The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-27
NO COLOR LINE In CUBA.
m NEGRO mas 1LWdrS TAKEN A
PROMINENT PART IN II AFFAIRS.

the problems OF reconstruction in Cuba is the
| social and political status OF tho colored man
and brother" Tn Cuba the shade OF q mans
complexion has never been greatly considered.
and one finds dusky Othollos in every walk Of
life. The present dispute arose when q ros-
taurant keeper from Alabama refused n seat
at his public table to tho mulatto Colonel OF q
Cuban regiment. The Southerner was per-
fectly sincere In tho declaration that he would
see himself in n warmer cline than Cuba be-
fore no would insult his American guests by
seating n Niger among theml" To the Colonel
It was n novel and astonishing experience. and
is OF course deeply resented by all his kind in
Cuba. where African blood may be found, In
greater or less degree. In some OF the richest
and most influential families Of the island.
In Havana you need not be surprised to see
Creole bellies on the fashionable P~rado-per-
haps Cuban Spanish. Cuban English or Gu
ban-Gcrman blondes-promenading with no.
gro officers In gorEeou uniforms: or octoroon
beauties with hair in natural crimp. riding in
carriages beside white husbands, or lighting
up an opera box with the splendor OF their dia-
monds. There was n wedding In the old ca
thedral the other dav. attended by the elite OF
the city, the bride being the lovely young dauGh-
ter OF n Cuban planter. the groom n burly negro.
Nobody TO the manner born has ever dreamed
Of Directing to this mingling of colors there
IpIt Wntl UNI htWlg dIElNcu loItlkntI v
clares that nobody but those of his own COM
ploxion shall eat in q public dining room, there
is likely to be trouble.
When the war began the population OF Cuba
was n little moro than one-third black now
the proportion is officially reckoned as $685.
6S4 colorcd. against 1881 800 white. In 1893
two negroes were serving as Secretaries in the
Autonomist Cabinet. The last regiment that
Blanco formed was of negro volunteers. to
whom he paid-or. rather. promised to pay.
which is quite another matter. considering
Blanco's habit-the unusual hire OF 500 n
month. showing his appreciation of the
colored man as a soldier. II Gen. wey-
Ter evinced any Partially in Cuba. 1t
was for the black Creole. During the
ten years war. his cavalry escort was composed
entirely Of colorod men. Throughout his latest
reign in the island he kept black soldiers con-
stantly on guard at the gates of the Govern
ment palace. While the illustrated papers OF
Spain were caricaturing the insurgents as coal
black demons with horns and forked toe nails.
burning cancfelds and butcheting innocent
Spaniards. the Spanish General chose them for
his bodyguard.
One Of the greatest Generals of the day. con-
siidering his environment, was Antonio Maceo,
the Cuban mulatto hero. who. for two years,
kept the Spanish army at bay or led them a
lively quickstep through the western provinces
to the very gates of Havana. AS swift on tho
march as Sheridan or Stonewall Jackson. as
wary and prudent as Grant himself, he had in
spirations Of military genius whenever a crisis
arose. 1t is not %GeneralIy known that Mar.
C CHfS ea to Mac %H was e a seco oS t eonsi a't Of th IS
black man. Maceo's mother. whose family
name was Grinan; came from the, town of
in their veins. Col, Martinez del Campos,
T2ther Of Gen: Martipez C,amR22s; was ONCE
loved q beautiful girl Of Indian and negro blood.
who belonged to the Grinan family and
Campos. Jr.. the future General ami child
of the Indian girl. was born in Mayari: The
G9yS q MifS e0 and e e5ild %sTry n h sps sTeG bnt Wbe ha Se
boy along According to Spanish law. the
his legal birthplace. SO \ was easy. enough to
legitimatize the infant Campos, He grew UP
General. to his everlasting credit be it said
that one Of his first acts was to hunt up his
bought a fns house in Cam nc florida Ro'i the
aristocratic suburb Of Havana. established her
there and cared for her tenderly till sne died.
The cousins, though on opposite sides OF the
war. befriended each other in many instances,
and it Is said that more than once Captain
The latter's half brother. joss Macco. was
can prison. Ceuta whence he escaped later on
with Quintin Bandera and others Of his staff.
Prom insat 4 fisaFs in nef Hgva EG!on sQn 1i t21df Ban a
ttSn waS best siier 6 SPobR had hin ea BY Rts %rF 9ttssn
Spanish e~nsigns. Everybody seems to have
forgotten his real name; and Qutnti9 Bandera
penal settlement the daughter, of a Spanish
officer fell in love with him. She assisted in
There he married his rescuer. She is of Span
ISL and Moorish descent and IS said to be a
Iba er 6 0I edTedati to and and r sIG mritd ,n Sh eta taught
bounded pride In his achieyments:
The noted Gen. Jesus Rabi Of the Cuban
ARMY 1 q nt fhn EnnlA m hInnI q L In |
mandeT is Gen; Flor Crom5et,. whose patriotic
cruelties. Among all the officers now swarm
ing Havana none attracts more aodmiTing ut
mulatto. who was educated at the French milf |
tary school OF II. Cyr. He is of extremely pol
t ieFS can Tnn make a f bFili HinHfa ndires sI aGG q has SH srest
man as he from a third rate foreign restaurant
equally celebrated brother. Col. Juan Ducasse.
was Killed last year in the Pinar del RIO
Besides these sons of Mars. Cuba has consid-
cred her history enriched by the achieyeme,nts
memory S2tSreu Of "' Gnb RI Pl0ctG oncep SH5nS dc e' Ia il's VALDEZ ias
the mulatto poet. is cherished as that of a
1874 and condemned TO be shot in his native
wi MqhtanEas T., One bright morning IN Nay
the Plaza ,d'Armas. calmy facing n row Of
mnskets, along whose shining barrels the sun
sIihlch. ny IlSi 'OIleb ldlleu 10 loucn u VITAL
spot, Bleeding from several wounds. he still
stood erect, and. pointing to his heart. said in n
thor, educator and profound thinker was Anto-
MO Medina. n prIest and professor OfSan Basilio
the Greater. He acquired, wide reputation.
as poet, novelist and ecclesi9stic. both in
Spanish Academy to deliver the Grafton on the
anniversary of Cervantes's death in Madrid.
His f~avorite Cuban pupil was Juan Gualberto
&f %9 the mTulatto Journalist: who has been
the Spanish press laws. Sonor Gomez. whose
home Is in Matanzas, Is now on the shady side
Of 40. q specialized and scholarly looking man.
Afterthe pence Of XanjOn he collaborated in the
periodicals published by the Marquis OF Ster-
ling. In e he founded in Havana the news
paper La Frdterniddd. devoted to the interests
Of the colored race; For n certain fiery edito-
rial he was dcported TO Ceuta and kept there
two years. Then he went to Madrid and as
sumed the management Of La Tribund. and In
1890 returned TO Havana and resumed the pub
LEGATION Of La Frdterniddd.
Another beloved exile from the land Of his
birth Is Senior JOs6 White. His mother was a
colored woman OF Matanzas. At the age OF 10
jose wrote q mass for the Matanzns orchestra
and gave his first concert. With the proceeds
he entered the Conservatory of Paris, and In
the following year won the first nriZp ms violin