The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-09
THE STORY OF CUBA.
Spanish Rule Never Accepted by tn

Columbus on October 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 per-
haps cursed the whole Southern Ameri-
can continent for centuries, and Cuba had
not now been fighting for freedom Co
lumbus believed that he had discovered
the main land of India, but was per-
suaded by the aboriginals that he was on
an island. When he returned to Cuba
he again made up his mind that it was
the original mainland, and 1t is said he
died in this belief So firmly was he
seated in this opinion that he committed
il to writing in order that posterity
might know of his conviction. But in this
detail the immortal discoverer was in
| error.
There is something noble, unyieldinB
! and stubborn about Cuba The Spanlarus
have never been able to conquer even the
| name Columbus called the island Juana
| for the honor of the son and heir OF Fer
dinand and Isabella. This name was
after-yard changed into Fernandina.
When the king died it was again changed
this time to Santiago. Some pious SPAN
lard later altered il to Ave Maria. III
was known by other names. and learned
essay on its proper nomenclature mlsht
be written. But Cuba" triumphed, ana
Cuba is not Spanish. The patriots VIII
have at least that JUNCTION when they are
free. They can retain their name I'M
changed in the comfortable thought that
there is not even a suggestion OF Spanish
about il. When Columbus landed as II is
believed. near the River Maximo, cuba,
so-called by its native inhabitants was
peopled by gentle, docile race OF Amerl-
can 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 welcomed when they EXTENDED
their hostility TO the gay-bedeckeo SPAN
iards.
The first Cuban war occurred nineteen
years after the discovery of the island py
Columbus That human beast. Nalesquez'
with an army of 300 men, started out in
15ll to ''pacify' the Ciboneyes, as the Cu-
ban Indians were called. NalesqueZ, by
all accounts, belonged to the genus Wey-
ler The peaceful and kind Indians were
as sheep under the cutthroat hands OF
their conquerers. They did not seek TO
repei the invaders But the motto OF
Spain. suggested by its national colors,
is. Through blood and death TO golden
victory" Victory, unaccompanied by
blood and death, was not sweet to Wales
queZ And when the chief of the Cuoans
was caught Che was called Hatuey), We
lasquez tied him to stake and started
fire about his body and burned the life
out of the poor creature, as a warning
to his people.
This noble conquest was fifty followed
up by NelasqueZ, who promptly undertook
to civilize the island by dividing the In
dams among his friends. The original
, Cubans were made slaves, and CUBA be-
30. blossom with plantations. hlInln
forty years the island was producing
magnificent crops, but these crops were
fattened by the lives of the slaves. Be
fore half century had passed the orig
inal 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 re-
public.
With the extinction of the Ciboneyes
agriculture declined and remained in de-
suetude for a long time, or at least until
the negro slave trade became efficient.
Nelasquez built cities improved the har-
bors and laid the foundations of the gov
eminent. In 1881 the King of Spain ac
I quircd the right to appoint the Governor,
Z
decree was fernando de Soto. Santiago
had been the capital, but in 1852 the seat
of government was removed to Havana.
The population diminished. and the island
languished fer more than a century.
owing to Spanish laws forbidding anyone
but Castilians TO settle in Cuba. under
pain of death.
There have been revolutions and dis
content and love OF liberty in the very air
Of Cuba from the first The finality of
Spanish rule has never been accepted
there, except by the helpless Indians, and
they died. The first revolution began in
11l1, and that revolution kept Spain busy
for a century 1t was not quelled tits
spirit was never crushed until the begin
ming of the present century In 1928 an
other revolution broke out within the
first. In that revolt 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 ad-
Vanced an inch in civilization for centu-
ries Give her untrammeled power. and
she seems to be as heartless. as cruel as
dead to sympathy as the Papuan.
Meanwhile. negro slaves the trade i'm
whom was made free. were poured into
the island by the thousands Early in
the last century there were nearly 100 O90
negro slaves in Cuba, and for nearly
twenty-five years the importation contin-
ued with steady flow. Now. in Cuba
there was miscegenation. The Kaffirs
and the other negroes were improved by
the mixture with Mediterranese blood.
When they became free-in a narrow way
they longed for more liberty The antia
Spanish tradition began to take sub
stance and form: Ii waxed with the
growth of liberty all about it through the
range of North and 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 every strength of sympathy. re-
enforced by Spanish cruelty blood and
life. The tradition was relentless. Death
or liberty was the cry nearly 1O0 years
ago.
In the year 1913 the United States of
America turned her eyes toward Cuba. |
The half-breed. the Spanish Cuban and
the naturalized islander saw in that
glance the light of an undying hope
From that moment Cuba libre was as
certain as death. 1t was only the other
day that Senior Canalejas said that so |
long as the rebels saw in the Tilted !
States the hope of sympathy Spain would |
never be able to crush the insurrection, |
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 |
country considerable commercial conces- |
sions If the United States would guar |
antee the continued possession of Cuba |
49,