The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-04

number OF white men II was necessary
to suppress the rebellion. was notable.
In 1850 and 1851. Martin lopez twice
landed on the Cuba coast with hilIbus-
tering expeditions. both OF which failed.
All OF these failures convinced the cu-
bans that they could not succeed unless
the lower orders could be infused with
liberal ideas. In spite OF the means OF
newspapers, the mere publication OF the
news OF the outside world leavened tho
whole lump OF Cuban Ignorance. Our
own civil war and the freeing OF slaves
In the south. made n tremendous awak-
cnlnsg; the desire for political freedom
followed close on the heels OF e~nlighten-
Tnent. IN 1860 the pressure OF public
opinion for reform was so great that the
government OF Spain appointed a com
mission TO inquire Into the condition OF
tho island. More than half OF this com
mission were Spanlards and the others
were elected by the municipalities OF
Cuba who submitted n plan for reform.
The commission was disbandcd and the
taxes increased. since Spain was In pos
session OF better Information OF the re-
sources OF the island than they were be-
fore. The result Of this insolcncc was
the rebellion OF 1868 which lasted ten
years. II cost Cuba $4,000 lives In battle
and G,000 more by massacre. and $780,
900. 1000 In money. The bones OF 1900
Spanish soldiers were laid IN Cuban soil,
fully half having died OF malignant
fcvcrs. Cuba paid The entire cost OF the
war, The a was fought as this one
Is being pr,,sccuted-by the guerrilla
method. the only one possible where the
insurgents have neither arms nor mon
ey. The paciicos paid the penalty when
the rebels cluded the soldiers. Thirteen
hundred estates were confscated at the
close OF the war, 1000 belonging to
women and children. Twenty years be-
fore there had been a proposition that
the United States buy the island for
$40 900, 900, but the offer was refused. In
the meantime we had repudiatedi
slavery, and whole moral atmos-
phcrc vas cleared. Sympathy with Gu
ba ran high In this country. BY a curl
Il turn OF events Spain Il at that
timc a republic under the presidency OF
Senior Castelar,. and optimis.s professcd
to believe that .ic leopard was to
change Its spots. We were urged TO
wait; oncc peace was declared Cuba
would share In political liberty and en-
l%ightenment that had come to Spain! In
imprisoned phrase CASTELAR, imposed
his policy upon the American people. 1t
was during this period that the yirsinlus
incident occurred.
The prr.rni Rebellion.
The mediate cause OF the present re-
bellion was the attempt OF Spain to ne
sotiate a loan Of $3.50, 600. 900 with Cuba
as a guarantee. There was nothing to
be done but for the Cubans to shoulder
their rifles and machetes and fight for
freedom, against Il government whose
rapacity, insolence. %treachery and ty-
amy have no limits. The incidents Of
the present struggle are well known and
need not be rccounted. They are but Il
repetition Of the last war. The civilized
wcrld is beginning to realize that the
Cubaus will have liberty or death. and
that even death is preferable TO remain
Ing under the hated Spanish yoke. For
a stranger visiting the island. the Span
lard and the Cuban are indlstinGulsh-
able; they live In the same street. speak
the same language and attend the same
church: but one y the robber and the
other is the robbed. The Span!ard Is Al
official. soldier or merchant temporarily:
toward Cuba his feeling is she same as
Il was In the time Of Valesquez. Span
ish provinces are the enrichment II
Spain. Onc may see here a system OF
military government. the officials OF
which act under foreign DEGREES for law,
imposed by residen. rulers. Every in
dustry Is strangled: every resource Grip
pied: every enterprise discouraged. Halt
of what is collected probably never
reaches the treasury at Madrid. The
little wooden wlarveS are rottinS, the
palaces going to decay, and slow suffo-
cation Is settling on the island. To
crown all. one huge mortgage, equalling
the entire revenue of Cuba for five years
10 have been placed, Yet the Span
lard believes his to be the most just.
benign and glorious government under
heaven. The real Spanfard has never
yet seen the humor Of Don Quixote, but
he has n sense OF the fact that the Yam
kee Is amused by his airs and disguised
by his method OF ruling Cuba. He never
for a momen imagines that we could
defeat him in battle. The nobility OF
Spain are as well educated as any In the
world, but between them and the conf
mon people there Is a wide gulf. The
commoner OF Spain has been taught that
his country is invincible. 80 that 4 prop
osition to accept the intervention OF the
United States IN Cuban affairs would
probably result in a revolution In the
Peninsula.
What is to be done for Cuba? It is a
most beautiful island. In spite OF re-
preston Is can raise a revenue Of $780,
900. 900 a year. 1t has the climate of per-
pelual summer. 1t is a crescent WOO
Ing the m OF the world with
,wenty-seven harbors and half n dozen
navisable rivers. The annual sugar crop
Is worth S45, 900, 000: 1.-THE tobacco sG.0 900:
there are asst forests OF mahogany and
cedar. Plantations OF bananas, cocoa
nuts. etc. support the native blacks and
bring a revenue from expectation.
Under favorable political conditions,
Cuba would easily double Its production:
the forests are yet uncut and the mines
unworked. There is scarcely such a
thing as public improvements on the is
land. Once free, Cuba with on%e-fourth
the amount annually sent to Spain.
would be transformed into an earthly
paradise within n generation.
Cuba pays high for paternallsm. BY
the help OF God and the United States
1t shall be free. God grant K will be
without the shedding of blood, but
CUBA MUST BE FREE.