The Charlotte Democrat., 1897-01-28
Will Fight Till
Cuba is Free.

General Tomas Estrada Palmer,
head of the Cuban Jdnta in this
country, writes to a New York news
paper:
So much has lately been said of
the probability of the termination of
the Cuban revolution by the accept
ance on the part of the Cubans Of
autonomy or reforms that l feel it
incumbent upon me, as the accredit-
ed representative of the Cubans, to
make brief statement on the sub
ject.
Reforms we're passed by the Span
ish Cortes, but the outbreak of this
revolution was not thereby stayed one
hour. There was and is but one
idea for which the Cubans are fight
ing. We have had enough of So
called reforms, enough of promises
of more reforms, enough of promised
autonomy. Every intelligent man
would rightly condemn the leaders
and participants in this movement,
if anything short of independence
be the basis of treaty of peace with
Spain.
1t is claimed that General Gomez
is willing to treat with Spain on the
basis of autonony, and that letter
to that effect has been received by
me.
There is DO such letter.
Knowing General Gomez as a
comrade in the last revolution, know
ing his opinion as expressed to me
before and during this war, knowing
his stainless patriotism, l can vouch
for him. He is made of too stern a
material to surrender on any such
terms, particularly when in his latest
letters to me he writes contentedly
of his resources and glowingly of his
conviction that his Winters cam
paign will be most successful.
But even though any one of oul
foremost leaders should be inclined
to terminate the war by the accept
ance of autonomy (Which is barely
within the bounds of possibility
while he himself might surrender
he would do 80 alone.
We Cubans are not worshippers OF
individuals; we are steadfast follow
ers Of our ideal.
The death of our glorious Macec
| struck sorrow to the heart of every
Cuban, Lut we did not falter; hi:
forces did not surrender; the revolu
tion received no perceptible check.
The leader who proposed peace
under the Spanish flag would fine
himself without followers.
No treaty of peace can be made by
the Cubans unless ratified by /,
specially convoked assembly
1t is beyond the bounds of posi-
bility to expect that the Cubans
after two years of sanguinary strife
when they find themselves in posi-
tion such as it has never been thei
good fortune to occupy, in point O.
numbers, equipment and resource
will now weakly accept terms O
compromise.
Every Cuban, every American
knows that the apparent generou
and conciliatory spirit of Spain
springs not from her strength bu
from her weakness How can W,
then, under the circumstances, b
| expected to waver?
If the Cubans in the field are to,
strong to even consider such propo
sails, the Cubans in the cities are to-
we'll advised of Spain's plans anC
Spain's precarious situation to coun
Sci this step
| In these cities, Spain's only strong
hold, men of position, of refinement
of wealth, have but lately signed
a statement in which they unequiv
ocally say to those in this countrl
who seemed to have labored unde
the error that autonomy would be a
solution of the 90 called Cubal
problem, that nothing short of indie
| pendence is acceptable to them
They base their statement not onl,
on political, but also on economi,
reasons.
What form of autonomy woult
help Cuba when saddled not onl'
with her previous debt but with tn
added burden of the cost of the pres
ent war? The future of the countr,
would be ruin and starvation.
News of our successes in the helt
may be sufocated by the censor
pacifcation of the island province