The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-05-17

and injustice. Cuban martyrs were be-
headed, garroted, or sent to the gallows.
After q long series of conspiracies Lopez
raised. in 1885, for the first time the lone
star flag, invaded the island twice, and
hnally was overpowered, caught and exc
cuted in Havana. Since then war be-
tween Cuba and Spain has gone on. The
revolution of 1868 lasted ten years. After
the truce of Zanion the Cuban flag was
lowered only temporarily. 1t was raised
up again in 1895, never to be conquered
by the Spanish troops. Not single Gu
ban. no matter how peaceable he may be
by temperament, can be called friend
OF Spain since the death of Narciso Lopez.
All Cubans hate the Spanish rule. and
they all admire and love the United
States.
When news of the message of
President Mckinley was re-
ceiyed in Havana, the Cuban non COM
Blatant population began it's exodus to
the United States. Captain General
Hlaneo uttered then with deep emotion
these graphic words to member of his
cabinet:
''It is a bitter lesson for u.s. What can
we expect from people that on the eve
OF war with the foreigner fee to the
very land of the enemy?''
i, And he was right. A large majority of
the population Of Havana is now hostile
to Spain, in spite Of the public demon
strations of patriotism. The 90, 600 or 30, 600
Spanish volunteers. grocers and retail
merchants, nearly all of them single men
and young, who went to Cuba as emil
garnts, lead those patriotic parades, and
the rest follow them, not out of patriot
ism, but from fear Of being suspected as
enemies of Spain and assassinated or put
into prison.
The small group of Cubans called
Autonomlsts are among this class. The
failure OF the last Cuban revolution from
zoos 10 1873 and the constant policy of
non interference and of enforcement Of
neutrality laws, followed for so many
years by the Washington administrations,
convinced them that it was folly to be-
lleve that the patriots would ever win
alone against the superior Spanish power
or that the United States would ever lend
q helping hand to them. They tried to
obta1n by peaceful means what the patri-
OTIS demanded by force. Believing also
that their aspirations could not be
reallzed, they have accepted everything
oHered to them. no matter how meagre
or tarclcAl. But that they are haters of
spain, and that they do not inspire conf
dence even in the most liberal Spaniards,
IS IN cuba well known fact All their
pro-opan1sh demonstrations.t they have ex-
aggefated IN order to win confidence
which they do not deserve. Traitor to
Doth sides, to that of their real sentiments
ana TO mat OF their apparent inclinations,
the 10 tnem unexpected intervention of
the UNITED States in Cuba has been a
hard blow. II they could now help them
selves by taking the winners side they
would do so gladly.
Anotner important type of the Havana
population hostile to Spain is the sympa.
thizer with the revolution, or laborante,
who, apart from fighting, has done. and
is ready 10 40, everything that nav harm
the cause OF Spain. The laborante is the
most able OF conspirators, OF him and
his kind is composed the scorer ravoIu-
tionary junta in Havana. that is stiil
mining the Spanish government inside side
the city.
The negroes, who number some 40 mn
are very much divided The ma iorit ,Uo ~
them are against the Spaniards. VI
1t is needless to say that the reoonoe,-
trados are also against the Snaniards
and in favor of the United States No
But the most serious enemies. tbonob
not the most numerous, of the Snanish
in Havana are SpaniarSs
themselves, land owners or rich mar.
chants. who favor immediate annexation
to the United States as the only solution
of the Cuban problem.
Leaving aside few thousand foreign
ers, the male population of Havana may
be estimated at 100000. OF this number
not &c, 600 are Spanish at heart, and the
rest are irreconcilable enemies of the
Spanish govrnment.