The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-25
PATRIOT QUESADA.
A Gifted Cuban Who Should Be Re-
membered.


pendent nations and its historiate pro-
coed to tell the story of it's struggles
against a merciless despotisnI, they Will
naturally devote themselves to a study
of the individuals who played the inn
portant parts il the patriotic tragedy
preceding the death of Spanish rule in
the western hemisphere. Soldiers ana
statesmen will be given their just
places in the stirring scenes, and
among them all, says the Washington
Star, no name will inspire greater or
more deserved praise than that OF Con
| zalo de Quesada. 1t does not detract
from the merits of his eager and ener-
| getic colleagues to say that the inter
est of the United States in the affairs
of wretched Cuba, which culminated
/ finally in national indignation and hor-
ror and war, was due more TO CUES
! ada than to any other member 81 the
/ Cuban party in the United states.
! Young, handsome, graceful, polished,
! talented and enthusiastic, he came 10
! Washington three years ago as the sec
I rotary, TO afterwards become charge
d'affai-es, of the legation OF the newly
established republic OF Cuba. His gov
eminent to him was then. as it is now,
! as true a government as that or the
J United States is to John Hay, and ne
soon made his attractive personality
potent in its behalf. No one could meet
Quesada and believe that the cuban
patriot were the maddened mob of hair
! civilized anarchists that Spain and her
agents pictured. No one could talk
with him 10 minutes without feeling
certain of the justice of his cause
With rapier-like thruStS OF keen truth
he punctured the arguments of the en-,
emies of Cuban freedom, and day ana
night he worked. delicate though ne
was and is, physically, in behat OF IL.
afv. cor n
que; his representations, denied as
they were, were established as truthtul
by the Sbuniant proof that follo"su
such denials and as time wore on ne
began TO realize that his ceaseless ef-
forts were TO bring forth his beloved
people from the most miserable eAls-
tence ever known since the world De
gan.
The personal career of such man
cannot fail to be interesting at this
momentous time. Mr.. Quesada mas
had an eventful one. Born in Havana
in December, 1868. he was barely
month old when the Cuban revolution
known as the ten years war, broke out
His parents were suspected OF sympa-
thizing with the insurgents, ana Wele
accordingly exiled by the Spanish gov
eminent. They came to the United
tates and took up their residence III
New York The boy began his stuoleS
in the public schools OF New YORK, anu
afterward graduated from the Coiiese
of the City of New York This was IN
1855. lie afterward took course al
Columbia, and then entered the law
school of the University of New YORK,
graduating with high honors IN lS9l-
While at the college he edited the oi-
weekly college journal, and was one
of the editors of the Columbia Specta-
tor. During tie sessions of the Pan
American congress. in 1889, he was ap-
pointed secretary of the Argentine uele-
CATION and, at the conclusion Oh tne
congress. his valuable services We're
recognized with an appointment in the
foreign office at BuenOs Ayres- w nile
in that duty, a revolution broke out
which threatened TO upset the existing
government Before truce was Ell
fected between the insurgents ana the
government, Mr.. Qucsada was eAPoSeu
to great dangers. He volunteered ms
services as a parliamentarian, and con-
seouentlv passed to and fro in the /
streets where the bullets were llylhs.
His duties were performed so satlsIac-
torily that the government comph-
menfed him, and the leaders OF the IN !
sllrgents praised his valcr. HIS ser
vices were recognized by his appoint
ment as consul of Argentina to Fhli-
adelphia. .;.a
He held TINS place OQl a
resigning to Join Jose Marti, and oegln
the work Of the final stroke that should +
free Cuba. Marti was then. IN 1881, (
consul of Argentine, Uruguay ana Far
aguay. at New York, and he also re-
signed Ever since that time MART
and Quesada worked together. Iney !
made a splendid campaign, resulting /
in uniting all Cuoans living doloiu -
cooperate with the patriots in the IS
land the moment they were ready 10
rise against their despOtic masters.
During this period, full of trials ana
the two devoted men
proved what untiring energy ana per
severance they possessed: Ihey pup
lished a Cuban weekly-Patrla- Whleh
is now the organ of the CUBAN reHo-
lutionary party, and by its means pro-
mulgated the principles of freedom IN
Stirring sentences. Finally, the plans
of Ouesada and Marti were matured,
and then followed the uprising at Bare
and other places in Cuba.
Marti. who was the delegate or presl-
dent of the Cuban revolutionary party,
went Immediately to CUBA. leaVlAS MI
Ouesada. who has all along been sec
rotary of the party, in His place when
the news of Marti's death was received,
all Cuban exiles were Frustrated
The question was, who would take
Martrs place. An election was held,
and il developed that the Cuoans, TO
man. favored Mr.. Quesada as Martfs
successor, despite the fact that he was
but 25 years old. Mr.. Quesada, how
ever, declined the honor, and Thomas
Estrada Palma was chosen, this patri-
otic and talented man being also Mr..
Quesadas choice.
The successive victories won by the
insurgents soon made the establish
nent of a provisional government nee
sssary. and one of the first acts of the
assembly of Cuba was
10 give Mr.. Quesada unanimous vote
If thanks. He was also made secre-
AIRY TO the Cuban legation here, and
afterwards the charge d'affaires, which
position he now holds.
His ability to treat with the authori-
les in the national capital has been
proved in variety of
ways, but particularly during the de-
bate of the Cuban belligerency resolu-
ions and at the time of the De LONE
Incident.
Mr.. Quesada will undoubtedly be the
irst accredited minister 10 the United