Evening star., 1899-04-01
CUBAN POLITICS
An Attempt Being Made to Form
National Party.
A PROPOSED RADICAL ORGANIZATION
Military Faction With Leaders Who
Did Not Fight.
NFLUEN OF CLUB S

Copyright. 1899 by Charles NJ. Pepper)
Written for The Evening Star.
Cuba is going to have political parties.
All the leading men of the island are
agreed on that point. American officials
ar also of the same mind, and are of the
opinion that it will be good thing for the
Cuban people. The basis Of parties is not
yet determined. Perhaps in time it will be
on the issue of annexation or anti-annexa-
tiCn, but that does not seem probable Most
of the Cubans are agreed that in the pro-
cesses of forming a stable government in
accordance with the program of the United
States that division will not occur. What
may happen is one current of opinion ia
vCring absolute independence and the other
flowing toward an American protectorate.
These matters will arrange themselves.
The Cuban National Party.
AT present the attempt is to form the
Cuban national party. 1t has not made
uch headway, because its promoters have
EOt found the people responsive to the
notion that there can be any basis for diyis-
ion the question of nationality. The ten
dzEcy which may take form is more likely
To he on the lines of the supporters and the
opponents of Maxine Gomez The assem-
bly,, Hhile il may imagine ii has an exist
epCe. has snuffed itself out, so far as the
uNsrwh Inning majority of the Cuban peo-
pie is concerned When 1t has formally dis
solved, some of the ambitious members
Will probably try to build up a radical or
ganizatioE which will represent what the
Cubans call the military faction, though
several of the leaders are not military men,
or the latter class are Manuel Sanguilly
and Juan GualbertO Gomez. Manuel San
gully is d lawyer and htterateur. He was
one of the active members of the reyolu-
tiCnary junta in the United States, and
when Marti was killed during the first
nc ntnS OF the 1nsurrectton, Sanguiiiy was
a candidate to succeed him. But Estrada
Palma was chosen. MANUEL Sanguilly was
one of the commission which, with Calixto
Garcia, went to Washington to arrange
money for the payment of the fnsurgent
troops Up to that time he had been quite
conservative in his counsels, urging the Gu
bans TO accept the military control of the
United States in good faith Since then he
has shifted his ground In the assembly
he has been one of the radical takers, and
developed a bitter enmity to Maxine Go
me-. He is a brother Of Gen. Julio San
gully. the swashbuckler, who enjoys a
certain popularity among the younger Gu
bsrs.
MuIatto Lawyer.
Juan Gualberto Gomez is mulatto. Tn
like some Of the mulattoes of the island
who have been noted for their ability. he
has no French blood in his veins. He Is a
lawyer and writer of considerable ability
lie became prominent fifteen or twenty
years ago by his pamphlets on political
subjects. and by his writings on the his
tory of the negro race in the West Indies.
lie was very active in the political move
nent which preceded the insUTrection and
was as open in his demand for indepeud-
cnce as II was possible to be under Spanish
authority. Juan Gualberto Gomez was
present when the uprising was premature
ly attempted in Matanzas province in Feb
ruary. 1895. He was arrested, taken to
Havana and exiled in chains to the penal
settlement of Ceuta. The story of his exile
is romantic one He returned to Cuba
when Spain released the political prisoners
In the penal settlements of Africa after
the signing OF the protocol. Gualberto Co
Inez. after his return, gave his people tenn
perate counsels about the American occu-
Fancy. but he, too, developed a rabid oppo-
sition to Maxine Gomez He is an orator
OF ability. but he does not seem to have
greater influence among his own race than
DO the white Cubans.
Two InsurGent Generals
The military group. which expects to be-
come the head OF the party, has been
rather cast in the background because
Manuel Sanguiliy and Guaiberto Gomez are
the takers. and they keep before the pub
lie. Of the insnrgent generals Lacret and