The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-01
5000 Embattled Peasant Families
Push Cuban Agrarian Revolution

IN the billy region toward the
eastern end of the island of Cuba,
within 25 miles of the Guantanamo
Naval Base, there is taking place
the most important episode to date
in the Agrarian Revolution which
has begun in Cuba. In the zone
known as "Realengo 1879 over five
thousand embattled peasant ia
miles are at grips with the govern
ment, which is attempting to carry
out an order of expulsion granted
to the Royal Bank of Canada.
In response to Colonel Baptista's
declaration that the "deSlinde" (re-
surveying) of the land preparatory
to the appropriation of the peasants
would be carried out at all costs"
the peasants have armed themselves
and established their own control
over the territory. Anyone seeking
to enter the zone known as Real
engo IS is confronted by armed
peasant sentinels who ask what his
business may be and allow him to
pass only with the approval of the
Central Committee of Struggle.
Tension became great as reports
arrived that Baptista was preparing
a military assault on Realengo 18
to dislodge its occupants, and that
special mountain artillery was be-
ing made ready for the purpose.
Gets Broad Support
The movement has already had
its immediate repercussion in ex-
pressions of support from peasants
of neighboring regions, such as
Caujeri and Monte Rouge, as well
as from the trade unions in Guam
tanamo, Santiago and Havana. The
recent general strike October 8th)
called by the revolutionary National
Confederation of Labor in which
over two hundred thousand workers
all over the island took part, had
as one of its chief slogans Support
for the peasants of Realengo 49,"
Events Well Known
The events of Nov. to IL are
already well known. Government
troops, under the command of Cap
tain Piquero were actually sent to
attack the peasants They num-
bered over 200 men, including cav
airy and mountain artillery, and
counted on the aid of two corsair
planes. Piquero issued an u1timatum
to the effect that if the peasants
did not hand over their arms and
repudiate their Communist leader
ship, they would be bombarded. The
peasants answered by intensifying
their preparations for armed de-
Tense, sendin 6 attachments in
search of more arms and declaring
that they were ready to pay dearly
for tn cir lands" simultaneously
with the defiant stand of the
Realengans there arose tremendous
waves of working class and popular
protest, developed by the Commu-
mist Party of Cuba against thu
threatened massacre. The Govern
ment was forced to concede. On
Monday Nov. IL there remained no
more troops in the hills neighboring
Realengo
History of the Realengos
Realengo IS and it's inhabitants
have had stirring history of
logged combat with old oppressors
and new ones. The main body of
the Realengans settled in 1877.
They we're soldiers in the Ten
Years War" against the rule, of
Spain. Popularity known as tn e
"Mambis," they made up the armies
of the great Negro generals Maceo
and Guillerno Moncada. In their
great majority they we're Negroes.
The Spanish government unable to
destroy the front of the patriotic
insurrectionists was forced to offer
q truce and subsequently to grant
various concessions. AS part of these
concessions, the Spanish general,
Martinez Camros, offered the
Cuban soldiers a piece of govern
ment land and one peso each upon
laying down their arms. In this
way the Realengans came into
possession of their lands. Realengo