Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-18
FORTY-FIVE YEARS AGO
An Account Of Cuba as It Was at That
= Time.
Same Conditions as Held just Before
With Prophetic Pen.

Hfoh the view 1Ork 1imeS
In the very first number of Putnam's
Monthly Magazine, the date of which is
January, 1853, after the introduction there
is an article on Cuba The subject chosen
some forty-f1ve years ago as the leading
features in Putnams shows how important
it was then considered. The article Is un-
signed. but 1t was written by Richard Bur-
leigh kimball. the author of "Undercur-
rents of Wall Street Life and Letters
from Cuba" Were the author of this ar
ticle alive today Che died in 1892 he would
see how prophetic he was.
Eighteen hundred and fifty-two had been
year of turmoil. The Napoleonic coup
detat Of 1851 had unsettled Europe. There
were the beginnings of those troubles with
Russia which brought about in 1854 the
Crimean war In his Introduction to the
article Cuba Kimball wrote, I'VE cannot,
II We would, remain Indifferent to what is
passing in any of the civilized states. One
great effect of freedom is to fill the heart
with an earnest desire that every living be-
ing should participate in its privileges"
In 1851 the Lopez expedition had made a
landing at Marble. Lopez was captured
and garroted. During the same year Col
onel Crittenden was shot In 1852 first ap-
peared a decided action on the part of the
President of the United States. Mr.. Fill
more, refusing to join Great Britain and
France in a treaty which guaranteed to
Spain the possession of Cuba In 1852 there
was conspiracy in Cuba, and it's leaders
We're garroted, shot, or sent to prison for
life. The article then in Putnams Maya
zine was timely one, for Cuba then occu-
pied public attention. This is an extract
from the second page of the article:
There is almost within sight of our own
shores province Of one of the monarchies
of the old world whose inhabitants are Suf-
ferfng under greater and more oppressive
burthens and are governed by a sway more
absolute and tyrannical than has ever been
exercised against Scave, Magyar, Pole or
Indian: 1t is the Island of Cuba
Mr. kimball describes the various cap
tains general. and shows that on the ac-
cession of Miguel Tacon there began "a
series of injuries, cruelties. and oppres-
sions against this unfortunate island I'M
paralleled in the history of civilized COM
munities Tacon possessed a jeal-
Gus nature, was short-sighted and mar
row-mlnded. and had an uncommon stub
bornness of character" And these are the
true Spanish traits of today-that is, of the
lberian functionary. The Tacon policy was
about this: that the Island of Cuba can
only be Spanish or African. Describing
exact conditions when the article was writ
ten. kimball writes:
I'VE have seen that the position of the
Creoles in Alba is that of an oppressed and
degraded race fully sensible of their
wrongs: that they now regard the power
which Expresses them with indignation
that Notwithstanding their earnest desire
to be free, they are kept under by the ter
rors of servile instruction and the fear
of relentless persecution. But do the Gu
bans despair altogether of liberty? Have
they no hope from any quarter? or, if from
any, from what quarter? There is no doubt
that they look to the United States and to
the United States only, as their ultimate
hope and salvation from the cruelties of
SPAIN
Then comes this remarkable passage:
VIVA. is in the future: Cuba will be-
come part of the United States The
now or the when it is useless to predict.
Political events have transpIrc1 so rapidly
within the last few years that
Ihat or an hours age doth Hiss the
speaker
we are borne onward by a force which
seems haStening some great conSummation
If all do not agree as to the result which
these changes are to bring, no one can
smut MS eyes to the changes themselves
They have multiplied within the year; they
are multiplying; they will continue to null
uply. What is to be done? Shall We
attempt to stay this sweeping current and
be carried away by 1t? snail we rather
do what We may to control and direct it?'
Exactly the same broad arg Iment of
humanity which one reads every day as
the main reason for our quarrel with
Spain Mr.. Kimball wrote about in 1853
The people of the United States assert
pontlcal, religious and commercial freedom:
they beneVe in the philanthropic mission of
their country to extend the same through
out this hemisphere. :" AS a people.
too, We contend that the physical and moral
wants of mankind cannot be disreyarded
IL subjects are oppressed by tyrants. sup
ported by brute force, the citizen of the
Tree state will be very likely to use his in
dividual might to take off The irons from
the victims"
The article in Putnam's Monthly is an nm
commonly able one. historically correct
and In exact accordance with the feelings
of today.