Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-10

Gen. kvaristo Estenoz and a score OF
other negro political .aders of Cuba are
all in Jail as a result of their activity
in the organization of an independent ne
gro party They are charged with at
tempting to foment a revolution and a
general uprising of negroes against the
whites, having for its purpose the COM
plete control of the Cuban government
by the negroes. This revolt was sched-
uled TO take place on May "a. The for
nation of this new party, the projected
revolution, and the prompt, although
h-handed, action of the Gomez gov
eminent has brought the republic of Gu
ba face to face with the first vital is
sue of it's political history. Although
past political quarrels have been eX-
tremely bitter, not one of them has in
vowel any real principle. The cam
paigns have been simply struggles be-
tween opposing factions with nothing at
stake except the offices and the public
patronage.
But the race question involves the
vary life of the republic. It's injection
into politics means that there will be no
peace in Cuba until the question Of negro
representation in the government is set
tied finally. There is grave reason to
fear that neither whites nor blacks ever
will consent to compromise which
e..ner party would respet According
to the census taken in Cuba during tn e
last American occupation, 20 per cent
of the Cubans are white and only 80 per
cent are negroes. But the census can
not be relied upon in determining the
relative strength of the white and ne
gro parties.
Characteristically contradictory, the
negroes who are not absolutely black
claim to be white men, but at the same
time they give hearty and loyal support
to the negro race in political and social
controversies. The census enumerators,
great many of whom were negroes, &C
copied the simple statement of every
person as to whether he was white or
black, even in defiance of the testimony
of the enumerators' own eyesight. In
spite of the census showing it is as
serted by Cubans, both those of Spanish
and of African ancestry, that considera-
bly, more than half of the Cuban people
have negro blood in their veins.
During the long struggle between the
Cuban patriots and the Spanish govern
ment a large portion of the white popu-
lation was either neutral or in positive
sympathy with Spain. The negroes al
ways were on the side of the revolu-
tiOniStS and always were willing to lay
down tn cir4ives for Cuba Libre." Anto-
Mo Maceo, the most brilliant military
leader of the Cuban revolutionary army,
was negro, and it is significant fact
that his biz thday is the most generally
observed of all the Cuban national holi-
days. 1t probably is true that a great
many of the negroes composing the rank
and file of the Cuban army were willing
to fight for the sheer love of fighting,
and that they knew little and cared less
for the political liberty which inspired
their leaders. The immediate license OF
guerilla warfare meant great deal
more to such as these than did the
prospective liberties of a republican gov
eminent.
This very fact, however, adds TO the
danger of the present situation because
the nature of these negroes has not
changed and they will be as willing tc
join in the revolt against the Cuban re-
public as they were to risk their lives
i'm the effort to overthrow the authority
of the Spanish monarchy. Perhaps they
will he even more willing when they
have listened to the inCendiary speeches
of negro demagogues who will play upor
their prejudices of race. IT is not difficult
to imagine the Cuban plantation negro
rising to drive from the island every