A
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THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF CUBA.
TOMAS ESTRADA PALMA,
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
The Long, Desperate Struggle That
Brought Cuban Independence.
It Dcrrd Almost with the Tint Set
tlement of the Spnnlnrd in the In
land Some Men Whone Nniiica
and Dccdi Will Live In
Cabun History.
jpy-. UBA'S fight for freedom from
ktfj VgfflT Spanish rule may be said to have
begun almost bclore tlie uons
became masters of the island.
When, in 1511, the son of Co
lumbus determined to take pos
session of Cuba in the name of
Spain he selected Diego Velas
quez to command an advance
guard, as it were, of some 300
men. This force met with vir
tually no resistance from the natives gave
from ono chief, Hatuey, a refugee from His-
fianiola, or Hayti as now called, wheie he
iad witnessed the barbarities of the new
comers and resented their invasion of his
new home, as he, unlike the others, knew
from terrible experience what such a com
ing meant to the native people. But Hatuey
like many others who camo after him in
later years, was unsuccessful in opposing the
will of the Dons, and paid for his desire for
freedom with his life, being burned at the
take as a fugitive slave.
Spanish oppression and Spanish crm'ty
reigned in Cuba from that day until in tie
ummer of 1SDS, when, with the assistant
of the United States, the patriots banished
their oppressors from the ihland forever.
Almost from the day of the Spaniards'
first landing in Cuba until the signing of the
peace protocol that put a stop to the war
of 1893 the Dons had found it necessary to
meet opposition to their reign by the use
of armed force. This opposition was not at
all times of sufficient vigor to be dignified
by the name of revolution, but it was con
stant. For many years it was more of a
eea fight than a land fight and was carried
on by the buccaneers whose object was to
QEN. CALIXTO QARCIA.
drive Spain from the western seas, not be
cause they were friendly to the native
Cubans, but trom motives of revenge against
the mother country, and as allies of other
European nations at war with Spain. Nor
wfr their operations directed against the
Bpaniards in Cuba alone, but in every part
of the western world whe.T the Spanish flag
floated.
It was not until late in Ue eighteenth and
early in the nineteenth omturics that the
people of Cuba began to Mnk seriously of
freedom, or rather of righting existing
,g
wrongs, and forcing from the mother coun
try a more liberal iorm of government.
England's colonies had thrown off the yoke
of oppression, and the seed of freedom that
had sprouted on the mainland had been car
ried to the island. A grievance that brought
with it armed resistance came in 1790 when
Spain withdrew the ship building yards
from Havana to reestablish them at her
home ports. The industry had existed in
the island from 172G, and the closing of them
was bitterly resented. But Cuba at that
time demanded only her rights as a loyal
colony, and not the absolute freedom for
which she has since fought.
During her earlier history the develop
ment of Cuba's great agricultural resources
QEN. MAXIMO GOMEZ.
progressed but slowly. Her ports were
closed to the commerce of all the world save
Spain, and it was not until after circum
stances which Spain had opposed for years
but which finally oveicanie her, that the
Cuban planters began to ically realize the
narrowness of Spanish rule. The change
that began to be appaient m the coloni.il
policies of other European nations eaily in
the last century was uot shared by Spain,
who but attempted to draw the lines
tighter.
This fact is evidenced by the issuance of
the royal decree of May 25, 1825, defining the
functions of tiie captain generals of Cuba,
a decree which invested them with prac
tically the powers of oriental despots, and
this decree remained in force uutil Spain
had been driven from the island.
Even before the issuing of this decree
had come the first attempt to break the rule
of Spain. Secret political societies had be
gun organizing as early as 1820 under the
namo of "Soles de Bolivar," and in 1823
these tocieticd made an attempt at open re
volt. But the attempt was fruitless of re
sults other than the arrest and punishment
of the leaders.
The next revolution camein 1820, and was
planned by Cuban refugees in Mexico and
Colombia. The scheme included the lead
ership of the great liberator, Simon Bolivar,
but it resulted in nothing tangible through
lack of adequate support. The same lead
ers attempted to organize another campaign
for the freeing of Cuba during the years 1827
29, this time including among their support
ers many persons in the United States, but
this plan was frustrated through the influ
ence of the slave interests in both this coun
try and Mexico.
Another revolution came in 1884 in which
tho principals were the slaves on the sugar
plantations about Mantanzas. With rc m
difficulty Spain owe -essed this revolt, and
punished in various ways 1,340 of those con
victed of participating in it, but the seed of
liberty then planted resulted in later years
in the patriots who fought the long ten
years' war, and again those who led to ulti
mate victory the forces of Cuba in the last
"Plie next Cuban revolution, started a year
later, was led by an ex-ofl?cer in the Span
irh army, Narciso Lopez. He was unsuc
cessful at the time, but hit efforts led final
ly to the attempt of this government to
purchase Cuba from Spain in 1848. The
overtures made to the Spar ish government
by President Polk were of no avail, however,
mod Lopez continued bis efforts at libera
tion until he was finally captured by, the
Spanish authorities on Cuban soil and exe
cuted in 1851.
In 1851 came both the attempt of Gen.
Quitman, of Mississippi, for the invasion of
Cuba, which resulted disastcrously to the
leaders, they being captured and executed,
and the Ostcnd Manifesto which recom
mended the purchase of Cuba for $120,000,
000. But this, like the previous attempt at
purchase, came to naught, and tho island
was left to drag along iu comparative peace
until the breaking out of tho "ten years'
war" in 18G8.
It was this long struggle that brought to
the fore such men as Gomez, Garcia, Palma
and many others destined to live in the his
tory of tho new rcpublio as the names of
Washington, Lee, Putnam and a score of
others livo in our own history. They arc the
grandest names Cubans will ever know;
true patriots, who yet live to guide the young
rcpublio through its first troubled waters
with the same courageous hands that taught
the Cuban soldiers to match Cuban strategy
and daring against the heavier forces of
Spain. To this list must be added that of
Maceo and tho others who sacrificed their
lives in the last struggle for Cuban freedom,
but demanded of Spain a dear price for the
sacrifice.
The story of the ten years war is a
story of ten years of hardships and sacrifice.
It brought with it tho first declaration of
Cuban independence, signed on October 10,
18CS, and also tho first election of Cuban
officers including a president and vice presi
dent and tho appointment of cabinet of
ficers. It was Carlos M. de Ccspcdcs, at the head
of 123 ill-armed men, who started this con
flict, and who issued the proclamation of
Cuban independence at Yara. Ccspcdcs was
a lawyer of Bayamo at the beginning of the
war, but he was a natural leader of men,
and soon had 15,000 men with which to op-
QEN. ANTONIO MACEO.
pose Spain. It was ho who virtually wrote
tho first Cuban constitution which was
promulgated at Guaiinaro on April 10, 1809.
For the first two years of the war success
attended almost every effort of the Cuban
army, whicli increased rapidly until it had
reached the numbers of 50,000 men, but the
ability of Spain to furnish war materials
and fresh troops was greater than that of
the insurgents, and the rank and file of the
Cuban army began finally to tire of the
struggle. Froml873until February, 1878, the
war dragged along in a desultory way, and
finally ended with the peace of San Antonio
which' guaranteed pardon to all who had
taken part in the conflict, and representa
tion for Cuba in the Spanish cortca.
It was during this war, in 1S73, that there
occurred the incident of the steamer Vir
ginius whicli came to near resulting in war
between Spain and the United States, and
which did result in somo pointed corre
spondence between officials of the two coun
tries, and the execution as pirates at San
tiago of 53 persons.
The incidents of the last revolution that
started in 1894 and led to American inter
vention for tho pacification and libeintion
of the island are too well known to need
any recounting here. Tho leaders who
flocked to the Cuban standard were men
who had fought for Cuban freedom from
1803-78. Jose Marti started from New York
in February, 1S95, Gomez, Antonio and Jose
Maceo, Crombet, Ccbrcco, Borrcro, Angel
Gucrra and a score of others gathered again
QEN. RIVERA.
on Cuban soil from different points to again
begin the fight for Cuban fieedom. Jn tunc
Garcia, Kobi, Puvcra and others joined
them, and what Spain at first believed to be
but the beginning of a negro riot that could
be suppressed within a short time proved to
be the final conflict for Cuban freedom, a
conflict that has waged on sea and land foi
more than a centurj.
WRIGHT A. PATTERSON
A Your of Cuban Proierlt'.
Tbe year 1892 was the most proxpeioiii m
Cuban history for lmost half a centiuy.
During that year the value of the island's ex
ports amounted to $89,500,000, and the im
ports to $50,250,000. Of the exports $85,000,
000 were classed as vegetable, $3,500,000 as
mineral and $750,000 as animal.
A Great Cubnn I)luter
One of the greatest disasters in Cuban his
tory was the hurricane of October 14, 1870,
i which some 2,000 lives wre lost.
Mm
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4&
RESOURCES OF CUBA
Her Greatest Wealth Lies in a Fer
tile and Productive Soil.
PmmlbllltlrN of Sngiir nml Tobncco
Cultivation .1 mined by flio Itco-
orda of the 1'nnt Valuable
Wooda, fruits nml Mlncrnla.
URING years of peace in the past
Cuba has produced more cane su
gar than any other country in the
world. She produces more than
twico the cane 6Ugar manufac
tured in Java, her nearest com
petitor, and more than five times
as much as is produced in any
other country. In exceptional
years her production of sugar has
passed the one million tons mark.
The beet and cano product both considered,
Cuba is surpassed by but ono country, Ger
many, with one and onc-lmlf million tons, ns
a sugar producer, and in equaled by but ono
other, Austria.
Cuba has exported In one year more than
0,000,000 pounds of leaf tobacco and more
than 134,000,000 cigars in addition to heavy
exports of baled tobacco of less valuable va
rieties. Tho shipping of nine Cuban ports, which
includes Havana, for the year 1894 amount
ed to 3,533,539 tons, carried by 3,181 vessels.
The abovo three paragraphs give a gen
eral idea of industrial Cuba of the past;
they can scarcely bo classed as even pro
phetic of the future.
Cuba and tho adjacent small islands bo
longing to it occupy an area of 45,000 square
miles a little less in size than tho state of
New York. Of this total area less than 10
per cent, has ever been under cultivation;
four per cent, is classed as forest land, and
large quantities of tho remainder is virgin
toil awaiting development by a progressive
people under a progressive government.
When such a people under such a govern
ment have turned this unclaimed aica into
productive territory we shall have the Cuba
of the future.
But to go back again to the Cuba of the
past. Cano sugar development has been
confined to the vast central plain lying to
a great tixtcnt in Matanra province. In tho
season of 1892-03 this great plain yielded
1,054,212 tons of "sugar, valued at $80,000,000.
The sugar plantations of this territory
vary in extent from 100 to 1,000 acres, and
employ an average of one man to each two
acics under cultivation.
For several years the sugar industry in all
tho West Indian islands has been in a de
plorablo condition, but different causes
must be assigned for the condition in Cuba
than for the other islands. In Cuba it has
been the scries ofy rebellious and insurrec
tions that have caused the decline of the
industry. During the periods of compara
tive peace the industry has prospered, and
the reason may be found in the fact that the
Cuban planters have gone about the produc
tion of sugar on a large scale, and equipped
with the most modern machinery.
While sugar is the staple crop of first im
portance in Cuba tobacco has an important
place in the inland's industries, and is even
more valuablo than sugar when the acreago
under cultivation is considered. As Matan
zas is the center of the sugar industry so is
Pinar del Kio the center of the tobacco in
terests, though the tobacco fields may be
found in all sections of the island, and the
crop is exported from every port from Ha
vana to Santiago.
The average size of the Cuban tobacco
plantations, or vegas, as they aie called, is
only about 33 acres, and the average annual
production from a farm or vega of this size
is something like 9,000 pounds of tobacco of
varying qualities. Of this amount, however,
there will seldom bo more than from 450 to
500 pounds of the finest quality fiom which
the higher priced cigars arc made; 1,800
pounds of the second quality, and so on
down to the cheapest grade, which is, of
course, tho gtcatcst in quantity.
In the wars of Cuba the tobacco interests
of the western portion of the isluud, iu
which is grown the better qualities and tho
greatest quantities, huve been but little af
fected until the last one. During the years
of 1800-'07, however, these interests, like the
sugar interests of Matanzas, suffered heav
ily from tho conflicts waged over the tobacco
territory, and the planters are but now fully
recovering from the effects of the devasta
tion which the revolution left in its path.
Among other agricultural products which
the island is capable of producing, and from
which much may be expected in tho future,
are coffees and fruits. The former is espe
cially adapted to the mountain-sides and hill
lands of the eastern portion. There was
time when a considerable quantity of coffc
was exported from the island, but the po
litical conditions rendered its cultivation
unprofitable, as there was always an uncer
tainty of getting the crop to market. In
point of quality Cuba can produce as good
coffee as is grown anywhere jn the world,
and there is but little doubt that it will soon
become a leading industry.
Though the present valuo of the fruit crop
of Cuba has greatly diminished in compari
w
MAP OF SANTIAGO BATTLEFIELD.
Showlnrr the positions or the American and Spanish troops In th series of bat
tles Unit innrked the captur of the city and tho downfall of Spanish MvarsUenti-'
ln th western hemlRDbera.
son with what it nu a few years ago tt 1
still of considerable importance, and may ba
expected to assume even greater important'
in tho industrial development of the islandl
under the new regime. In the eastern end of
the island there are now a large number of
beautiful banana plantations high up tho
mountains that supply to tho American mar
kets tho best of this class of fruit that is sold
in this country. Oranges and pineapples of
unusual size and flavor are also grown
throughout tho island.
But Cuba possesses more than agricultural
wealth. Her forests supply mahogany, log
wood and fustio in somo quantities, though
tho supply is limited, and a great source of
wealth is in her, as yet, almost undeveloped
mines. Iron, mangancso, copper and salt
are all mined in paying quantities, though
on a comparatively small scale. Of them all
iron li the chief of tho mineral product. Tho
iron mines are located a few miles cast of
Santiago, and, while they have not as yet
been worked to any largo extent, the Amer
(can company whicli controls them have ex
pended largo sums in preparatory develop
ment. That these iron mines will becomo of
considerable importance in tho develop
ment of tho island cannot bo doubted.
With such resources to draw upon Cuba,
under a progressive and enlightened govern
ment that will encourage rather than an
tagonizo development, ithould soon take a
leading place among the smaller commercial
nations of tho world.
AMERICA'S FIGHT FOR CUBA.
We Ilnvn Dnnr lluttlo Not Only with
the Swnrd Hut with tho Srrub-
MiiiC llniMh nn Well,
So fresh In tho minds of tho American
people aro the events of tho historic summer
of 1893 that they really need no recalling at
this timo when the complete fruition of the
objects of the strugglo between the United
States and Spain aio now to bo realized in
tho establishment of that independent gov
ernment in Cuba which this government
guaranteed when it declared the wielding of
tho sword for the island's independence to
be a part of our duty.
The destruction of our good ship Maine;
the declarations and appropriations voted
by congress; the mobilizing of armies and
fleets; the victory of Admiral DcwcyatMa
MAJOR. QEN. LEONARD WOOD.
nila; tho dispatch of troops to Santiago; our
naval victory off that harbor; the full of tha
city; the capture of Porto Rico, and Spain's
try for peace at almost any price, all thess
incidents need but a mention to recall them
to the minds of tho people of this country.
History was never made more rapidly than
it was made during that summer, and it was
history of which the country and the world
may well be proud in after years.
With the sword we drove Spain out of
Cuba, our soldiers and pailors reaped won
derful victories in rapid succession, but
Spain left behind her a harder strugglo than
her armies or her fleets had given us it was
with dirt and disease.
How well Gov. Gen. Wood has conquered
this foe is evidenced from the health reports
from Cuba. First at Santiago, and later
throughout all the island he has persistently
fought the battle for clean cities and good
snuitation until to-day Havana, instead oi
being the breeding ground of all the various
types of malignant fever, is considered ai
healthful as almost any city in the United
Slates. He has taught to the Cubans the ne
cessity of cleanliness, a leskon they are not
likely to soon forget.
Ho has done more than this. Ho has
opened the public schools, and has so ex
tended the system that practically all the
children of school age have now offered
them the advantagesofaneducation,andhas
instilled in the hearts of the people a desire
for learning, a desire which their own gov
ernment will now be in a position to fulfill.
Gen. Wood, ns the representative of tht
American people, has buildcd a government
of the people, for the peoplo and by the
people of Cuba into whose hands our coun
try can now safely place tho reigns of con
tiol, and Gen. Wood's name must be added
to the list of Cuban heroes whose memories
will long live in the hearts of the people of
"the ever faithful isle."
pu . 1