The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-09
DELAY That LOST CUBA
NEW STORY OF THE REAL CAUSE
OF THE WAR WITH
SPAIN
FAILURE TO ACT PROMPTLY
Said That Capt. Gen: CaIIeja Might
Have Crushed the InsurrectiOn
H:d He Listened to
Marquis RabeII


TO the Pan-AmeTican exposition at Buf
falo resident of Havana, the Marqu.;
Prudencio RabeH, a millionaire ch arctic
manufacturer and a self-made man. to
whom, perhaps more than to any other
one man was due the Spanfzh-Ame.ic n
war says the New York Sun.
IN all the histories and articles written
aboGt TIE Cuban instruction of l 5,
which Immediately preceded our war
with Spain, it has been asserted that q n
Jose Marti, the leader of the CUBAN
patriots, arranged to start his insured
ton on Feb. "A. 1895. That il cid begin on
that date is true, but it is also true that
1t was not the intention OF the lea ders
TO start what was int; nd to be the
greatest and most formidable fight for
freedom the Cubans had ever made until
much later in the year. The true story
as told to reporter of the Sun, is most
interest ing
The Ten Years war as the famous in
surrection headed by Carlos Manuel de
Cespe6es in 1868 is called, has long been
bright spot in the memory Of the Gu an
patriots, and when Gen. jose Mard the
active head of the Insurgents, lad lis
plans for greater and more foymida lie
rising in 1855 he selected as the cate for
the raising of the flag of independen e
the anniversary of Cespedes' 6ecla alton
OF independence, Oct 10, AID his selection
was approved by every member CT his
party. For more than ten years MaCti
and his friends had been gathe ing arms
and munitions of war and making ready
Tor last great struggle and fer zen
years the CubanS resident In the Unit d
States had been making their cont~i< u
lions to the cause. But matters lad not
reached the point at which Marti III cught
1t was time TO act.
At this time there was In Cuba no fewer
than four political part 'es which sto d
for vastly different principles SO far as
cuba and its government were Concerned
Two OF these parties, the Partido c n
stitutional, or Constttut.o1ais and the
Partido Reformista, or Reform party
were in the main composed of Spaniards
or SpaESh-born Cubans Of TIE forme {,
party Santos Guzman, a lawyer of Ha-
vana, was the leader 1t was ultra S9an-
ish in its tendencies, and utterly Opposed
10 granting any concessions whatever to
the Cubans
The Reformists on the contrary, while
insisting that the reins of COVE nnent
should remain entirely in the hands Of
the neither country, believed as ma
ter OF policy. rather than of principle. in
making some slight concessions to the
Suoans 10 keep them quiet. Of this party
Prudencio RabeH was the Officially rec
OgnIZed head.
Inc Cubans had two part .es also m,
Partldo Autonomista. or Autonomists Of
Whleh Gable, Cuban lawyer, was the
leader, and which sought for Cuba tho
same relations with Spain that Canada
mas with Great Britain and a similar
form Of government The Separatists
Ieu pS Maru III Cuba. and T. Estrada
Palma and others IL the United States
ana elsewhere, demanded q con;nlata
sepaIation from Spain and Independence
Ihere IS no doubt that the Autonorn ;sf.
We're merely miider form of Separates
ana would eventually work for the same
ehd' out at this time the lines between
the two parties Were closely and dis
tinetly drawn, ard while the Separatfsts
with Marti at their head were making
READY Tor hand-to- hand struggle for in
dependence, the Autoromists were en-
oeaYornS to gain at the polls by degrees
what they hoped would lead to toA SAM
result Some few Cubans believed in an
heAalon To the United States, and oc-
caSlonally advocated it; but their nl1n,har
was so small and their sphere of in
Iluence so restricted that they could not
Dc dlgni'ied by the name of a party.
capt. Gen Caleja, who at this time
was IN command in Cuba, had been in
structed by the Spanish cabinet on the
eve Of his departure for Havana TO ba
careful not to antagonize further the
native CubanS, but so far as might he
possible without losing prestige to make
concessions III matters Of purely local
interest. For this reason, and also no
cause his disposition was weak and viaId .
ing rather than stern and decisive. ne
leaned to the PartidO Reformists ana
made much Of RaheIl. the leader of tha
party Guzman, the Constituencies
leader, did his best to combat the in.
Huence Of Rabell, but the nature of
CalIeJa was SO weak that he did not suc-
coed.
Early IN 1875 Gen. Pando, then in com
mand in Porto Rico, and afterWard in
charge Of the column which did not re-
HeVe Santiago de Cuba, obtained through
ms spies 1GlI information as to the up
rising contemplated by Marti and his fol!
lowers, and this information. Together
With list of about three or four hundred
local leaders in the various provinces. of
cuba, and with all the details except the
Gate set for the uprising, he transmits l
TO Cen. Calleja, with an urgent MESA ga
warning him that the Cubans wer, to
rise Immediately after the general elsc-
items, then at hand, and that the insllr-
rectloh promised to exceed in Importance
the Ten Years war. ana strongly advis-
ing him to cause the instant arrest of
all the leaders named
CaueJa cid not feel himself able 70
cope with the situation and on recent If
Inns miormatlon from Pando called in
SdhtCS GuZman and Prudencio Rabe'H to
consult as to the best cOuSre to. nllrs1Ia
GuZman' true to the principles of his
party urged compliance with Gen. Pan
dos advice and the immediate crusbf,, =,
of the inSurrection bv the arrest of ~
persons named. Rabell. on the o+her
haho' heS -tatlng and suspicious preten5
ed TO see nothing of Importance in the
cemmun cation, declared that he did NOT
trust 1t and said that he believed if was
a nero trick of the Constftutionalists
1Guznal: party TO create alarm and w;n
S SooGS L9r tnelT side from among the
SpanlarGs of the Reform party. RabaII
Went further AMI ridicuied the idea tat
Marti 9hd his friends We're really danger
GUS CT even meant to attempt anvthfn ?
.! the SOIL, either then or later and IN
sisted that thew Were ~ >,ev-seei,fne
tchemers rather tina atriots
Cai!sl III, leaning to the SUR Of the Re-
LOT doFnlstS and used to temporizing, did
not act 1t IS stated that Pando sent q
second and even more urgent message 70
SalleIa TO the. same effect as the ffrsS
taoeIl,' fortunately for Marti and his
trends. at the time prevailed on Cal
lela 10 remain Inactive.
IN IN some way the news of the list IN
CaileJa S possession leaked out. as those
1 14qlnSs nave always done in Cuba, ana
Maru anG his followers became aware
that should GuZman be able to oyercoTn a
RabclIs influence Calleja might act, ami
theIF Ifeecon be at an end for some time
70 come The leaders urged Marti 10
delay no longer and refused to listen to
his advice. ~
IN vain he stated that they were not
sufficiently prepared that to start the in
surrection then would jeopardize it's snc-
cess, that much remained to be done in
the way of securing arms and amnnunf
ton, etc. before the blow could be prop
cry struck. Leaders all over the island
whose names were On the dreaded list
sent telesrams and messages to him urg-
ing actlcn, and Marti was forced to Weld
and Eeh- o the irls11r-l,nt io,, - u.