The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-11


openly and frankly expressed. He is
grateful to the United States for the
intervention which saved the day and
made Cuba free. For, while the island
is free from Spain it is not indepen-
dent. Nor will Gomez consider his life
work ended until it is an Independent
nation. He may be doomed to disap-
pointment. No one knows. But his
manly address to the Cuban army and
people the other day ought to remove
some of the prejudice imperialists have
been working up against the doughty
old warrior, for it shows him to be
a man of unselfish motives intellectual
honesty and rare consistency
While not a Cuban by birth he be-
came identified with the interests of
the island many years ago. The revo-
luton which began in 1868 and closed in
1873 was ended by the compact signed
by Martinez Campos, on the part of
Spain, and by Maxine Gomez, on the
part of Cuba. That compact provided
equal rights for Cubans and Spaniards
in the island of Cuba. 1t gave Cuba
a measure of autonomy and Cuban
representation in the Spanish Cortes
at Madrid. 1t gave freedom to negro
slaves who had served in the Cuban
army. And, so long as it was observed
by Spain, Gomez lived quietly at his
plantation on San Domingo. But
whoever heard of Spain keeping an
agreement with her colonies? Within
a few years she had violated, both in
letter and in spirit, the compact of
1878, and Jose Marti appeared as the
voice crying in the wilderness for
Cuban liberty. At the personal solicit
tation of Marti, Maxine Gomez re-
turned to Cuba to take command OF
the Cuban forces. as he had responded
to the call of Lopez years and years
before. Again he consecrated MS
strength, personal means, skill and
life to the cause of Cuban independ-
ence.
Concerning the abilities of Maxine
Gorlcz as a soldier, or commander,
little can be said. He fought for
Cuba's freedom, and but for his ten
acity of purpose and his abilities IN
style of warfare in which he is a
master. Cuba would doubtless have
long since yielded. Without Gomez,
the war would probably have ended in
failure, before the interference of this
country made Cuba's future look
brighter than her past. 1t was his de-
votion to the cause of liberty more
than the brilliancy of his campaigns
that distinguished Gomez. And yet IL
required a peculiar skill to accomplish
what he did with his meagre forces and
scant munitions of war. He con-
trolled no well-defined and sys-
tematized army organization; conduct
ed no broadly outlined campaign in
which each move and every action
played its part in the carrying out of
a preconceived and recognized plan;
headed no great army drawn up IN
line on the field of battle to face an
other army similarly composed. But
az a leader and as a fighter of his own
type, the world has perhaps not seen
his equal.
Guerilla warfare is not high form
of fighting. 1t involves much OF the
methods of outlawry, of pillage, and
of plumber, of depreciation and devas-
tation. These results become respect
able only when attained through con-
ventional military processes. But they
sometimes become the only channels
open to the weak in struggle against
the strong. Such they seemed to be
in the Cuban revolt against the Span
lard. and Maxine Gomez made guerilla
warfare almost a military art.
He is the strong man of the island,
the man of infinitely greater power
than any other. He recognizes and
realizes the strength of the United
States, but, like some Americans, he
has not an unlimited confidence in the
professional politician; he breads the
era of carpet-bag rule that seems in
evitable: he knows what the granting
of concessions by our present secretary
of war means; and he asks that the
pledge of congress be kept, although
willing to accept protectorate for
the time being. Wherever he has gone
since hostilities ceased he has preached
forbearance. forgiveness, and forget
fulness to Cuban and to Spaniard. He
has urged harmony and unity of
action. not against Americans, but for
the effecting of a distinct Cuban ma
ton which shall be recognized by the
American people. and with whom it
shall live in relations of the closest
amity. And his recent address re-
veals the patriot that he is.