, 1898-09-13
I'm DIRE CONDITION
WOE OF THE CUBANS DID NOT
END WITH THE
WAR.
They Must Endure All the Crueltiee
and Barbarities Imposed Upon
Them by the S~paniards, Who Are
Heaping Vengeance Upon Them
While They Have the Power.

New York, Sept. ia special to the
Press from Washington says:
Senior Tomas Estrada Palmia has just
received a communication from the
representative of the Cuba revolu-
tionary government who has secretly
been in Havana since the beginning OF
the war. The letter is ais follows:
THE situation of the Cubans in this
city and this province is in truth criti-
cal. The termination OF the war;, in
which We rejoice at the independence
Of the island, has brought with it dire
full woe to the Cubans and demands i'm
mediate attention, and it is this condi-
ton Of affairs that compels me to write
you at this time in THE hope that You
will lbe able to present the case to the
American government and secure inn
mediate relief.
Each days delay in the adjustment
Of affairs to bring about the Spanish
evacuation increases our sufferings and
still further complexities the problem of
reconstruction which confIonts us. 1t
would be far from possible for me to
paint the exact situation as it exists in
one small letter. The war is ended and
at the same time we are not living in
peace. Nevertheless, in the rejoicing
over the outcome the victims of the
war, the real sufferers, are almost m
tirely Forgotten. The victims are the
Cubans. Neither the United States nor
Spain have suffered from the ravages Of
war upon their own territory. while all
the devastation and destruction
wrought by the struggle has been en-
dured by poor. suffering Cuba, and the
end rs rot yet.
I'VE are, as it were, between two
fires. We must keep peace because the
United States and Spain are no longer
engaged in active strife amid we must
endure all the atrocities, cruelties amid
~barbarttfes imposed upon us by the
S~paniards, worse now than before the
signing of peace measures, because
they realize that they must soon leave
cur island and they desire to heap all
the vengeance upon us that it is in their
power to do
Chaos reigns in Havana The pub
Tic service has, in nearly all depart
menits, been practically abandoned, and
the employees, thus being thrown out of
their positions. take the more from us.
What IL true of the civil authorities is
doubtless true of the soldiers. The in
tlsstrial public is completely paralyzed.
All animals. all horses have been tax
en- away to meet the necessities Of the
Spanish army. There Hs nothing for
the labortng people, for the poor
classes, the big majority of whom are
Cubans, Ito do.
Matters have not improved for them
since the raising Of the blockade. The
poor man who manages to plant a lit
tie garden place to save himself and his
family from starvation, finds that just
about ais he is to harvest his little crop
ne s made the prey Of the soldiers, who
rob him OF all. The city is full Of
oh'eVes n ~vagabonds. who steal, plum
DER and destroy all they can. Neither
ID une1e any justice nor attempt at pun
fanmenh Tor onenses, even the most
grave.
"Ihe municipal officers are nothing
more imam figureheads, and they are
seeking 60 get all possible before leav-
ing cuoa' 1t makes no difference at
wnes loss or sunering to the people OF
1e oitS' Ahe commercial people, the
' VI WHOM are Span1ards, are hos
u'e W 4me cuoans' The rich alone a
I'VE ohe poor mast die OF hunger and
III une sreaoea misery.
"Ahe II worse the colonial gov
-. has advanced n customs du-
per cent SINCE the blockade was
'nu " criminals, while
poi~acai prlsoners are treated with the
ae pleSem oonditfon Cd anadrs and