The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-05-26
THE ISLAND OF CUBA AN INTERESTING ARTICLE
 ABOUT If.
1t is Rich in Minerals and Its Climate is Genial and
 Balmy.

Sen. Bradley T. Johnson in Baltimore
 Manufacturers Record
 The island of Cuba lies between H Ind 8o degrees west of Greenwich. and between 19 and 40 minutes and 23 de- Erees 8 minutes north latitude. It's length from east to west is I30 miles, and its breadth varies from 100 miles in the east in the province of Santiago to 20 miles in the neighborhood of Ha- vana. Its area is about 43.o00 miles. including the Isle of Pines. and IS therefore little larger than the state of Virginia and somewhat smaller than Pennsylvania. The total poputatfon by the census taken in 1899 under the supervision of the United States was 1,572,79I, of which 1,061,354 are wnltes and 505,443 are colored.
 The natives of the United States, mostly white, were 6,444. or 3,7 per cent. of the whole foreign born popu- lation, and those born in foreign coun- tries Spain contributed 129,240, or near ly three-fourths Of the foreign born; China was next. with H,S63. or S.6 per cent; Africa next. with 12,953, or f.o per cent, and next comes the United States as above. Spain, China, Africa and the United States furnished the great body of immigration: South America, Central America, Mexico and the other islands contributed but small number, and the United states furnished a large number, the largest number of voluntary immigrants. It will be recollected that Africans were imported as slaves and the Cnlnese under labor contracts.
 flies from Key West; Hayti is fifty four miles from Cape Masi. the east ernmost point of Cuba, and 136 miles from Yucatan, Mexico.
 From a military and naval point or view. Cuba occupies a commanding po- sition, controlling the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico by the Strait Of Flor- Ida, the Windward Passage and the Yucatan channel, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with the Caribbean sea. The first and last of these-that ss. the Strait of Florida and the Yucatan chan nel-are the only entrances to the Gulf of Mexico, which is thus controlled by the island of Cuba.
 The largest sugar crop ever produced was that of 1S94-95 of 1,054,00O tons, and of tabocco in the same year, 62,- 0QO.00e pounds.
 There are rich mines of iron. ore. cop per and asphaltum.
 The administration of Cuba was sim- ply incredible for nearly 40e years. One capital city-hr5t Santiago and then Havana-had the monopoly Of trade with Seville, afterwards extended to Cadiz, and no other trade was per- mitted. The Spanish system of taxa ton was merely monstrous. They laid a heavy export duty on sugar and cof- fee, on real estate and personal prop erty, and on industries and commerce of all kinds. Every profession, art or manual occupation was taxed; stamps were, required on every kind of business paper. A municipal tax was imposed on the slaughter of cattle for the mar ket and for home consumption. This privilege of taxation, and of collecting the tax, was sold by the municipality to the highest bidder. A tax of 25 per cent was levied on incomes and real estate, and also from professions and manual occupations. The result was that insurrection and rebellion was chronic from 1923 until the occupation of the island in 1878 under the treaty of Paris.
 These insurrections were followed, by hlibustering expeditions from the Unit ed States. beginning with Lopez in lS49. an unsuccessful rebel chief. To- peg was captured and garroted. Colonel Crittenden, his second in command, was captured and shot with his men at the castle of Atares. Uprisings and insurrection broke out at Yara in the province of Puerto Principe, known to Cubans as "the Cry of Yara." A guer- illa war of great intensity was waged for ten years, when it was compro- missed by the treaty of exploitation of Zanjon, February 10, 1878. The Span iards did not keep their promises, and the war of 1SS5-9S followed when the