The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-11
THE STORY OF CUBA.
Brief History of the Island and Its
Disastrous Wars.
Shicaeo Tjmes-Herald.

Brief History of the Island and Its
Disastrous Wars.
| Chicago Times-Herald.
1 Cuba was discovered by Christopher Co
| lumbllS on Oct. rs, 1892. Had it not been
for the episode of Ferdinand and Isabella
| in the life of the great Italian navigator
| the rule of Spain had not perhaps cursed
| the whole Southern American continent for
centuries and Cuba had not now been fight
| ing for freedom. Columbus believed that he
mad discovered the main land OF India, but
was persuaded by the aboriginals that he
was on island. When he returned to
| Cuba he again made UP his mind that 1t
| was the Oriental mainland, and it is said he
died in that belief. So firmly he seated
| in this opinion that he committed it to writ
| ing in order that posterity might know of
| his conviction. But in this detail the i'm
mortal diScoverer was in error.
There is something noble, unyielding and
| stubborn about Cuba. The Spaniards have
never been able to conquer even the name
| Columbus called the island Juana for the
| honor of the and heir of Ferdinand and
Isabella. This name was afterward changed
| into Fernandina. When the King died 1t
] was again changed this time to Santiago.
Some piOus Spaniard later altered it to Ave
| Maria. 1t was known by other names, and
! might be written. But Cuba triumphed
| and Cuba is not Spanish. The patriots Will
| have at least that JUNCTION when they are
| free. They can retain their name unchanged
in the comfortable thought that there is not
| even a suggestion of Spanish about it.
When Columbus landed, as it is believed,
| near the River Maxine. Cuba, so called by
its native inhabitants, was peopled by a
| gentle, docile race of American Indians:
| They were part of the great tribe called
the Good and they were good. indeed.
| Children of the forest and the sun, they
| did not know what savages they had well
coined when they extended their hospitality
| to the gay-bedecked Spaniards.
The first Cuban war occurred nineteen
years after the discovery of the island by
| Columbus That human beast, VelaSqueZ,
with an army of 300 men, started out in 1911
| to 'pacify'' the Ciboneyes, as the Cuban
Id 1lOI NyA1nc hVyn oil n
counts, belonged to the genus Weyler. The
peaceful and kind Indians were as sheep
ors. They did not seek to repel the inyad-
| ers. But the motto of Spain, suggested by
| it's national colors, is Through blood and
death to golden victory Victory, unac-
| sweet to Velasquez. And when the chief
| of the Cubans was caught Che was called
| started a fire about his body and burned
| the life out of the poor creature, as a
| warning to his people.
This noble conquest was quickly followed
| up by VelaSqueZ who promptly undertook
| to cvilize the island by dividing the In
| dams among his friends The original Gu
| bans were made slaves, and Cuba began to
blossom with plantations Within forty
| years the island was producing magnificent
| lives of the slaves. Before half century
had passed the original CubanS had been
| beaten and worked to extinction. Negro
| slaves took the place of the native slaves,
and in this fact lay the germ of ultimate
| liberty, for from that stock sprang the
glorious family of Maceo and the liberty
| loving. Spaniard-hating family of Masso.
| one Of whose sons is now president of the
| infant republic.
With the extinction of the Ciboneyes ag-
! riculture declined and remained in desue-
| tude for a long time, at least until the
! negro slave trade became efficient. Velas-
queZ built cities, improved the harbors and
| laid the foundations of the government. In
| 1887 the King of Spain acquired the right
| to appoint the governor and the first cap
| decree
! nando de Soto. Santiago had been the cap
| ital, but in 1902 the seat of government was
| minished, and the island languished for
more than century, owing to Spanish laws
| fOrbidding any one but CaStilianS to settle
| in Cuba under pain of DEATH
| There have been revolution and discomfort
and love of liberty in the very air and
| breath of Cuba from the first The fnalitv
| of Spanish rule has never been accepted
| there except by the helpless Indians, AMI
| they died. The first revolution began in
| III, and that revolution kept Spain busy
for century. 1t was not quelled Gts spirit
was never crushed) until the beginning of
the present century In 1723 another revolu-
ton broke out within the first. In that rev.
| olution GuaZo, the captain general, hanged
men and starved them. and garroted them
and stabbed them in the back, as Weyler
| has done in these days This proves that
| Spain has not advanced an inch in civiliza-
ton for centuries Give her untrammeled
power and she seems to be as heartless as
cruel. as dead to sympathy as the Papuar.
Meanwhile negro Salves, the trade in
whom was made free, were poured into the
island by the thousands. Early in the last
century there were nearly 100000 negro
slaves in Cuba. And for twenty-five years
the importation continued with a steady
fiow Now, in Cuba there was miscegena-
ton. The Kaffirs and the other negroes
were improved by the mixture with Medi-
| terranean blood. When they became free
in a narrow way-they longed for more lib
erty. The anti-Spanish tradition began to
take substance and form. 1t waxed with the
growth of liberty all about it through the
range of North and South America. The
Cuban half-breed sucked the milk of hatred
and liberty from the breasts of his dusky
mother, and in his fathers fierce eye he
saw liberty and revenge in the future. The
holy cause won, by very strength of SYM
pathy, reinforced by Spanish cruelty blood
and life. The tradition was relentless.
Death liberty was the cry nearly one
hundred years ago.
In the year 1S4S the United States of
America turned her eyes toward Cuba The
half breed, the Spanish Cuban and the nat
urahzed islander saw in that glance the
light of an undying hope. From that mo-
ment cuba nbre was as certain as death.
1t was only the other day that Senior Canal
e5as I sad that 50 long as the rebels saw in
the United States the hope of sympathy
Spain would never he able to crush the in
surrection, and that Spaniards might as
Well make up their minds for war. As long
ago as 1926 Spain saw her doom in Cuba
In that year she proposed to pay this coun-
try considerable commercial concessions if
the United states would guarantee the con-
tinued possession of Cuba by the Spanish
government. President Polk offered Spain
$l00, 100000 for the island, but the Spaniard
(whO had not been too naughty to buy pro-
tection) scornfully rejected the proposition
Fifty years ago Narcisco Lopez died at the
garroting stake for Cuban liberty, and his
companions in revolt were shot in the back.
And then came the ten years war
Cuba. after battling so long for freedom,
will have it at last 1t would seem If the
sentiment of Jack Cade. as interpreted by
the poet, was for once true:
THE right is with us; God is with the right.
And victory is with God"
Through death and blood, truly, upon tire
ruins of hearth and home out of the blood
of butchered men and women and on the
graves of murdered babes will now rise the
stanch and indestructible fabric of a free
and happy nation.
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