Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-25
Quintin Banderas, Little, Good
Natured and Vain.
ELIGIO DUCASSE'S INFLUENCE

| the future, but they have not thought that
| it would be organized into a solid element
| as opposed to the whites
! Recent advices from Cuba tend to confirm
| this view. The two men who are filling the
| public mind just now are John Juan Quail
| berto Gomez and Quintin Banderas. They
are In sense rival leaders of the colored
Cubans and they are not going in the same
| direction. Both have interesting PERSONAL
| tiles and both influential with a certain
| section of the blacks. Gualberto Gomez
! represents the intellectual element of the
! colored race; he is a mulatto. Quintin Ban
deras Is pure black: he represents the
| fighting blacks, who We're with the insur-
| gents from the beginning to the end. 1t
| also happens that he is more conservative
than most of the would-be leaders of the
blacks
GunlbertO Gomez an Educated Man.
Gualberto Gomez has romantic history
He Is the son of well-to-do native Cubans
of color and was given the advantages of a
university education. He was something
of leader even before the emancipation of
| the blacks had been completed. He lived
for a while in Madrid and was a volumi-
nous writer on politics and similar subjects.
He also gained some reputation as an ora
tor. He identified himself with the autono-
mist party to some degree, but was never
one of its influential members because he
would not take a back seat. The old au-
economist leaders were all men of great re-
Spectabiity, of education and usually of
property. They did not care to share their
honors with this pushing young mulatto.
On his part. Juan Guaberto Gomez was
champion of what he called the universal
democracy. He wanted to found a political
party based those principles-for one
reason because he thought that by this
means race distinctions would be leveled
However, there was no room for such an
organization, and he conf ID his activities
to other movements He secured the for
NAL recognition by the Spanish captain
general of the civil rights of the negroes
under Spanish law. He acted on behalf of
a number of colored societies. taking the
case of negro whom a cafe proprietor had
sought to discriminate against because of
color alberto Gomez secured a sweep
ing civil rights decision from the council of
administration. which the captain general
affirmed. This gave him considerable pres
tige.
Kept Out of the Cuban War.
Like most of those who were active in
politics, Gualberto Gomez drifted with the
revolutionary elements. He was supposed
to belong to one of the juntas which was
deep in political conspiracy. 1t was not his
good fortune to have share in the insur-
rection. At the very first uprising which
was attempted in the western part of the
island Iomez was arrested by the Spanish
authorities along with several other pros
pectlve chiefs. This was at Ibarra in Ma
tanzas province, in February, 1895. He had
long been under suspicion. and the author
tiles succeeded in thwarting him and the
reVoiutlonists in their first movement
Gualberto Gomez was taken to Havana,
given a mock trial and deported to the pc
nal settlement of Ceuta. At the time II
was thought he was to be executed One
OF the thrilling episodes Of the early stage
or the insurrection was Gualberto Gomez
writing a letter to his wife, with his own
blood TO serve as ink. Along with many
other political prisoners he was kent at
Ceuta through the whole ~,
Surrectlon and 1t was even supposed that
he was dead. However he was one of the
lrst TO be released and to appear in Cuba
after the protocol was signed between the
United States and Spain.
belongs to the Anti-Amerfcans
For a while Juan Gualberto Gomez was
one OF the most conservative Of the Cubans.
AT the time when there was most Irritation
over the American control he counselied
the Cubans to be patient and he also gave
good advice to the American officials about
not running full tilt against Latin customs
ana hab1ts AT the celebration in honor of
darti last January, he made a notable and
conclllatory speech. Soon, however he
Joined what was known as the anti mcri-
can faction. He was intensely ambitious
and he did not like 1t when the American
iuthoilles took the wise course of accept
ing Gen. Maxine Gomez as the real leader
OF the Cubans. Gualberto Gomez there
upon joined the Sanguillys and the mem
Defs OF the assembly who sought to defeat
the payment of the American money to the
1nsurgent troops, hoping thereby to destroy
the influence of Maxine Gomez. Since then
Gualberto Gomez has been heard from on
various occasions, and has been charged
win opposing the formation of a Cuban
national party, which would unite the
whites and blacks. He is even said to be
ambitious of becoming the first president Of
CuOa by means of the colored vote Quail
berto Gomez is shrewd, but his influence is
likely to be greater an agitator than as
an organizer 1t was not his fault that he
was unable to take part In the Instruction
but MS enemies say that 1t was fortunate
thing FOR him, because he lacked the mill
tary talent of the Maceos and others of the
mulatto leaders who bore arms
Gualberto Gomez in many respects re-
sembles the late John M. Langston He
has all the readiness of speech which John
NJ. Langston possessed, and he has the
same desire to be looked upon as the one
ana only leader of his race. Gualberto Co
mez himself always professed the greatest
admiration for Frederick Douglass, but he
mas few OF the traits of Douglass While
much Will be heard of him and from him
curing the next two years, his lack of ca
paclty for political organization makes him
less formidable as a political leader than
would be supposed. 4
Good-Nntured, Vain Little Man.
oulntin Banderas does not profess to be
an Intellectual leader. He is a good-na-
tured little man, black as black can be- and
win /" NaiIity tH8t lS' pOtn pleasing and
harmless. When the insurection broke out
he was prosperpns farmer in Santiago
province He organized the blacks there
| into what was known as the foot cavalry
OF the insurgents. During the western in
Maximo Gomez B oth, of them aG tbou ahd
well of him for the ability with which he
could get his blaclb foet cavalry over the
country They, utllizedt him in harassng
inc =. spanish columns; Tn the later stages
IN disfavor with Maxihho Gomez because
ne wanted too much liberty of action for
himself and followers. Gomez disciplined
him and the spaniards made desperate
enort to bride him to desert the insurgent
cause. Banderas, however. was true. Last
February, when Gomez entered Havana
on the fourth anniversary Of the insurrec-
ton Banderas was there with a body of
ragged colored troops. Next to General
Gomez he was the hero of the hour.
Banderas remained for time in Havana
and then returned to Santiago. When the
assembly undertook to discipline Gomez
the indictments in that body sought to
gain the support of Banderas. He acted
with much shrewdness He called his vet
Grams together and at a meeting they de-
haN -nr,11 x0lra to-