The record-union., 1898-04-07
CUBANS FIRM
IN THEIR DEMANDS.
VIII Not Accept Intervention by the
United States
Unless Accompanied BY Absolute lndspand.
ahse Of Caaa.

wou1d Regard Amy Other Proposal
as Nothing Less Than a Declar-
alton of War Against the Cuban
Observation-Disclosures of Ho-
ratio 5. Rubens, Counsel for the
Cuban Junta at New York.
NEW YORK, April G.-The Cuban
Junta through its counsel, Horatio s.
Rubens, made an important statement
to-day. 1t declares in the most une-
quivocal language that the Cuban pro-
yisional government and the Cuban
army would reject absolutely interven-
ton by the United States, unless it
should be preceded by a recognition
of the independence of the Cuban Re
public: that if the United States per-
sisted in intervening without recogniz-
ing Cuban independence, the Cuban
Government and military forces would
refuse to cooperate, and that if the
United States troops should be sent
to Cuba upon the basis of intervention
without independence, the Cuban army
would in the last resort turn it's arms
against the United States.
The statement made by Mr. Rubens
was preceded by the following:
The declaration l am about to make
official, for l am the legal representa-
tive Of the Junta, and l know their
unalterable convictions and position, is
in line with the utterances of the dele
gate of the Cuban provisional govern
ment to the United States, Tomas Es-
trada Palma when the suggestion was
made that this Government should
counsel the Cubans and, if necessary,
coerce them to an acceptance of au-
tonOmy."
After quoting from the address to
the people of the United States, issued
by Mr.. Palma, on March 18th, Mr..
Rubens says:
In the face Of the present proposal
OF Intervention without previous rec
ognition, it is necessary for us to go a
step farther and say that we must and
win regard such Intervention as moth
ing less than a declaration of war by
the United States against the Cuban
revolutionists.
If intervention shall take place on
that basis, and the United States shall
land an armed force on Cuban soil, we
shall treat that force as an enemy to
be opposed, and, if possible, expelled,
so long as the recognition of q free
Cuban Republic is withheld. [ do not
mean to say that the Cuban army will
assemble on the coast to resist the
landing of Federal troops. but that it
will remain in the interior, refusing to
cooperate. declining TO acknowledge
any American authority, ignoring and
rejecting the intervention to every pos
sible extent
Should the United States troops sue
coed in expelling the Spanish; should
the United States then declare a pro-
tectoTate over the island-however pro-
Vlsi0naI or tenative-and seek to eX-
tend its authority over the Government
OF Cuba and the army of liberation.
we would resist with force of arms as
bitterly and as tenaciously as we have
fought the armies of Spain.
1T was l. who yesterday. from the
most trustworthy private sources of in
formation, conveyed to the newspaper
representatives, the forecast of the bur-
den Of the Presidents age-inter-
VentiOn without recognition of indie
pendenCe. The forecast has been con-
firmed by subsequent public events. and
the accuracy of my information in this
particular should give authority to the
information, even more important
which l am now to divulge It has been
in my possession for many hours. and
] have hesitated between my duty as an
American citizen on the one hand and
on the other as the legal representative
of the Cuban Junta but / regard the
time as now arrived when I must make
these facts known.
4 have it from such an authority
high in financial circles that the whole
course now proposed by the President
is in pursuance of an understanding be-
tween Washington and Madrid. the OBJ
ject of which is to secure peace in Gu
ba. Cuban acceptance of Spanish au-
tonomy, without the shedding of a drop
of American blood or the expenditure
of another dollar of American money
See how perfectly the proposals. with
this light upon them. are adapted to
work out to that end: the intrinsic evil
dence alone is almost sufficient to prove
the accuracy of my information, which
runs thus:
1t has been agreed between Spain
and the United States that this Gov
eminent, while declaring for interven-
ton. shall refuse to recognize the indie
pendence Of Cuba. 1t is mutually hoped
by the two Governments that the Gu
bans viii then become convinced that
the object for which they have been
fighting all these years-independence
cannot be obtained. and that they will
accept. perforce, first. an armistice,
and eventually. autonomy under the
Spanish Gag. 4 part of the programme
is that Congress shall empower the
President to intervene. but shall not
direct him to do so. The object of
this viii be to gain ample time in which
To persuade the Cubans to make terms
directly with Spain
Il assert again that this information
IS trustworthy. and it explains what
has seemed ineXplicahle. the optimistic
tones stiu observed among prominent
officials both in Washington and Ma
drid. despite the strong sentiment for
forcible intervention prevailing both
Throughout the nation and in Con-
gross. Incidentally. also it accounts
for the tone of the stock market both
here and abroad. and the apparent firm
ness Of Spanish securities