The San Francisco call., 1897-01-03
CAPITAL OF THE cUBANs.
Pen Picture of the Mountain
Stronghold Where Insurgents
Maintain a Government.

That the Cuban patriots have an active
and fully established Government, with a
fixed place of aboce, can no longer be gain
said. From the heights of the Sierra Gu
bitas their standard waves, and from the
MatanZas line on the west to Cape Maisi
at the eastern extremity, throughout the
whole breadth of the island, with the ex-
ception of theIlarger towns,i is recognized
as the emblem of authorIty-the flag of
the people of Cuba.
Sierra Cupitas is with in less than twen-
ty- five miles of the city of Puerto Principe
and less than that distance from the
strongly fortified port of Nuevitas, within
sight of the great camino, or highway,
from Havana to Santiago de Cuba. Yet
here within days march of the Spani b
garrisons the Cubans have established and
have maintained for fifteen months their
seat of Government.
To the east lies the town of Zaniou.
where the Cubaus were duped into sign
ing a treaty of peace, the conditions of
which the Spaniards never meant to OBJ
serve, and thus lost all the fruits of the
ten years struggle from 1858 to 1873
Southeast, near the boundary between
Puerto Principe and Santiago de Cuba. is
Guaimaro, where the first constitution
was prom ulgated. Southeast of Mama
milo lies the town of Yara, where the first
republic was reclaimed.
The present move ment for independence
was first declared on February "a, 1895, at
Ybarra, in Matanzas, by about two dozen
men, but the first real organization was
made farther east in the province of San
tiago de Cuba. Marti, the organizer OF the
Evolutionary movement, issued a call
during the summer for a const tutonal
convention to meet on September 13.
Delegates from all the provinces, except
Pinar del Rio, were present. Three days
later a constitution was adopted, and on
September Is the convention elected Stale
officers and the government of the repub-
lie of Cuba was inaug urated.
Salvador Cisneros, who had been Presi-
dent of the former republic from 1878 till
the peaces of Ell Zanjou in 1878, was
chosen as President, and with him Bar
tolome Mazo of Manzanilla, Vice Presi-
dent; Raphael Portuopdo of Santiago de
Cuba, Secretary of State for Foreign AT.
fairs; Carlos Roloff of Santa Clara, Secre-
tary OF War, and Sivero Pima of Espiritu
Santo. Secretary of the Treasury.
Maximo Gomez was at the same time
chosen as commander-in-chief, Morti
having been killed shortly before, and
Antonio Maceo as his lieutenant-general.
Laws were also passed dividing the island
into States, districts and prefectures. es-
tablsning postoffices, regulating mar
riages and providing for the imposition
and collection OF taxes. Local officers
under the new Government were soon
after installed in many places in the three
eastern provinces.
The seat of the Government was soon
after established on the top of the Sierra
Cubitas just north of Puerto Principe.
where it has since been kept and practi-
cally unmolested by the Spanish army.
This place is naturally most difficult of
access, and with but handful of men can
be held against any sized force. In places
the only pathway winds round the side of
precipitous mountain and is so narrow
that two men cannot ride abreast. A body