The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-05-05
m February "a 1886 an inauITec-

70 take place IN all lhe prov
inces simultaneously, but was pre-
vented in half Of them by several
causes the delay Of the local insur-
gent leaders, the non-arrival of the
expected arms. the discovery Of the
plot by the government and other rea-
sons. The insuuection took place in
Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago
but Pinar BEL Rio, Havana and Puerto
Principe did not rise Nevertheless
this rising Of February "a, 1895, was
destined to differ widely from all the
rebellions in Cuba which preceded it.
1t was not q revolt, it was revolution
Ever since the close Of the rebellion
of 1sG8-7S the Cuban chiefs had been
preparing for another insurection
Spain had refused to grant the re-
forms which had been promised at the
meeting Of the insurgent leaders with
Campos the Governor General Of Cube,
at Zanion, in February, 1878. It grant
ed some Of them, Slavery was abol-
ished, and a concession was made to
Cuba in the direction Of self-goyern-
ment The latter, however was only
the shadow of the reform which was
promised, and both these concessions
we're long delayed. But if Spain had
granted all the reforms which had
been pledged and had granted them
Immediately, the revolution would
have been merely postponed and not
ayerted
Aside from these concessions, all the
abuses which existed before the rebel
lion Of 1868 IS existed at the beginning
of 1895, and some of them had grown
worse. The debt fastened on Cuba by
Spain was $500, 900, 600 which was about
$l25 for each man, woman and child
in the island. The tariff and internal
taxes saddled upon Cuba bore upon her
pOpulace with a weight undreamed of
by the people Of the United States in
the height Of the war taxation Of 1861
85. The extortions and impositiOns
perpetrated by Spain for the purpose Of
raising a revenue in the island seemed
increditable to the average outsider
when learning Of them for the first
time Coupled with these outrages
there was an insolence, a corruption
and a general shiftlessness and incapa-
bility on the part Of the Spanish officials
which inspired among the Cubans con
tempt as well as hatred The colonial
system Of the seventeenth century,
under which colonies existed for the
sole benefit Of the mother county, re-
gardless of the colonists' welfare OF
wishes system which had been dis.
carded by every other civilized nation
on the globe was in practice in Cuba
with all the rigors and brutality Of 200
years ago, when the Cubans, in 1895,
raised the banner Of revolt.
Sunday among some Of the Latin
races and their ofshoots, is a day Of en-.
terprises, Of great pith and moment.
Sunday, the oath, day Of February, 1895,
the banner Of freedom was raised in
Cuba, and this time it was destined tc
stay raised. Manual Garcia, chief
tain Of Of the previous war, gave thu
signal for revolt in Matangas, but wai
betrayed and killed, Other bands 0.
insurgents, however, uniting with Gar
oias men, fed to the mountains and be
came the nucleus Of rebel parties which
collected from all quarters Of the pro
vince. A planter named Brooks, whc
was subsequently killed, headed th'
largest Of the bands in Santiago Pro
vince which rose on the oath These
and few scattered parties which ap
peared in Santa Clara Province cousti
tuted the rebels who took the field Of
that fateful February Sunday Nearl,
oil fed to the swaups or mountains i'm
mediately, 50 as to consolidate, organ
ize and form plans Of campaign The!
grew rapidly in numbers in the frs
few weeks. At some points the govern
nent troops attacked and chased th'
insurgents, but these in most in
stances, easily eluded their enemies
Occasionally desertions would TAX
place from the government troops
chiefly the militia, to the insurgents
At one point III santiago Province Il
the spring of 1875. the greater part o
force of 500 of these soldiers wen
over ia 4 body carrying their arms ant
ammupition with them. Early i
March there were about 5000 insurgent
in the held IN the three province
named, and these made raids on pianta
tions Of spaniards, capturing cattle
horses. food. and sometimes extortini
money. Before the Spanish govern
ment, with al It's elaborate Ts!em 4
pionags ana notwithstanding tn
feyelatioHs made to il by Cuban Tai'
aa logld grasp tie situation il had
tabelljpn on is hands which was ia
more Formidable end extaldea tn4'
aay nf the previous inaaFseoHona
No hatred % ths wofld can bs con-
pared to that Of the Cnhan for spaii
and everything Spanish, wrote the ltaI
ian Marriott Ia his book THE Pear
Of the Antilles in 1873 near the md
dle of The Ten years war This hatP
was intensified after the dose d tia
struggle by Spain ayfaetgps sestny
II II tie confidence cubau iead
ers n their accept ancaaf the comprl