The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-26
GRIEVANCES WHICH LED
THE CUBANS TO REBEL
Conservative Review of the Causes of SPANS
Downfall in the Queen of the Antilles.


government on every imaginable thing,
and not only on the estimated profit
that property professions. industry
commerce, etc, can produce, but even
on the amount paid for said taxes; on
every inhabitant from IL years up, on
public and private salaries and PEN
slons, and on tenants on and for the
amount they pay as farm, house or Of
flee, there being besides the high-priced
stamped paper for all official and busi-
! ness transactions.
11-Snce 1886 special laws were
| promised Cuba, and in 1898. GO years
later Cuba is still without them and
| subject as ever to the prey and raVa-
| ges of the INSCRIPTIONS Spanish gov
| eminent, Spanish politicians, merchants
in Spain and public employees, all Of
| whom speculate with the mismanage-
| men of the country.
In support of these charges the Gu
bans offer evidence which seems con-
| vincing. Spain's plan of taking the
control Of Cuban affairs out Of the
hands of the Cuban people was accom-
| plished by an electoral law which had
for its object, first, to reduce the num-
! Der Of voters second, to give always
|
| only 9.3 per cent. of the total popula-
| tion of Cuba. To this effect it made
the electoral right dependent on the
| payment of a very high poll tax, and
| in this way succeeded in restricting the
| right Of suffrage to only $4,000 in to-
tai population of 100000 or per
cent. of the whole number of inhabi-
tantS. In order to give a decided pre-
,trl,
element, and confine the electoral pri-
vilege to industry, commerce and pub
lie officials, to the detrment of the
owners Of real estate the tax on the
latter is reduced to per cent, while
the eXorbitant poll tax of S25 is requr-
ed from those who would be electors
| aa freeholders. Moreover the simple
declaration of the head of CONNER
| cial house is sufficient to consider all
| Of its employees as partners, having,
| therefore, the right to vote. Thus it
comes to pass that the district of Gui-
mes, with 1900 inhibitants, only 500 OF
| whom are Spaniards, has an electoral
list Of 80 native Cubans and 400 Span
iards. or OPS per cent of the Cubans to
| 90 per cent. of the Spaniards. This
| shows why the native Cuban represen-
|
| never exceeded six in number, and on
| some occasions only three, out of a
| body of 430 members AS to the SEN
ate, native Cubans are practically de-
| barred from entering it, The qualfi-
cations for membership prevent it. To
take a seat in that body the candidate
| must have been a president of that
| branch or of congress, or a minister
~ tt,. / .s.t1...
ISpaiE, lieutenant general vice admiral,
ambassador, counsellor Of state, judge.
or attorney general of the supreme
court, etc. No Cuban has ever held
any of the above positions, and bat
two or three are grandees. There are
a few additional qualifications for this
body which few Cubans have, but the
| whole number thus qualified does not
exceed %.
Similar determinations exist with re-
gard to local governments Not a
single Cuban is an alderman in Ha-
vana, and in the district of Havana in
1891 there were 81 Spanish aldermen
out of 81. In Guines there was not one
Cuban. In the me epoch there were
only three Cuban deputies in the pro-
vincial deputation of Havana: two in
And these are the most populous re-
gions in the island of Cuba.
Spain appoints Spaniards to all the
lucrative, influential and representa-
tive offices. The governor general, the
regional and provincial governors. the
"intendentes," comptrollers, auditors
treasurers, chiefs Of communications
chiefs Of the custom house, chiefs OF
administration, presidents and vice.
presidents of the Spanish bank. secre-
taries Of the government, presiding
judges of the "audiencia," presidents
of tribunals. magistrates, attorneys
general, archbishops, bishops, canons
pastors of the rich parishes-al, with
very rare exceptions, are Spaniards
from Spain The Cubans are found
only as minor clerks in the government
offices, doing all the work and receiv.
ing the smallest salaries. Since 1875
Matanzas has had 20 governors, Is
Spaniards and two Cubans, and of the
latter one was general in the Spanish
army. Within the same period only one
native Cuban has been governor ot
Havana province, and he had lived al
his life in Spain. In all the other pro.
| Vinces there has never been a native
Cuban governor Not a single Cubar
has ever served on the council presided
; over by the minister of the colonies,
The governor general receives q sal
airy of $4,000, with a palace, country
house, servants, coaches, and a secre
service fund; the director general o.
the treasury, $1S,5OO; the archbishop o.
Santiago and the bishop of Havana
$4,000 each; the naval commander gen
eral, SlG,392; the general second in com,
mand Of the island and the presiden
of the "audiencia," $4,000 each; tn,
governor of Havana and the secretary
of the general government, $4,000 each
the three classes Of chief clerks of ad
ministration receive $1,000, $4,000 an,
$4,000 each respectively. In the army
the salaries run as follows: Major gen
erals, $500; brigadiers, S4,5OO; colonels
$3,450; captains OF men-of-war receiv,
$6 300; captains Of frigates, 81, $50; lieu
tenants, $3.50. All these functonarie
are entitled to free lodgings and ser
? wants. Such salaries as these. to COM
out of the taxes imposed upon 500, ,OO
people, have helped 70 swell Cuba
public debt from S25,000O 900 in 1868 I,
about $t00,00O000 at the present time
In addition there have been shameless
peculations of the public funds. a de
| TO Tn, fgh -,