The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-06-23
Spanish Offer Spurned.
The President Of the Cuban Republic Issues
Proclamation.

The last proclamation of General
Bartolome Maso, president of the
Cuban republic, has Just reached
Washington. 1t again spurns the
offer of General Blanco, made some
time ago, to form an alliance with
the Spaniards for the purpose of
repelling the invasion of the island
of Cuba, and praises the United
States for its friendly action in as
sisting Cuba to gain her independ-
ence. Among other things the pro-
clamation says:
cit is now quite we'll known that
General Blanco is sending his re-
presentatives to Our army for the
purpose of influencing our officers
to form an alliance with Spain,
offering us all for which we have
been fighting SO bravely and against
such odds during the past three
years and such a cruel enemy for
liberty, independence freedom. But
their real purpose is to have us
prove treacherous to Our alliance
with that grand nation, the United
States, which has come so kindly
to our assistance.
"Autonomists in particular, who
are as much enemies to Cuba and
to the Cuban people as the vilest
Spaniards, have been for some time
agitating this question among our
people. All true Cubans have re-
jected and will always continue to
reject the offers of Spain, knowing
full we'll, from our bitter and
wretched experience of the past,
that Spain will prove treacherous
to any alliance and unfaithful to any
promise she may make, no matter
of what nature it may be. Our
generals in the field, Our govern
ment officers, including myself,
have from time to time, since the
beginning of the war, been annoyed
by proposals of all kind, and to
settle the matter for once and all l
have taken advice from the council
for the republic of Cuba, which is
the supreme authority for the gov
ernment of the Cuban revolution,
and in the name of the law and the
power vested in me as the president
of our republic l make known that
the only end for which we are striv-
ing is for the independence of the
island of Cuba, for liberty TO estab-
lish just and equitable laws for our
own people and for the safety and
protection of those people of foreign
nations who may see fit to come and
settle with us upon our fertile and
productive island.
"Our mission will be completed,
so far as the revolution goes, when
we have achieved completely this
liberty and independence, and when
Cubans can freely proceed to estab-
lish their own public institutions
and better organize its domestic
government for the exigencies and
necessities of the country. For that
purpose and to accomplish Our aim
we graciously accept aid and sup
port from whatever source it may
come. 1t has come in the past from
individuals and from societies, who
have banded themselves together to
succor us, and now it is coming
from that grand nation Of the
North, which is aiding us in fight
ing Our battles for Cuban independ-
ence, that nation which is the
Cubans' best friend.
Cuba is to be free, and we desire
the oppressed of all nations, as we
know what oppression is ourselves,
to come and enjoy our liberty and
the happiness which we earnestly
look forward to when the war shall
be over"