The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1898-04-23
OPPRESSED CUBA.
Something of the Burdens
Borne BY the People Of
This Island.
Spanish DespOtism Prevails
Everywhere re-Taxed
to Death.

Something about Cuba, "the gem of
the Antilles" and it's recourses, etc, at
this time may be interesting to the peo.
pie who may be called upon to help free
this oppressed nation. Of course every
body knows it is the largest in the West
India group of islands, and was dlscov.
cred by Columbus about two weeks
after he sighted land in the new world.
Columbus bones repose in the great
Cathedral at Havana. His son
Diago is also entombed there.
Cuba, at a point on it's north coast, di-
rectly south from Cape Sable, Florida, is
distant about 12O miles. In length, ex-
tending east and west, it is more than
600 miles; in it's narrowest part it is 81
miles wide and in it's widest Ill. Its
area is 1920 square miles, or 27,660,8O0
acres. Compared with the American
States, it is somewhat larger than Ken.
lucky, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia, and
as large as seven of the Eastern States
Connecticut, Delaware Massachusetts,,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode
Island, and Vermont. Its population is
1,632,O00, about one-ffth of whom (23O-
000) are residents of Havana, the capital
The island would furnish homes for
twelve millions of people, and then be
but little more densely populated than
Massachusetts now is. In the south
east it is mountainous. some points of
the ranges being about 5000 feet high.
The central and western parts are the
most fertile. but much of the surface is
still covered with forests of various
growth, among which are valuable tim
bers, palm, mahogany, ebony, and cedar.
Tropical fruits, of course abound. The
chief and very profitable crops are
sugar, coffee and tobacco. These. with
molasses, some Of the most valuable
timbers, and some fruits, are shipped
from the various parts, chiefly to the
United States, and in time of peace are
sources of great revenue, of a large part
Of which, however, the islanders are
despoiled by the Spanish government.
In 1894 the sugar crop was 1,050,0OO
tons, and the average annual tobacco
crop, under normal conditions, is about
100000 bales; but the war has brought
disaster to all agricultural interests, so
that in 1896 the sugar crop was about
100000 tons, or less than one-ffth, and
the tobacco crop was $4,000 bales, or
one ninth of the normal quantity. The
decline of the islands commerce with
the United States, as indicated by
statistics prepared for the Agricultural
Department, shows how ruinous the
conflict has become to the Cuban people.
The year before the present war began,
the trade amounted to 102,864,204; but
for the fiscal year ended June 80, 1896,
it was only 47,548.6l0, or 46 per cent of
what it was so recently. It is estimated
that the close of the year, June 80, 1897,
found it to be only about S20,000,O0O,
or less than one-fifth of what it was
before the revolt.
Of the population, 65 per cent are
white. This consists of native Spaniards
(known as the peninsular class), who are
recent immigrants from Spain, mostly
officials, ex-oficials, wealthy planters
and merchants, to the numbor of about
10000; and about million of insulars,
or native Cubans, descendants of the
Spanish conquerers. There are probably
$4,000 Chinese laborers on the planta-
tions, and the remainder of the popula-
ton consists of negroes and mulattoes,
who constitute the great majority of
farm and domestic laborers. In the
city of Havana alone there are about
10000 blacks-nearly third of it's resi-
dents. Negro slavery existed in the
island till 1886. Governmental provision
for it's gradual extinction began in 1880.
A glance at the government and the
manner of administering it will show
what cause the islanders have had for
revolving again and again, and why
people who hate oppression, the world
over, are in sympathy with them. The
supreme executive power is vested in
governor. general, who is appointed by
the Crown. and who is nominally under
the Immediate control of Spain's secre-
tary for the Colonies. Associated with
the governor general is a Council of
Government whose members are also
appointed by the Grown, but this is a
mere advisory board, without authority
either to restrain or to direct. The gov
ernor- general has such large discretion
ary power that he can suspend the exc.
cution of law or decree of the Madrid
government in cases of what he may
choose to consider necessity.