Arizona republican., 1898-03-13
INTOLERABLE BURDENS.

The American people have been so preoccupied of late in the development of events in Cuba that they have all most forgotten the causes that led to 1 the insurrection in the neighbOring g 1 isle in the first instance. These are pointedly shown in special cores | pondent's letter to the Memphis Com mercial-Appeal, written from Hay ana a few days ago.
 Three years ago it was not so much the aspiration for independence as it was the desire to escape from oppres- sive and intolerable burdens. that inn pelled the Cubans to revolt. It was another revolution against taxation without representation. The Commer- cialAppears correspondent has this to say, among other things:
 Cuba has an area of 43,124 square miles, and had in 1895 an estimated population of 1,723,000. The state of Virginia has an area of 42,45O square miles and a population of 1,705, ,19S. Remembering this, it will be surpris- ing to know that the revenue raised in 1S95-96 by the Spanish government from the island of Cuba was $24, ,755,- l 76O, or, in round numbers $25, 100000, or about one-fifteenth of the entire es- timated revenue from all sources of the United States government for the current fiscal year. In view of the methods of warfare adopted by the insurgents, to which reference will be made, it is well to remember that, aside from the tax on real estate, there were import duties, export duties, port duties the per cent taxes on passenger fares, excise on liquors, sugar, tobacco and petroleum. privilege taxes CT taxes on trades and professions. stamp taxes, including postage and telegraph. and their lotteries. It is doubtful if the world presents a similar example of such thorough and burdensome taxa tion to that under which Cuba has been placed.
 1 Think of an American state being taxed to the extent of S25 5,00O.000 a year to maintain federal office holders and receiving not a tenth of the sum for internal improvements! Either every man who could get away would leave the state or there would be rev. olution.
 The Commercial-Appeal's co-respon- dent continues
 Throughout the system of govern ment which was imposed upon the is land and the vast majority of it's in habitants were inequity, suppression of the popular will, an utter absence Of democracy that was sure to breed in surrection, so sure as any appreciable number of the oppressed should be- come sufficiently intelligent to appre- ciate the injustice and courageous enough to inaugurate struggle.
 Not only have the Spaniards con- ducted since the beginning of the rev. olution the most barbarous and cold blooded war in modern times, but their treatment of the island before the in- surrection, as will be seen, was the most extortionate, the rottenest and the most inefficient government under 7 which any civilized people were living. No roads, no sanitation, no justice in the courts. no representation except the faintest shadow of a minority representation, no police protection against the dominant robbers, none of the ordinary benefits of government but taxation and oppression every where!
 The Cubans were Justified by all laws of morality and right and justice in rebelling against Spain, and they have since been entitled to the fullest sympathy and recognition of the civi-
 liZed world.