Evening star., 1898-03-25
TO CELLS WITHOUT TRIAL
Political Prisoners in Cuba Fare Badly Under
Autonomy.
Indefinite Charge Of COnspfrncy Suf.
ficent to Send Them to Spanish
Dungeons.
lCopyright. uses. hy Charles NJ. repner1

tCopyr1ght, 1898. by CHARLES NJ Pepper)
Special From a Staff Corr sooulent.
HAVANA, March %. via Port Tampa,
Fla, March 2i-Pretense iS made of prepar-
ing for the elections under autonomy and
negotiating a treaty of commerce with the
United States under such regime. These eff
forts are put forth i'll a desperate endeavor
to show that spark of vitality yet remains
in the government under Spanish sover-
eighty
Events however, aretshowing what Spain
really understands by autonomy. The
other day | saw the royal mail steamer
go out with nine prisoners of state who
are destined for prison in Barcelona, which
has been made infamous in recent years
by the crueltles committed within its walls
have seen this royal mail go out in Wey-
ler's time bearing Cuhans condemned to
chains for life or to perpetual imprison-
ment in the penal settlements of Africa
They were charged with the crime of rebel
lfon and the cause of their deportation was
given. They had even been put through the
form Of farcical trial. The men who are
row on the prisoners consigned to
the fortress In Barcelona have not even
had the form of a trial under the regime
of autonomy, though the promise was made
that under the new regime the rights of all
persons would be sacrediy respected.
Indefinite Charge of Conxpiracy.
Three weeks ago score of persons We're
arrested. The complaint against them was
the indefinite charge of conspiracy They
were admittedly political prisoners. Moth
ing has been heard of the evidence against
them or of their defense. The only farcical
proceeding has been what Is called an EEK
pedient" or statement of the police to the
authorities of the grounds of their arrest.
1t is the nature of grand jury process Of
indfctme 1t. On this showing they have
been depOrted as prisoners. Not a word
has been permitted in their defense The
press, under the military censorship, has
been allowed to publish. nothing about the
case. What the fate of the men who are
imprisoned in the Barcelona fortress will
be no one can foresee
The insurgent general, Ruiz Rivera, after
his refusal to accept from Blanco freedom
on condition of his supporting autonomy
was transported to these prisons and is
there now. These deportations were made
in the name of the autonomist cabinet of
Cuba and under its authority. The real
influence was the Spanish government, act
ing through Captain General Blanco.
Odium Placed ON Cabinet.
But the odium was placed on the autono-
mist cabinet. Its members had neither the
spirit nor the power to resist. They mere
ly accepted their function. The case has
not excited much attention among the
Cubans. They knew that Spanish rule
might change in name, but not in fact. So
the exercise of arbitrary power does not
surprise them, though it justifies them in
their refusal to be deceived into accepting
autonomy. Possibly the incident may aid
some people in Washington to an under.
standing of the conditions which have made
failure of the concession of colonial
self-government by Spain to Cuba
CHARLES NJ PEPPER