The Portland daily press., 1898-12-10
THEAUToNoMlsT CABINET.
which Has Now Fol owed Capt-General
Blanco Out of Office.
(Letter from Havana in the New York
Tribune.)


(Letter from Havana in the New York
Iribune)
With the resignation OF tho autonomist
cabinet, following Capt-Gen. Blanco's
retirement, ends short yet interesting
chapter of history. This cabinet repre-
scented Spain's tardy and despairing effort
to save her vanishing sovereignty in the
Antilles. Some of it's members will re-
conditions. Others, it is reported, will
! end their lives in Spain, though they are
Cuban horn. They would not be in full
| sympathy with the future government,
whether it Ee an independent one or
whether annexation to the United States
| follows.
This autonomist cabinet was appointed
| in December last, and took Office January
| 1, 1885, Its mem bership was as follows:
President without portfolio, Jose Maria
Galvez; secretary of the treasury, Rafasl
Montoro; secretary of justice and COVER n
menu, Antonio GOWN; secretary of pub
lie instruction, Francisco Zayas; secre-
| tary of public works, Eduardo DALI; sec.
rotary of agriculture and commerce, Lau-
rano Rodriguez. The events of II
months need not be told in detail to show
that the last three departments were not
burdened with functions. They were
practically non existent.
| This cabinet was made up of what were
! known as historic and radical autono
mists. with "reformista'' or moderate
supporter of Spanish sovereignty sand.
| Wiched in between them. The hope was
| that the radical members would be able
| to exercise q persuasive influence on the
| insurgents. 1t proved fallacious one
/ GOWN was the leading radical in the cab
/ met. He had been an aggressive support.
er of autonomy from the beginning Of
1 that movement, and the Spanish conser-
natives had frequently charged that he
| was separatist When the insurrection
| broke out he did not join 1t. but his
| principles and his sympathies were sc
| we'll known that he came under the ban
of Weyler's suspicion. Unable to 1denti-
| fy himself on the one hand with the in
1 surrection, and. on the other hand, un-
/ willing to indorse the policy of the Span
! ish government In suppressing it, he
1 went into voluntary exile in the United
States. He settled with his family at At
| lanta, Ga, and remained there until the
4 regime of autonomy was established un.
/ der Blanco Then he accepted the place
/ In the autonomist cabinet and exerted
/ himself heroically TO secure it's acceptance
/ by the Cuban people, Gown is a man OF
/ executive force. and while his positive
character made enemies for him it also
/ gave him strength. He has been the most
| aggre ssive member of the cabinet.
| Rafael hsontoro was the leader OF the
1 historic aEtOnOmlsts. His friends claimed
i for him the honorS of founding the party.
| He was better known in Spain than any
other of the Cuban publicists. His wri.
i things had made for him European rep
| utation, and ne WAS not unknown In
| the United States. In Cuba he was APP
preciated as a man of letters, a publiclst
1 and an orator. But he was not a bold
| leader. He feared the consequences of
| the instruction, and said bitter things
about it. He accepted the reforms of
Canovas as step toward colonial home
rule. His talents were great, but he had
| lost the confidence of his own people.
| Though the ableSt and most conspicuous
member of the cabinet his influence has
not been marked. He is believer in the
Latin race, and it is said of him that he
prefers spending the remainder OF his life
! in Spain to watching it's contact and pos
81 bic conflict with Anglo-SaxOn ctvlliza-
| ton in Cuba.
Galvez was also one OF the historic au-
| tonomists He was eminent as lawyer
and as an orator. He had been credited
with declaring that he would rather sac
Cuba sink under the sea than that it
should be Americanized. But his friends
! interpreted this as campaign talk. :"
He was never violent supporter of Span.
| ism sovereignty, and would have been
willing to watch it's gradual disappear
ance into Cuban Independence. He will
| probably remain in the island.
.rur raNEc. La .nnnir