring, the news was received by hin,
at his headquarters in Najassa, province
OF Camaguey.
A Movable Capital.
Strange as it may seem, the Marques
(the name by which he was most frequently
called) became most restless if long com
PEELED to remain in camp at any one place
He loved to travel about, to visit the civi
governors and prefectos of different dis
tricts; to talk with the people, or, better
still, to accompany the forces of Come.
or Garcia and watch the military move
ments from day to day.
With an escort of only fifty men he man,
times made the trip from Santa Clara t.
Santiago de Cuba and back again. And /
is this penchant for moving about anC
changing camp which gave rise to the alb
solutely groundless report that the pro
visonal government was being driven by
the Spanish forces from one part of tn,
| island to another, and was always in dan
ger of capture. -
During the month Of July last there wer,
laid before President Cisneros the advan.
tages which, it was thought, would accru,
should he see fit to establish a permanen
headquarters or seat Of government a
some given place. Na1assa, Cubitas, OF
even in the mountains of the "Oriente"
Generals Garcia and Rabi supported thes,
suggestions most heartily. but the mar
ques, while he admitted that such a per
manent location of the government coult
be easily defended, and that a certain IN
crease of dignity might follow, still die
not take kindly to the Idea. The provision
al government had Travelled about anc
shared the dangers of battle during the "ter
years war" and he saw no sufficient rec,
son to change his tactics.5
I'VE are doing good work." he said
"You have seen the evidences of our ad
ministration on every hand. and you fount
no difficulty in reaching us, nor will any
one else. If the United States or any coun
try will send an agent, officially or So
cially, to visit and inspect the administra
tion and execution of our laws in Cuba
libre,' we will not only conduct him here
but we will entertain him so long as hi
cares to stop, and provide for his return
in safety whenever he may wish to de-
part"
The Youngest Soldier.
Two years ago this spring a bright
faced boy Of twelve years rode up to the
presidents headquarters in Najassa. He
had left his home in the city of Puerto
Principe and sought the insurgent camp.