^ %OJITV3-JO^ , ^OFCAIIFO/?^ .11 flawirew 2 3fojnv>i ^OF-CAIIFO/?^ ^OFCAIIFO, S * ^^" $ \ CA ^lOS-ANCEL I t' I i ^ ^OF-CALIFO/?^ ^E-DNIVER% ^lOSANCEl vj i/^->* in ry OAavaan Or- A vv S3 = .vlOSANGEtfj _ i 3 Q I i i-i- rr{ 1 S :lOS-ANCElfj> ME-UNIVERS/A. yi =? THE "WASHINGTON OF CUBA." BARTOLOME MA8SO, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE FREE CUBAN REPUBLIC. COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA A TYPICAL SUGAR PLANTATION, HAVANA PROVINCE A STORY OF The Early Struggles of the Cuban Patriots, and of all the Important Events Leading Up to the Present War Between the United States and Spain for Cuba Libre By H. ALLEN TOPPER, JR. P. B. BROMFIELD & Co. BIBLE HOUSE NEW YORK Copyright, 1898, by B. J. FERNIE 7/5" DEDICATION. To n\y four Sisters, Ariose syrrjpatriies for tl\e silfferirig r\ave cr\ariged shadows into silrisriirie, tr\is \^orK is lovingly dedi- cated. H. fi. T. f Jr. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. CUBA, THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. PAGE First glimpse of Cuba Mistakes of Columbus Its early names Its strange shape Undeveloped mineral treasures A rainy record The one day of snow A land of trees and fruits and birds How the island is peopled Peninsulars, Riollos and Asiatics Characteristics of the provinces Nominal representation An expensive religion An island in pawn Love, courtship and matrimony in Cuba 1 1 CHAPTER II. AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. Abortive insurrections of the past American sympathizers on the roll of martyr- dom President Grant's indignation National conventions of both parties sympathetic Woodford's effective protest against Weyler Gen. Fitzhugh Lee's vigorous Americanism Personal observations of United States Senators Humane shrinking from the inevitable conflict President McKinley's historical message The Congressional resolutions The ultimatum sent to Woodford Woodford's summary dismissal President McKinley's call for volunteers Another message War declared 31 CHAPTER III. THE BATTLE FOR HUMANITY. Incapacity of European journals to appreciate disinterested interference The United States patient and forbearing Offers of purchase Spanish resent- mentA European indictment of the oppressor A long series of outrages European powers deprecate war Not a war for territory The nuisance of proximity to mediaeval barbarity A vision of Anglo-Saxon comradeship A poet's acclaim 67 CHAPTER IV. WEYLER, BLANCO AND THE RECONCENTRADOS. AUTONOMY AND THE "MAINE" DISASTER. Attempts to crush the insurrection by brutality Butcher Weyler Personal esti- mate of the mar. His menacing manifests The infamous concentration order Sugar planters provoked A fence of steel across the island A policy of extermination Driving in the peasants Direct responsibility for sixty thousand deaths What autonomy meant DeLome's insult to the President His recall Destruction of the " Maine " Verdict of the Board of Inquiry Si CHAPTER V. AMERICAN AND SPANISH MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. Spain's eight army corps A list of Spanish vessels, with their speed and arma- ments Her reliance on her navy Disadvantages of distance from base of supply Coal is king United States ships and their commanders Elements of strength An English estimate Rapid mobilization The response to the President's call American inventive genius in activity Science harnessed for war Electric bombs and flying torpedoes Modern advance in speed . . 105 (5) 6 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. CUBA'S HEROES. PAGE. Brave, honest and patriotic men Maximo Gomez A manly proclamation Masterly tactics Antonio Maceo His brother Jose Two daring soldiers A magnanimous proposal Calexto Garcia Nestor Aranguren A Cuban Centurion Brilliant capture of a train President Masso and his cabinet Once a prisoner in Morro Castle Cisneros ex-president His address to the Junta 139 CHAPTER VII. THE CUBA LIBRE MOVEMENT. Justified by the American Declaration of Independence Conditions of righteous insurrection fulfilled Suppression of Cuban representation in the Cortes The captain-general a dictator Petitions presented at Madrid A plan of government and pacification formulated Spain's arrogant answer Cuba saddled with cost of suppressing rebellions Pensions for retired Spanish officials Causes of commercial ruin Present situation in free Cuba .... 155 CHAPTER VIII. AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. President McKinley's appeal for Cuba's starving people Restrained from hus- bandry by Weyler's decree Consular supervision promised The Christian Herald's fund opened A central Cuban relief committee appointed by the President Early shipments of supplies Regular weekly consignments of food, quinine, etc. Twenty thousand dollars a day needed to sustain life The suffering described by an eye-witness Half a million slain by hunger Admissions of a Spaniard A living baby at its dead mother's breast The busy death-carts An appalling statistical table The Christian Herald's offer to Clara Barton Red Cross nurses for the survivors of the " Maine " The proprietor of the Christian Herald in relief work in Cuba A characteristic incident from the west 167 CHAPTER IX. AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. Manila a picturesque city Taxed with no returns Privateering and neutral rights Spain defines contraband ot war President McKinley's Proclamation on same subject What a privateer is The right of search America's marines Admiral Dewey entering the Bay of Manila Daring attack on Spanish ships under the guns of the forts Annihilation of Spain's proud fleet A torrent of iron hail on the forts Splendid marksmanship of the United States gunners Dewey fighting under disadvantages 205 CHAPTER X. The Geography of Cuba 227 CHAPTER XL HASTENING TO THE END. Planning to intercept the Spanish fleet Preparations for a battle of giants on the open sea Congress providing sinews of war Spain's policy changed by the Manila disaster Hysterical appeals for intervention The United States not seeking territory Causes of Spain's decadence Natural result of avarice and cruelty A specimen proclamation The dynasty menaced with revolution 235 AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. Impressions of a two years' residence on the island Havana ajid its suburbs The people, their customs and amusements Cuban and Spanish cookery The concerts at the Hotel Gran Inglaterra The city walls and fortifications, 247 ILLUSTRATIONS. The Washington of Cuba Frontispiece. Plowing in Cuba 12 A primitive forry, Manzanillo 13 A Cuban ox-team 14 A fishing boat in Havana harbor 14 An old well in Cuba 15 Havana harbor, showing Punta and Morro forts 16 A tramway at Santiago de Cuba 17 Entrance to the cemetery, Havana 18 Lee Orphanage. Havana 19 Behind window-bars in a Cuban home 21 El Morro, Spain's strongest fortress in Cuba .. 23 Military square in Havana 24 The Prado, Havana 26 Captain-General's palace, Havana 27 Hon. John Sherman 32 Street in Santiago de Cuba 34 President McKinley 37 Hon. William R. Day 38 United States Capitol at Washington 40 Secretary of Navy Long in his office 43 J. Addison Porter, secretary to the Presi- dent 44 Assistant-Secretary O. L. Prudeu 46 Major-General Fitzhugh Lee 49 Mr. Cortelyou 50 Transporting food supplies in Cuba 54 A Spanish doorway in Cuba 56 A Cuban mother 60 SenorSagasta 61 Enlisting recruits for the war 62 Landing-place, Santiago de Cuba 68 Late Spanish Premier Canovas 69 " Tenting out " in Cuba 69 Sugar-cane loaded for market 70 Courtyard of governor-general's palace, Havana 71 In the courtvard opposite " Los Fossos " 72 A Cuban bedroom 73 Marina Street, Santiago de Cuba 74 Where babes were skeletons 74 Village of Seiba del Mocha 75 General Martinez Campos 76 Public square in the Spanish capital 77 United States Battleship "Maine" as she appeared on her Visit to Havana 82 Divers at work on wreck of " Maine" 83 Mascot of the " Maine " 83 First officer Waiuwright, of the " Maine " 84 A junior officer of the " Maine " 84 Captain Sigsbee, of the " Maine " 85 Shattered wreck of the " Maine".... 86 Spanish warship "Alfonso XII." 86 Don Ramon Blanco 87 Don Valeriano Weyler 88 The Castle, Cienfuegos, Cuba 89 View of the frowning Morro 90 Funeral in Havana of the " Maine " victims... 91 Boat landing at Havana harbor 92 Cathedral at Havana 93 PAGE. General Stewart L. Woodford 94 " Maine " Court of Inquiry in session 95 Gran Hotel Inglaterra % Street scene in Old Madrid 97 Palace of the Queen Regent of Spain 99 Path across the Pacific Ocean 106 United States Cruiser " New York " 107 Theodore Roosevelt 108 United States Torpedo Boat " Gushing" 108 Quarter Deck of " Brooklyn " 109 Rear-Admiral Norton, U.'S. N 110 Rear-Admiral Sicard, U. S. N 110 United States Cruiser " Raleigh " Ill United States Ram " Katahdin " Ill Captain Baker, U. S. N 113 United States Battleship " Oregon " 113 Philip Hichborn 114 Rear- Admiral Walker, U. S. N 114 Jack Tars' Leisure Hours 115 Commodore McCullom 115 Commodore McNair, U. S. N 116 United States cruiser " Brooklyn" 117 United States cruiser "Baltimore" 118 Commander Wilde 119 Our first starry flag 119 Holland submarine boat 120 United States transport " Fern" 121 View of the port of Key West, Fla 122 United States battleship "Indiana" 123 United States battleship " Massachusetts" 124 United States cruiser " Charleston " 125 United States cruiser "Columbia" m . 126 United States cruiser "Minneapolis" 127 United States battleship "Texas" 128 United States cruiser " Chicago" 129 United States cruiser " Cincinnati" 130 United States cruiser "Atlanta" 132 Spanish battleship " Vizcaya" 133 Flower of the Spanish navy 134 Spanish warship " Reina Mercedes" 135 General Maximo Gomez 139 A trio of Cuban patriots 140 A visit to the governor of Matanzas 141 Fons y Sterlino. 142 Mendez Capole 142 Dr. Castillo 143 General Roloff 144 Ramon Silva 145 Moreno la Corre 146 General Aleman 147 Armed escort on a relief train to Matanzas 148 Group of staff officers of the Cuban army 149 Encampment of a regiment of Cuban troops.. 150 Cuban flag 156 Harbor of Santiago de Cuba 157 A patriot band camping in the woods 159 Cuban cavalrv . 160 Port of Barcelona, Spain 161 King Alfonso XIII 162 Queen Regent Maria Christina 162 Sufferers at the Central Relief Station, Havana 168 (7) ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Central Cuban Relief Commission in session in Xe-v York 169 Ameiican Congressional visitors at Matanzas.. 170 Dying on a palace porch 170 Scene ii- the Relief Hospital! Ilavau.-i 171 Nook in the Relief Hospital, Havana 172 A famine-stricken family 172 Reconcentrados awaiting the distribution of supplies 173 Refugee Cuban children now in United States 174 Relief work in Cuba distributing supplies ... 175 Steamship "State of Texas" carrying relief supplies 176 Captain F. A. Young 176 A traveling dairy 177 A dead daughter of famine 177 An interior m Los Fossos 178 Familiar scene in the poorer section of Havana 179 Workers at Central Relief Station, Havana ... 180 A Havana famine victim 181 At the clinic of Lee Orphanage 182 A crowded corner of Los Fossos 184 Mrs. Scovel feeding reconcentrados 185 Reconcentrado boys in a Havana suburb 186 Dr. John Guiteras 187 General Nestor A ranguren 188 Revolutionary Junta of Porto Rico 189 Antonio Maceo 191 Dr. Henna 192 Narciso Lopez 193 JoseMarte 194 General Calixto Garcia 195 General Julio Sanguilli 196 Seuor Juan Arnao 197 ! I PAGE. Gonzalo De Quesada 198 General Lacret 199 General Pedro E. Betancourt .... 200 Francisco Gomez Toro 201 Carlos Garcia 202 Justo Garcia 202 Admiral George Dewey 206 United States cruiser "'Olympia " 207 United States "Baltimore" 209 A street in Manila 211 United States cruiser " Ralei.uh " 212 United States cruiser " Boston " 214 Drving vards of a sugar refinery in Manila 217 Port of "Manila 218 A street market in Manila 219 A half-caste woman ot Manila 221 A lady of Manila 222 Matanzas 228 A troop of Cuban cavalry in the Held 229 Portal of cave of Caignanabo 230 View of Matanzas 2^0 Bayamo 230 Cienfuegos 230 A sugar plantation 230 Porto Rico, general view 231 Governor's palace 231 United States Marine Hospital at Kev West, Fla 236 Commodore Schley, U. S. N 237 Commodore Howell, U. S. N 238 Cabinet room in the White House 239 General N. A. Miles, U. S. A 240 Familiar scene at Chickamauga Park 241 Major-General Brooke 242 CHAPTER I. The Pearl of the Antilles, (9) COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. CHAPTER I. CUBA, THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. First glimpse of Cuba Mistakes of Columbus Its early names Its strange shape Undeveloped mineral treasures A rainy record The one day of snow A land of trees and fruits Birds How the island is peopled Peninsulars, Riollos and Asiatics Characteristics of the provinces Nominal representa- tion An expensive religion An island in pawn Love, courtship and matri- mony in Cuba. JFTER centuries of oppression, and many long and cruel wars, in which innumerable lives have been sacrificed, the beautiful island of Cuba at last emerges into the sweet light of freedom. Our own day and generation have witnessed the culmination of the noble struggle conducted by her people, under patriotic leaders, against the brutal and inhuman tyranny of Spain a struggle in which every resource suggested by barbarism seemed to have been exhausted by the oppressor. Although civilization stood aghast at the atrocities perpetrated in Cuba, under Spanish misrule, and at the ruin of the most valuable possession of the Spanish Crown, yet no hand or voice was raised in protest. Europe's attitude was that which it had assumed in the case of Armenia a passive spectator of the application of the policy of extermination by famine and the sword, through which Spain hoped forever to settle the long-vexed " Cuban question." Then there came a time when our own free and favored nation, horrified at the great crime being enacted at its very doors, espoused Cuba's cause in the interest of humanity, and commanded Spain to put an nd to the pitiless warfare which had made of the once beautiful and 12 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. fertile island a wilderness of graves. But Spain only mocked at the mandate, and hardened her heart, like Pharaoh of old, who " would not let the people go." The inevitable climax was reached when the great Republic of the West arose in its might, smote the oppressor and, breaking Cuba's fetters, declared her freed forever from the slavery of Spain. Henceforward, the " Pearl of the Antilles" has two days that will be perpetually memorable the day of her dis- PLOWING IN CUBA. covery and that of her liberation. Her sons and daughters will cele- brate both with equal enthusiasm in the years to come. Cuba's history is a long record of romantic conquest and adven- ture. On a beautiful autumn morning, October 28, 1492, the simple people who were then her inhabitants might have seen three queer looking vessels approaching her shores. They were the exploring ships of Christopher Columbus. CUBA, THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. 13 The " Santa Maria," a ship of ninety feet keel, with four masts, of which two were square-rigged and two fitted with lateen sails, and carrying an armament of heavy guns, was manned by sixty-six sea- men with Columbus at their head. The other two vessels, which were intended for the exploration of rivers and coasts, were under the charge of two brothers, Martin and Vincente Pinzon. As the great discoverer sailed along the shores of this " enchanted land" he imagined that he was 13,000 miles from where he really A PRIMITIVE FERRY, MANZANILLO, CUBA. was ; and the island that is known to us as less than half the size of Italy and smaller than the State of New York, his excited imagina- tion pictured as a vast continent and kingdom of the East. A small island near at hand, he named Isabella, for the loved queen of Castile, who was his royal patroness, and of it he wrote: ''Everything is green as April in Andalusia. The singing of the birds is such that it seems as if one would never desire to depart. There are trees of a COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. thousand species, each having its particular fruit, and all of marvel- ous flavor." But of Cuba he was more enthusiastic in his expressions of admiration. This land which he described as the most beautiful that man had ever laid eyes on, he called Juana, for Prince Juan, only son of Ferdinand and Isabella, and at the death of Ferdinand it was changed to Fernan- dina, and afterward to * Santiago, in honor of A CUBAN OX-TEAM. St. James, and then it was named for the Holy Virgin ; but for 400 years it has been known by the Indian name, Cubanacan, which means the place where gold is found. It is the most westerly of the West India group, lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The greatest length from east to west is 760 miles; the width varies from 20 to 135 miles, and the area, including dependencies, covers 47,278 square miles. As will be seen by the map, in shape it is long, narrow and slightly curved, the con- vex side being on the north. The entire coast line is about twenty- CUBA, THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. two hundred English miles, and the approach to the shores is made difficult and dangerous, because they are lined with reefs and shallows, extending often from two to three miles into the sea. The peculiarities of the coast are very marked, and on the north coast-line, which is about one thousand miles long, and on the south side, which is some- what longer, nu- merous islets and reefs, mostly of coral or limestone forma- tion, give great ir- regularity to the shore-line. Notwith- standing this fact, the island has more than two hundred ports and sheltered landings. From east to west Cuba is intersected by a range of mountains, some of which reach the height of 8000 feet ; and from each side of the range riv- ers flow to the sea. According to Hum- boldt, four-fifths of Cuba consists of lowlands, and the ground is covered with secondary and tertiary formations, and is traversed by rocks of granite, syenite, gneiss and euphotide. There is scarcely a metal applicable to industry that is not found in the island, and the immense deposits of pure, white sand, from which the best earthenware is made, form a feature of the Isle of Pines, AN OLD WELL IN CUBA. CUBA, THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. near at hand. These natural treasures lie largely untouched by the energy of man, and at the call of labor, enterprise and capital, this Paradise of the Atlantic will give forth her hidden riches. While the climate is warm during most of the year, it is more temperate than in other lands of the same latitude, and during the hot season, from April to October, the heat seldom reaches 100 F. in any part of the island, while the dry season corresponds very nearly to our late autumn, winter and early spring. The average temperature of Havana is 77 ; maximum, 89 ; minimum, 50. The rainy season extends from the middle of May until about the first of November, and the rainfall in the island in one year has reached 133 inches. Only once in the history of Cuba has snow been known to fall upon the island, and that was on December 24-25, 1856. When Columbus dis- covered the island he found the natives cultivating six varieties of sweet potato, as well as the yuca and the Indian corn. The luxuri- ance of the vegetation of Cuba is a necessary conse- quence from the richness of its soil, the refreshing influ- ence of its 260 rivers and the salubrity of its climate. The forests abound in the finest furniture wood, such as ebony, rosewood; mahogany, cedar and lancewood ; building wood, such as ecana, jocuma, etc. ; while forty-one varieties of the palm grow wild. All the fruit common to the tropics are here in abundance, and Hum- bold t is of the opinion that the entire island was originally a forest of palms, wild lime and orange trees. The sugar plantations of Cuba are world renowned. Year after year the cane grows on A TRAMWAY AT SANTIAGO DE CUBA. 18 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. yielding its sweets in the greatest luxuriance, and the many towering chimneys of sugar factories, testify to the enormous wealth that accrues from Cuban cane. It is estimated that the sugar produc- tion of Cuba, under conditions of peace, is more than one million tons a year. It cannot be denied that the best tobacco plantations in the world are those in Pinar del Rio, the western province of ENTRANCE TO THE CEMETERY, HAVANA. In this Cemetery lie the Victims of the "Maine.'' 1 the island ; but in times of war this industry, like others, has been practically suspended. Not only for richness of soil, but for beauty of scenery the Pearl of the Antilles is renowned. With its fertile plains, its lofty mountains, its sparkling inlets and rivers where in all the world can the Valley of the Yumuri be surpassed ? It is a remarkable fact that, although the forests are extensive and almost impenetrable, no ferocious wild animals inhabit them ; and the wild dog, which is the most dangerous animal in Cuba except the Spaniard (and soon we shall not have to make this exception), is descended from the CUBA, THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. 19 domestic European dog, changed in habits and appearance by his independent life in the woods. The best authorities inform us that there are more than two hundred species of birds, many of them of brilliant plumage, that fly through these flower and fruit forests and 641 kinds of fish swim in the rivers of the island. Although one may be annoyed by the numerous insects that are painfully in evidence during certain months of the year, none are venomous, with the THE LEE ORPHANAGE, HAVANA. Now Containing over 150 Helpless Orphans. exception of the tarantula and scorpion, which are not as poisonous as elsewhere ; and snakes are seldom seen. Cuba has a mongrel population. For some time after the con- quest in 1511, none but Castilians were permitted to settle here; but for three hundred years colonists from every Spanish province have come hither, and consequently Spaniards of all classes are represented on the island. The word Creole is applied to the offspring of for- eigners, whether black or white, and the children of Creoles are known as riollos. Although the size of Cuba is nearly equal to that 20 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. of Pennsylvania, on account of the sand keys, the swamps and the unknown mountainous lands, all of which embrace at least one-fifth of the island, its population is hardly equal to one-third of the Key- stone State. It is thought that one-fifth of the inhabitants of Cuba are " Peninsulars," or natives of Spain, who control all remunerative offices. The number of white persons who are not of Spanish blood is estimated to be not more than ten or twelve thousand ; and the negro population, which ten years ago was nearly five hundred thou- sand, has been on a gradual decrease, which the mongrel element has greatly increased. In 1502, when Ovando was sent by the Spanish government 'to Cuba, he brought with him African slaves, and although the gradual emancipation act was pass by the Cortes in 1870, slavery was not absolutely abolished until ^86. In 1847 two ships from the Philippines readUd Havana with 679 Asiatic coolies ; others soon followed, and at present it is supposed that there are forty thousand of these Oriental laborers on the island. ' The following table gives the most recent census of the popula- tion by provinces : Provinces. Inhabitants. Pinar del Rio 225,891 Havana 451,928 Matanzas 2 59>5?8 Santa Clara 354,122 Puerto Principe .... 67,789 Santiago de Cuba .... 272,379 Total : 1,631,687 These six provinces form the political division of Cuba ; the name of the province and that of its most important city are invari- ably the same ; several judicial districts are established in each province, and attached to each town is a tract of country which is known as a township. Pinar del Rio is world-renowned for its fine tobacco ; Havana, besides its fertility, is the chief manufacturing centre of the island ; Matanzas, perhaps the richest province of all, produces the cereals in abundance, but is especially noted for its great sugar plantations ; Santa Clara, one of the first parts of the land to be settled, is a famous CUBA, THE PEART, OF THE ANTILLES. sugar region, and its mountains are said to be rich in gold, silver, copper and asphalt ; Puerto Principe is a mountainous region and its vast forests contain celebrated building and cabinet woods ; and Santiago de Cuba owes its wealth to a combination of characteristics. Its fields are fertile ; its woods are full of valuable trees ; its mountains are rich in minerals and its commerce, when not blighted by war, enliven distant ports. On January 9, 1879, the Spanish Cortes passed an act giving Cuba a representation in that body, and allowing Havana to send three senators to Madrid, each of the other provinces two, the archbishopric of Santiago one, the Uni- versity of Havana one and the Society of the Friends of the Country one. The thirty deputies sent to the House of Deputies are elected by popular ballot in the ratio of one representa- tive to every 50,000 of the population. From the fact that, in a recent election, twenty-six out of thirty deputies were natives of Spain, it is not hard to imagine what influences are at work The captain-general, appointed by the Spanish Crown usually for a term of three to five years, is at the head of the military government; and, indeed, is the supreme power in civil, ecclesiastical, military and naval affairs in the island, his administration council composed of thirty members, being completely under his authority. While the Crown appoints fifteen of the members of this council of adminis- tration, and the other fifteen are supposed to be elected by the BEHIND THE WINDOW BARS IN A CUBAN TfOMfl. 22 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. provinces, according to population, the government always manages to have a majority of twenty-five to five. What is known as the coun- cil of authorities is composed of the archbishop of Santiago ; the bishop of Havana ; the commanding officers of the army and navy ; the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Havana ; the attorney- general ; the chief of the department of finances ; and the director of the local administration. Besides this general government, each province has a governor, appointed from Madrid, who has the rank of major-general or briga- dier-general in the army, and in each province there is also an elective assembly of not less than twelve, nor more than twenty members, accord- ing to population. Nom- inally there is a judicial system in Cuba embrac- ing two superior courts, one sitting at Puerto Principe, for the Eastern provinces and the other at Havana, for the four Western provinces; but as under a decree of June 9, 1878, the governor-general has authority to overrule any decision of this or any other court, the deliverances of the judiciary may mean very little. Catholicism, the religion of the island, being an affair of the State, is maintained from the general revenues ; and according to the budget of 1893-94, $385,588 were spent for this purpose. The governor-general and the rector of the University of Havana have direction of the educational system of Cuba. It is worthy of note that as early as 1721 a university was established at Havana; but the corner-stone of the new university building was not laid until January 4, 1884. Each of the six provinces has a collegiate institute ; and according to the budget of 1893-94, $137,760 were expended for educational purposes, no part of which went to the aid of the com- mon schools. By a law of 1880, education was made compulsory ; but we learn from the best authority that the children attend the common schools at the rate of one to forty. (23) -4 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. The Pearl of the Antilles in its comparatively undeveloped con- dition, has proven to be a rich mine for Spain. Her revenues have been pledged over and over again to pay for the debts incurred by the mother land ; and this is the reason why, during all these years, such a system of heavy taxation has been placed upon her. For the fiscal year 1895-6, the immense income of $24,755,760 was realized by the government from this little strip of land ; and during this period the exports from the island amounted to over $70,000,000. A MILITARY SQUARE IN HAVANA. With all the attraction that Cuba presents to the intending settler, it is doubtful if it will ever be popular with American young- people, unless and until it changes some of its social customs. Old world ideas of the conventionalities to be observed in the relations of the sexes are in full force in the island. The American young gentleman discovers to his dismay, that it is more difficult to make the acquaintance of a charming girl in Cuba than it is at home. There is no lack of beautiful young ladies there ; he sees their faces at the windows and notices their graceful forms and bright, laughing eyes in the parks and public places, but he cannot easily get on speaking terms with them. This is very tantalizing, but there is CUBA, THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. 25 nothing to be gained by complaining. If, according to the old adage, " faint heart never won fair lady " in other places, the bold wooer finds himself at a disadvantage in Cuba. The citadel must be cap- tured, if captured at all, by a siege proceeding on clearly marked lines and by the regular approaches defined by public opinion. The young man who discovers that his heart has been pierced by one of cupid's arrows, must in some way make the acquaintance of the father of the young lady whose charms have impressed him. There is no hope of getting acquainted with her in her walks, or at a sociable, because she never stirs out of doors unaccompanied by her mother, or elderly aunt or some inconvenient person who can be trusted to keep designing young men at a safe distance. It is to the father that the young aspirant must go. He must ingratiate himself with this personage, whom at home he would doubtless speak of irreverently as " the old man " and regard as by no means an essen- tial factor in the matter. He is the way and the only way in this case. The young man must convince him that he is of good character and in all ways a desirable kind of person to have as a friend of the family. This done he has to be somewhat explicit, in the event of there being more than one marriageable daughter, as to which of the young ladies he desires to visit. If all goes well so far, the young man is " at liberty to call." He may call often, but he never has the happiness of finding the young lady alone. The mother or some one to play the part of " duenna " is always with her when he calls, and she is never caught napping. She allows no whispering, nor any confidential talk. It is all very proper and formal, but a little dull. Sometimes, passing the house, he may get an opportunity for a less formal talk, if, as may happen, the young lady should chance to be at the casement of the house when he goes by. But such interviews are very short, for the young lady is as much in dread of public opinion as of her duenna. It would be a terrible disgrace to have her neighbors think there was any " forth- putting " on her part. If this closer acquaintance has increased the young man's admiration and if he has seen any signs on the girl's part, that encourage him to hope that she reciprocates his regard, he prepares to enter the second stage of his courtship. At home that would be " to propose to the girl " and learn his fate from her lips 26 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Not so in Cuba. The proper course there is to call in the assistance of his father. This is indispensable and has sometimes proved an insurmountable obstacle. The young man has to convince his father of the desirability of the connection and to inspire him with some of his own enthusiasm. He does not always succeed and then the THE PRADO, HAVANA. Looking toward the Castillo de Morra. preliminary work, already done, is wasted. But if he wins his father as an ally, that personage waits on the father of the girl and formally proposes the marriage. The two discuss the business side of the proposition and if that ends satisfactorily, the second stage is safely CUBA, THE PEARL OF THE ANTILLES. 27 passed. The point at which the prospective bride's consent is gained is not clear, but it is assumed that her father has been in some way informed, either by his wife, or by some one else in his family, whether the suit is agreeable, or not, to the one most concerned. The young man may then call in his new character as an accepted lover, but he does not get rid of the duenna. Her duties continue. He gets no kiss, no endearment, no exchange of tokens of affection, so precious to American lovers. Not until the marriage has actually taken place are the duenna's functions at an end. The ceremony of marriage is twofold. The parties repair first of all to the church, the bride attired in a dress chosen and pro- vided by the bride- groom. The priest performs the mar- riage ceremony THE CAPTAIN-GENERAL'S PALACE, HAVANA. and is duly recom- p e n s e d by the bridegroom or his father. Then the party proceeds to the town hall or a court of justice, where the two principals must answer certain questions and sign the record. This business com- pleted, the party goes to the home of the bride, where her father has provided a feast graded in splendor according to his position in society. Among the poorer classes it is simply. what they call a " pig-roast," in which a roast sucking-pig is the principal dish. Presents to the bride from her family and friends are then in order. The festivities are continued for some hours, and when the last of the guests has danced himself tired and has gone home, the bride and her husband are at liberty to depart to their new home. This has been furnished throughout by the bridegroom and his family, and, 28 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. entering it, the young couple, safely through their many ordeals, commence their new life. In normal times there is not much diffi- culty, when there is health and strength, in the husband maintaining his wife in the position to which she has been accustomed. The unskilled laborer can, with very moderate industry, earn a dollar a day, and if he has skill, he can become a clerk with a salary of $100 a month, or a railroad conductor at $125, or an engineer at $145. If he has been well educated, he may become a private secretary to some Spanish official, at a still better salary. If the official is igno- rant and if, as occasionally happens, he is so illiterate that he cannot keep the records of his office, or write an ordinary letter, his private secretary can get a salary of three or four thousand dollars a year for performing his employer's duties. CHAPTER America Cuba's Champion (29) CHAPTER II. AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. Abortive insurrection of the past American sympathizers on the roll of martyr- dom President Grant's indignation National convention of both parties sympathetic Woodford's effective protest against Weyler General Fitzhugh Lee's vigorous Americanism Personal observations of United States Senators Humane shrinking from the inevitable conflict President McKinley's historical message The Congressional resolutions The ultimatum sent to Woodford Woodford's summary dismissal President McKinley's call for volunteers Another message War declared. JT would be strange, indeed, did not America's sympathy go out toward the people near our shores who are struggling for independence and nationality, for in 1776 she was passing through the same ordeal. During the insurrec- tions in 1823, 1829, J ^35 an( ^ *844 in Cuba, the American people watched with increasing interest the efforts of the Cubans to shake off the burdens that Spanish tyranny imposed ; and in 1850 occurred the noted Lopez and Crittenden expedition, in which the latter, who was a graduate of West Point and a Mexican war hero, was shot by the Spaniards, and the former was executed with the garrote at Havana. The case of Captain Joseph Fry, the " Cuban Martyr," caused intense feeling throughout the United States twenty-five years ago. At Port an Prince, October 7, 1873, he took on board the "Virginius" a large amount of war material, and while the vessel was bound for Cuba she was run down by the Spanish gunboat " Tornado," and although Captain Fry pro- tested that his papers were regular and that the " Virginius " was " an American ship, carrying American colors and papers, with an American captain and an American crew," she was taken as a prize to Santiago de Cuba, and the prisoners were condemned to be shot to death, Fry declaring : " If I die, it will be for the Cuban cause." On the afternoon of November 7, 1873, Captain Fry and fifty-two of his men were shot ; and it was only through the heroic intervention of Captain Sir Lampton Lorraine, of the British steamer " Niobe," (31) COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. that the massacre of the other ninety-three prisoners was prevented. The Spaniards, by means of certain technical rights, escaped the severe punishment that should have been visited upon them for this shocking wholesale murder ; but the dreadful affair produced a pro- found impression upon this country, increasing the antipathy for Spain and sympathy for the Cubans. In his Annual Message to Congress, December, 1875, President Grant wrote these strong words : " The past year has furnished no evidence of an approaching ter- mination of the ruinous conflict which has been waging for seven years in the neighboring island of Cuba. The same disregard of the laws of civilized warfare and of the just demands of humanity, which has heretofore called forth expres- sions of condemnation from the nations of Christendom, has con- tinued to blacken the sad scene. Desolation, ruin and pillage are pervading the rich fields of one of the most fertile and productive regions of earth, and the incen- diary's torch, firing plantations and valuable factories and build- ings, is the agent marking the alternate advance or retreat of con- tending parties. ... I have hoped that Spain would be able to establish peace in her colony, to afford security to the property and the interests of our citizens, and allow legitimate scope to trade and commerce and the natural productions of the island. . . . Thus far all the efforts of Spain have proved abortive, and time has marked no improvement in the situation." By diplomatic tricks, at which the government at Madrid has always been an adept expert, the Cuban question was side-tracked ; promises of reforms were made ; and as so often it has happened in her dealings with the United States, she gained her point, while at the same time seemingly yielding to our HON. JOHN SHERMAN, Secretary of State. AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 33 requests. In tricks that are vain the Chinee does not hold a monopoly of power. The Spaniard can give him several points in the art of not doing what the uninitiated thinks he is doing ! But the interest of the United States in the struggling Cubans grew apace. The last conventions of the two great political parties of America met while the present insurrection was eliciting the sympa- thetic interest of our people, and in both gatherings there were dec- larations of no uncertain sound. President McKinley was elected on a platform one of the planks in which was dedicated to the freedom of Cuba. The appointment of the late Minister to Madrid looked to this, and Mr. Woodford left this country with the distinct under- standing that he was to introduce the subject of a change of affairs in Cuba to the government of the Queen Regent. The agitation of this matter resulted in the recall of the murderous Weyler, the depo- sition of the Spanish Minister at Washington, and the promise of ! autonomy under the direction of General Blanco. It is interesting to note how the inevitable approached. Events of importance fol- lowed quick upon each others' heels, and it soon became apparent that Congress would not adjourn until the crisis was reached and per- haps passed. President McKinley readily recognized that the sending of General Fitzhugh Lee to Havana by his predecessor, Mr. Cleve- land, was an eminently wise act, and after his recall to Washington for a conference with the President he was returned to Cuba, doubt- less with specific directions. With a thorough knowledge of military matters, knowing no such thing as fear, possessing the elements of a typical Southern gentleman, and being a loyal, loving American, General Lee was the right man in the right place. During the open- ing days of this year it was clearly apparent that the new move by Spain to establish what she was pleased to call an autonomy, or condition of self-government in Cuba, was destined to fail ; that the milder methods of the new Captain-General, General Blanco, were received with no more respect by the determined insurgents than the iron and bloody rule of Weyler ; that the devastation on the island was on the increase ; that the miserable reconcentrados, although aided by American charity, were dying by the thousands from disease and starvation ; and that the insurgents, instead of being conquered or brought to terms, were fighting more heroically than ever, and 3 34 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. were making startling advancements in directions that surprised and alarmed the Spanish forces. Reliable reports from American citizens who visited the island, trustworthy dispatches through the Associated Press, information given by Cuban refugees, and the thrilling speeches made in the United States Senate by several senators who made personal investigations, on the ground of the condition that A STREET IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA. existed in Cuba, all united to add fuel to the flame of American sym- pathy for the suffering and indignation against Spanish ferocity. These stirring days witnessed a picture of princely patience in the White House that must ever call forth the admiration of all right- thinking men. Having to contend against an excited constituency at home and a cold, tricky diplomacy abroad, President McKinley wrote his name in history as a sage statesman, a prudent patriot, a strong, sweet-spirited Christian man, self-mastered and ably mastering AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 35 the minds of the leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties who held conferences with him. The excited and persistent cry for war by those who did not expect to go to the front, reminded one of the words of an American wit : " There are some men who are invincible in peace and invisible in war ! " But the President, having been upon the battlefield, knew the horrors of war ; and, under divine guidance, he was inflexible in his determination to resort to all honorable means looking to a peaceable settlement of this grave question before, as the responsible executive of this nation, he requested Congress to give him power to intervene in Cuba. His delay in communicating with Congress strained and tested the patience of some of his political friends, who thought that the destruction of the battleship " Maine " should brush aside all diplo- matic negotiations, and that immediate steps should be taken to put an end to the Cuban trouble ; but history will prove that the President acted with wise conservatism. In transmitting to Congress the report of the United States Naval Court of Inquiry on the loss of the battleship " Maine," President McKinley presented all the testimony of the Court. In each house of Congress the President's communication was referred to the Foreign Committee and no further action was taken. It was on April n, 1898, that President McKinley sent the following message to Congress : " To the Congress of the United States : " Obedient to that precept of the Constitution which commands the President to give from time to time to the Congress information of the state of the Union, and to recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient, it becomes my duty now to address your body with regard to the grave crisis that has arisen in the relations of the United States to Spain by reason of the warfare that for more than three years has raged in the neighbor- ing island of Cuba. I do so because of the intimate connection of the Cuban question with the state of our own Union and the grave relation the course which it is now incumbent upon the nation to adopt must needs bear to the traditional policy of our government if it is to accord with the precepts laid down by the founders of the 3 6 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Republic, and religiously observed by succeeding Administrations to the present day. "The present revolution is but the successor of other similar insurrections which have occurred in Cuba against the dominion of Spain, extending over a period of nearly half a century, each of which, during its progress, has subjected the United States to great effort and expense in enforcing its neutrality laws, caused enormous losses to American trade and commerce, caused irritation, annoyance and disturbance among our citizens, and by the exercise of cruel, barbarous and uncivilized practices of warfare shocked the sensibili- ties and offended the humane sympathies of our people. Cuba Ravaged by Fire and Sword and a Prosperous Community Reduced to Comparative Want. "Since the present revolution began in February, 1895, this country has seen the fertile domain at our threshold ravaged by fire and sword in the course of a struggle unequaled in the history of the island, and rarely paralleled as to the number of the combatants and the bitterness of the contest by revolution of modern times where a dependent people, striving to be free, have been opposed by the power of the sovereign State. Our people have beheld a once prosperous community reduced to comparative want, its lucrative commerce virtually paralyzed, its exceptional productiveness diminished, its fields laid waste, its mills in ruins and its people perishing by tens of thousands from hunger and destitution. We have found ourselves constrained, in the observance of that strict neutrality which our laws enjoin and which the law of nations commands, to police our own waters and watch our own seaports in prevention of any unlaw- ful act in aid of the Cubans. Our trade has suffered, the capital invested by our citizens in Cuba has been largely lost, and the temper and forbearance of our people have been so sorely tried as to beget a perilous unrest among our own citizens, which has inevitably found its expression from time to time in the national legislature, so that issues wholly external to our own body politic engross attention and stand in the way of that close devotion to domestic advancement that becomes a self-contained commonwealth whose primal maxim has been the avoidance of foreign entanglements. All this must needs AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 37 awaken, and has indeed aroused, the utmost concern on the part of this Government, as well during my predecessor's term as in my own. "In April, 1896, the evils from which our country suffered through the Cuban war became so onerous that my predecessor made an effort to bring about a peace through the mediation of this government in any way that might tend to an honorable adjustment of the contest between Spain and her revolt- ed colony, on the basis of some effective scheme of self- government for Cuba under the flag and sovereignty of Spain. It fail- ed through the refusal of the Spanish gov- ernment then in power to consider any form of media- tion or indeed any plan of settlement which did not begin with the actual submis- sion of the in- surgents to the mother coun- try, and then only on such terms as Spain herself might see fit to grant. The war continued unabated. PRESIDENT M'KINLEY, (From a photograph, taken immediately after he signed the $50,000,000 Naval Appropriation Bill}. COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Weyler's Policy Added to the Horrors of Strife a New and Inhuman Phase. "The resistance of the insurgents was in no wise diminished. The efforts of Spain were increased, both by the dispatch of fresh levies to Cuba and by the addition to the horrors of the strife of a new and in- human phase, happily un- precedented in the modern history of civ- ilized Chris- tian peoples. The policy of devastation and concen- tration inaug- urated by the captain-gen- eral 'sbando of October 21, 1896, in the province of Pinar del Rio, was thence ex- tended to em- brace all of the island to which the power of the Spanish arms was able to reach by occupation or by military operations. The peasantry, including all dwelling in the open agricultural interior, were driven into the garrison towns or isolated places held by the troops. The raising and movement of provisions of all kinds were interdicted. The fields were laid waste, dwellings unroofed and fired, mills destroyed, and, in short, everything that could desolate HON. WILLIAM R. DAY. Successor to Hon. John Sherman, Secretary of State. AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 39 the land and render it unfit for human habitation or support was commanded by one or the other of the contending parties and executed by all the powers at their disposal. " By the time the present administration took office, a year ago, recon centra tion so called had been made effective over the better part of the four central and western provinces, Santa Clara, Matan- zas, Havana and Pinar del Rio. The agricultural population, to the estimated number of 300,000 or more, was herded within the towns and their immediate vicinage, deprived of the means of support, rendered destitute of shelter, left poorly clad and exposed to the most unsanitary conditions. As the scarcity of food increased with the devastation of the depopulated areas of production, destitution and want became misery and starvation. u Month by month the death rate increased in an alarming ratio. By March, 1897, according to conservative estimates from official Spanish sources, the mortality among the reconcentrados from starvation and the diseases thereto incident exceeded fifty per cent of their total number No practical relief was accorded to the destitute. The overburdened towns, already suffering from the general dearth, could give no aid. So-called ' zones of cultivation,' established within the immediate area of effective military control, about the cities and fortified camps, proved illusory as a remedy for the suffering. The unfortunates being for the most part women and children, with aged and helpless men, enfeebled by disease and hunger, could not have tilled the soil without tools, seed or shelter, for their own support and for the support of the cities. Reconcentration, adopted avowedly as a war measure in order to cut off the resources of the insurgents, worked its predestined result. Steps of This Government for Settlement of a Condition That Was Not Civilized Warfare, but Extermination. " As I said in my message of last December, it was not civilized warfare, it was extermination. The only peace it could beget was that of the wilderness and the grave. Meanwhile the military situation in the island had undergone a noticeable change. The extraordinary activity that characterized the second year of war, when the insurgents invaded even the hitherto unharmed fields of 4 o COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Pinar del Rio, and carried havoc and destruction up to the walls of the city of Havana itself, had relapsed into a dogged struggle in the central and eastern provinces. The Spanish arms regained a measure of control in Pinar del Rio and parts of Havana, but, under the existing conditions of the rural country, without immediate improve- ment of their productive situation. Even thus partially restricted, the revolutionists held their own, and their conquest and submission, put forward by Spain as the essential and sole basis of peace, seemed ' THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON. as far distant as at the outset. In this state of affairs my administra- tion found itself confronted with a grave problem of its duty. My message of last December reviewed the situation, and narrated the steps taken, with a view of relieving its acuteness and opening the way to some form of honorable settlement. " The assassination of the Prime Minister, Canovas, led to a change of government in Spain. The former administration, pledged to subjugation without concession, gave place to that of a more liberal party, committed long in advance to a policy of reform AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 41 involving the wider principles of home rule for Cuba and Porto Rico. The overtures of the government, made through its new envoy, Gen- eral Woodford, and looking to an immediate and effective ameliora- tion of the condition of the island, although not accepted to the extent of admitted mediation in any shape, were met by assurances that home rule in an advanced phase would be forthwith offered to Cuba without waiting for the war to end, and that more humane methods should thenceforth prevail in the conduct of hostilities. Coincidentally with these declarations the new government of Spain continued and completed the policy already begun by its predecessor of testifying friendly regard for this nation by releasing American citizens held under one charge or another, connected with the insur- rection, so that, by the end of November, not a single person entitled in any way to our national protection remained in a Spanish prison. Negotiations Progressed, but in the Meantime Destitution and Death Also Continued. " While these negotiations were progressing the increasing desti- tution of the unfortunate reconcentrados and the alarming mortality among them claimed earnest attention. The success which had attended the limited measure of relief extended to the suffering American citizens among them by the judicious expenditure through the consular agencies of the money appropriated expressly for their succor by the joint resolution approved May 4, 1897, prompted the humane extension of a similar scheme of aid to the great body of sufferers. A suggestion to this end was acquiesced in by the Spanish authorities. On the twenty-fourth of December last, I caused to be issued an appeal to the American people, inviting contributions in money or in kind for the succor of the starving sufferers in Cuba, following this on the eighth of January by a similar public announce- ment of the formation of a Central Cuban Relief Committee, with headquarters in New York City, composed of three members repre- senting the American National Red Cross and the religious and business elements of the community. "The efforts of the committee have been untiring and have accomplished much. Arrangements for free transportation to Cuba have greatly aided the charitable work. The president of the 42 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. American Red Cross and representatives of other contributory organizations have generously visited Cuba and co-operated with the Consul-General and the local authorities to make effective distribu- tion of the relief collected through the efforts of the Central Com- mittee. Nearly $200,000 in money and supplies has already reached the sufferers, and more is forthcoming. The supplies are admitted duty free, and transportation to the interior has been arranged so that the relief, at first necessarily confined to Havana and the larger cities, is now extended through most if not all of the towns where suffering exists. Thousands of lives have already been saved. The necessity for a change in the condition of the reconcentrados is recognized by the Spanish government. " Within a few days past the orders of General Weyler have been revoked, and the reconcentrados are, it is said, to be permitted to return to their homes, and aided to resume the self-supporting pursuits of peace ; public works have been ordered to gave them employment, and a sum of $600,000 has been appropriated for their relief. President Asked of Spain an Armistice to Last Until October i. Reply Evasive. " The war in Cuba is of such a nature that, short of subjugation or extermination, a final military victory for either side seems imprac- ticable. The alternative lies in the physical exhaustion of the one or the other party, or perhaps of both, a condition which in effect ended the ten years' war by the truce of San Juan. The prospect of such a protraction and conclusion of the present strife is a contingency hardly to be contemplated with equanimity by the civilized world, and least of all by the United States, affected and concerned as we are, deeply and intimately, by its very existence. Realizing this, it appeared to be my duty in a spirit of true friendliness, no less to Spain than to the Cubans, who have so much to lose by the prolongation of the struggle, to seek to bring about an immediate termination of the war. As a result of much representation and correspondence to this end I submitted on the twenty-seventh ultimo, through the United States Minister at Madrid propositions to the Spanish government looking to an armistice until October i for the AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 43 negotiation of peace with the good offices of the President. In addition I asked the immediate revocation of the order of reconcen- tration so as to permit the people to return to their farms and the SECRETARY LONG IN HIS OFFICE AT THE NAVY DEPARTMENT. needy to be relieved with provisions and supplies, the United States co-operating with the Spanish authorities so as to afford full relief. The reply of the Spanish Cabinet was received on the night of the 44 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. thirty-first ultimo. It offers, as the means to bring about peace in Cuba, to confide the preparation thereof to the insular Parliament, inasmuch as the concurrence of that body would be necessary to reach a final result, it being, however, understood that the powers reserved by the constitution to the central government are not lessened or diminished. " As the Cuban Parliament does not meet until the fourth of May next, the Spanish government would not object, for its part, to accept at once a suspension of hostilities if asked for by the insur- gents from the General-in-Chief, to whom it would pertain, in such case, to determine the duration and conditions of the. armistice. " The propositions submitted by General Woodford' and the reply of the Spanish government were both in the form of brief memoranda, the texts of which are before me and substantially in the language above given. The function of the Cuban Par- liament in the matter of prepar- ing peace and the manner of its doing so are not expressed in the Spanish memorandum, but from General Woodford's explanatory reports of preliminary discussions preceding the final conference it is understood that the Spanish government stands ready to give the insular Congress full powers to settle the terms of peace with the insurgents whether by direct negotiation or indirectly by means of legislation does not appear. " With this last overture in the direction of immediate peace, and its disappointing reception by Spain, the Executive was brought to the end of his effort. " In my Annual Message of December I said : ' Of the untried measures there remain only Recognition of the insurgents as belligerents, recognition of the independence of Cuba, neutral J. ADDISON PORTER, Secretary to the President. AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION, 45 intervention to end the war by imposing a rational compromise between the contestants, and intervention in favor of one or the other party. I speak not of forcible annexation, for that cannot be thought of, which by our code of morality would be criminal aggression.' " Thereupon I reviewed these alternatives, in the light of Presi- dent Grant's measured words, uttered in 1875, when, after seven years of sanguinary, destructive and cruel hostilities in Cuba, he reached the conclusion that the recognition of the independence of Cuba was impracticable and indefensible ; and that the recognition of belliger- ence was not warranted by the facts according to tests of public law. " I commented especially upon the latter aspect of the question, pointing out the inconvenience and positive dangers of a recognition of belligerence, which, while adding to the already onerous burdens of neutrality within our own jurisdiction, could not in any way extend our influence or effective offices in the territory of hostilities. " Nothing has since appeared to change my view in this regard, and I recognize as fully now as then that the issuance of a proclama- tion of neutrality by which process the so-called recognition of bel- ligerency is published, could of itself and unattended by other action accomplish nothing toward the one end for which we labor the instant pacification of Cuba and the cessation of the misery that afflicts the island. History to Give Light on Question of Recognition of Independence of Insurgents. " Turning to the question of recognizing at this time the inde- pendence of the present insurgent government in Cuba, we find safe precedent in our history from an early day. They are well summed up in President Jackson's message to Congress, December 21, 1836, on the subject of recognition of the independence of Texas. He said : ' In all the contests that have arisen out of the revolutions of France, out of the disputes relating to the crowns of Portugal and Spain, out of the separation of the American possessions of both from the European governments and out of the numerous and con- stantly occurring struggles for dominion in Spanish- America, so wisely consistent with our just principles has been the action of our 4 6 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. government that \ve have, under the most critical circumstances avoided all censure, and encountered no other evil than that produced by a transient estrangement of good will in those against whom we have been by force of evidence compelled to decide. " ' It has thus made known to the world that the uniform policy and practice of the United States is to avoid all interference in dis- putes which merely relate to the internal government of other nations, and eventually to recognize the authority of the prevailing party, without reference to our particular interests and views, or to the merits of the original con- troversy. But on this, as on every other trying occasion, safety is to be found in a rigid adherence to principle. In the contest between Spain and the revolted colonies we stood aloof, and waited not only until the ability of the new States to pro- tect themselves was fully estab- lished, but until the danger of their being again subjugated had entirely passed away. Then, and not until then, were they recognized. " ' Such was our course in regard to Mexico herself. It is true that with regard to Texas the civil authority of Mexico has been expelled, its invading army defeated, the chief of the Repub- lic himself captured, and all present power to control the newly organ- ized government of Texas annihilated within its confines; but, on the other hand, there is, in appearance at least, an immense disparity of physical force on the side of Texas. The Mexican Republic under another executive is rallying its forces under a new leader, and men- acing a fresh invasion to recover its lost dominion. Upon this issue of this threatened invasion the independence of Texas may be con- sidered as suspended, and were there nothing peculiar in the relative ASSISTANT SECRETARY O. t,. PKUDEN. AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 47 situation of the United States and Texas, our acknowledgment of its independence in such a crisis could scarcely be regarded as con- sistent with that prudent reserve with which we have hitherto held ourselves bound to treat all similar questions.' Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren Upon the Independence of Texas. " Thereupon Andrew Jackson proceeded to consider the risk that there might be imputed to the United States motives of selfish interest in view of the former claim on our part to the territory of Texas, and the avowed purpose of the Texans in seeking recognition of indepen- dence as an incident to the incorporation of Texas in the Union, concluding thus : ' Prudence, therefore, seems to dictate that we should still stand aloof and maintain our present attitude, if not until Mexico itself, or one of the great foreign powers, shall recognize the independence of the new government, at least until the lapse of time or the course of events shall have proved beyond cavil or dispute the ability of the people of that country to maintain the separate sove- reignty and to uphold the government constituted by them. Neither of the contending parties can justly complain of this course. By pursuing it we are but carrying out the long-established policy of our government, a policy which has secured to us respect and influence abroad and inspired confidence at home.' " These are the words of the resolute and patriotic Jackson. They are evidence that the United States, in addition to the tests imposed by public law as to the condition of the recognition of inde- pendence by a neutral State (to wit : that the revolted State shall 4 constitute in fact a body politic, having a government in substance as well as in name, possessed of the elements of the stability, and form- ing de facto, if left to itself, a State among the nations reasonably capa- ble of discharging the duties of a State '), has imposed for its own gov- ernance, in dealing with cases like these, the further condition that recognition of independent statehood is not due to a revolted depen- dency until the danger of its being again subjugated by the parent State has entirely passed away. This extreme test was, in fact, applied in the case of Texas. The Congress to whom President Jackson referred the question as one ' probably leading to war,' and therefore a proper subject for ' a previous understanding with that 48 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. body by whom war can alone be declared, and by whom all the pro- visions for sustaining its perils must be furnished,' left the matter of the recognition of Texas to the discretion of the Executive, provid- ing merely for the sending of a diplomatic agent when the President should be satisfied that the republic of Texas had become 'an independent State.' " It was so recognized by President Van Buren, who commis- sioned a charge d* 1 affaires on March 7, 1837, after Mexico had abandoned an attempt to reconquer the Texan territory, and there was at the time.no bona fide contest going on between the insurgent province and its former sovereign. Recognition of Cuban Republic Not Necessary to Enable the United States to Pacify the Island. " I said in my message of December last : ' It is to be seriously considered whether the Cuban insurrection possesses beyond dispute the attribute of Statehood, which alone can demand the recognition of belligerency in its favor.' " The same requirement must certainly be no less seriously con- sidered when the graver issue of recognizing independence is in question, for no less positive test can be applied to the greater act than to the lesser, while on the other hand the influences and conse- quences of the struggle upon the internal policy of the recognizing State, which form important factors when the recognition of the belligerency is concerned, are secondary, if not rightly eliminable, factors when the real question is whether the community claiming recognition is or is not independent beyond peradventure. Nor from the standpoint of experience do I think it would be wise or prudent for this government to recognize at the present time the independence of the so-called Cuban Republic. Such recognition is not necessary in order to enable the United States to intervene and pacify the island. " To commit this country now to the recognition of any partic- ular government in Cuba might subject us to embarrassing conditions of international obligation toward the organization so recognized. In case of intervention our conduct would be subject to the approval or disapproval of such government ; we would be required to submit AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 49 to its direction and to assume to it the mere relation of a friendly ally. When it shall appear hereafter that there is within the island a government capable of performing the duties and discharging the functions of a separate nation and having as a matter of fact the proper forms and attributes of nationality, such government can be promptly and easily recognized, and the relations and inter- ests of the United States with such na- tion adjusted. " There remain the alternative forms of intervention to end the war, either as an impartial neu- tral by imposing a rational compromise between the contest- ants or as the active ally of the one party or the other. "As to the first, it is not to be forgot- ten that during the last few months the relation of the United States has virtually AJ.-GEN. F1TZHIGH LEE, Our Consul-General in Cuba at the time of the "Maine " disaster. been one of friendly intervention in many ways, each effort of itself being conclusive, but all tending to the exertion of a potential influence toward an ultimate pacific result just and honorable to all interests concerned. The spirit of all our acts hitherto has been an earnest, unselfish desire for peace and prosperity in Cuba, untarnished by differences between the United States and Spain, and unstained by the blood of American citizens. COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Grounds for Forcible Intervention of the United States as a Neutral to Stop the War. " The forcible intervention of the United States as a neutral to stop the war, according to the large dictates of humanity, and follow- ing many historical precedents where neighboring states have interfered to check the hopeless sacrifice of life by internecine conflicts beyond their borders, is justifiable on rational grounds. It involves, however, hostile constraint upon both the parties to the contract as well to enforce a truce as to guide the eventual settle- \ ment. " The grounds for such intervention may be briefly summarized as follows : " First In the cause of humanity and to put an end to the barbarities, starvation and horrible miseries now existing there, and which the parties to the conflict are either unable or unwilling to stop or mitigate. It is no answer to say this is all in another country, belong- ing to another nation, and is therefore none of our busi- ness. It is specially our duty, for it is right at our door. " Second We owe it to our citizens in Cuba to afford them that protection and indemnity for life and property which no government there can or will afford, and to that end to terminate the conditions that deprive them of legal protection. " Third Right to intervene may be justified by the very serious injury to the commerce, trade and business of our people, and by the wanton destruction of property and devastation of the island. MR. CORTELYOU, Executive Clerk at the White House. AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 51 " Fourth, and which is of the most importance The present condition of affairs in Cuba is a constant menace to our peace, and entails upon this government an enormous expense. With such a conflict waged for years in an island so near us, and with which our people have such trade and business relations, when the lives and liberty of our citizens are in constant danger, and their property and themselves ruined ; when our trading vessels are liable to seizure and are seized at our very door by warships of a foreign nation, the expeditions of filibustering that we are powerless to prevent altogether, and the irritating questions and entanglements thus arising all these and others that I need not mention, with the resulting strained relations, are a constant menace to our peace and compel us to keep on a semi-war with a nation with which we are at peace. Spain Proposed International Arbitration to Ascertain Cause of the Destruction of the "Maine." " These elements of danger and disorder already pointed out have been strikingly illustrated by a tragic event which has deeply and justly moved the American people. I have already transmitted to Congress the report of the Naval Court of Inquiry on the destruc- tion of the battleship " Maine " in the harbor of Havana during the night of the fifteenth of February. The destruction of that noble vessel has filled the national heart with inexpressible horror. Two hun- dred and fifty-eight brave sailors and marines and two officers of our navy, reposing in the fancied security of a friendly harbor, have been hurled to death, grief and want brought to their homes, and sorrow to the nation. " The Naval Court of Inquiry, which it is needless to say, com- mands the unqualified confidence of the government, was unanimous in its conclusion that the destruction of the c Maine ' was caused by an exterior explosion, that of a submarine mine. It did not assume to place responsibility. That remains to be fixed. "In any event, the destruction of the 'Maine,' by whatever exterior cause, is a patent and impressive proof of a state of things in Cuba that is intolerable. That condition is thus shown to be such that the Spanish government cannot assure safety and security to a vessel 52 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. of the American Navy in the harbor of Havana on a mission of peace and rightfully there. " Further referring in this connection to recent diplomatic corre- spondence, a dispatch from our Minister to Spain of the twenty-sixth ultimo contained the statement that the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs assured him positively that Spain will do all that the highest honor and justice require in the matter of the * Maine.' " The reply above referred to on the thirty-first ultimo also con- tained an expression of the readiness of Spain to submit to an arbi- tration all the differences which can arise in this matter, which is subsequently explained by the note of the Spanish Minister at Washington of the tenth instant, as follows : ' As to the question of fact which springs from the diversity of views between the report of the American and Spanish boards, Spain proposes that the fact be ascertained by an impartial investigation by experts, whose decision Spain accepts in advance.' To this I have made no reply. President Grant Upon the Revolt of 1875, and President Cleveland Upon the Present Revolution. " President Grant, in 1875, after discussing the phases of the contest as it then appeared, and its hopeless and apparently indefinite prolongation, said : ' In such event I am of opinion that other nations will be compelled to assume the responsibility which devolves upon them, and to seriously consider the only remaining measure possible mediation and intervention. Owing, perhaps, to the large expanse of water separating the island from the peninsula, the contending parties appear to have within themselves no depository of common confidence to suggest wisdom when passion and excitement have their sway and to assume the part of peacemakers.' " In this view in the earlier days of the contest the good offices of the United States as a mediator were tendered in good faith, without any selfish purpose, in the interests of humanity, and in sincere friendship for both parties, but were at the time declined by Spain, with the declaration nevertheless that at a future time they would be indispensable. No intimation has been received that in the opinion of Spain that time has been reached, and yet the strife continues with all its dread horrors and all its injuries to the interests AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 53 of the United States and of other nations. Each party seems quite capable of working great injury and damage to the other, as to all the relations and interests dependent on the existence of peace in the island, but they seem incapable of reaching any adjustment, and both have thus far failed of achieving any success whereby one party shall possess and control the island to the exclusion of the other. Under the circumstances the agency of others, either by mediation or by intervention, seems to be the only alternative which must, sooner or later, be invoked for the termination of the strife. " In the last annual message of my immediate predecessor during the pending struggle it was said : "'When the inability of Spain to deal successfully with the insurrection has become manifest, and it is demonstrated that her sovereignty is extinct in Cuba for all purposes of its rightful exist- ence, and when a hopeless struggle for its re-establishment has degen- erated into a strife which means nothing more than the useless sacrifice of human life and the utter destruction of the very subject matter of the conflict, a situation will be presented in which our obligations to the sovereignty of Spain will be superseded by higher obligations, which we can hardly hesitate to recognize and discharge.' President McKinSey's Hint of Intervention in His Message Last December. " Iii my Annual Message to Congress December last, speaking to this question, I said : " ' The near future will demonstrate whether the indispensable condition of a righteous peace, just alike to the Cubans and to Spain, as well as equitable to all our interests so intimately involved in the welfare of Cuba, is likely to be attained. If not, the exigency of further and other action by the United States will remain to be taken. When that time comes that action will be determined in the line of indisputable right and duty. It will be faced, without misgiving or hesitancy, in the light of the obligation this government owes to itself, to the people who have confided to it the protection of their interests and honor, and to humanity. Sure of the right, keeping free from all offence ourselves, actuated only by upright and patriotic consideration, moved neither by passion nor selfishness, the govern- ment will continue its watchful care over the rights and property 54 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. of American citizens and will abate none of its efforts to bring about by peaceful agencies a peace which shall be honorable and enduring. If it shall hereafter appear to be a duty imposed by our obligations to ourselves, to civilization and humanity, to intervene with force, it shall be without fault on our part, and only because the necessity for TRANSPORTING FOOD SUPPLIES IN CUBA. In many places, where there are no railroads, this primitive method of transportation is used. such action will be so clear as to command the support and approval of the civilized world.' " The long trial has proved that the object for which Spain has waged the war cannot be attained. The fire of insurrection may flame or may smoulder with varying season, but it has not been, and it is plain that it cannot be, extinguished by present methods. " The only hope of relief and repose from a condition which can no longer be endured is the enforced pacification of Cuba. " In the name of humanity, in the name of civilization, in behalf of endangered American interests which give us the right and the duty to speak and to act, the war in Cuba must stop. AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 55' In Conclusion the President Asks Congress to Empower Him to Secure Termination of Hostilities, and to Use the Army and Navy. " In view of the facts and these considerations I ask Congress to take measures to secure a full and final termination of hostilities between the government of Spain and the people of Cuba, and to secure in the island the establishment of a stable government capable of maintaining order and observing its international obligations, insuring peace and tranquillity and the security of its citizens as well as our own, and to use the military and naval forces of the United States as may be necessary for these purposes. And in the interest of humanity, and to aid in preserving the lives of the starving people of the island, I recommend that the distribution of food and supplies be continued, and that an appropriation be made out of the public treasury to supplement the charity of our citizens. "The issue is now with the Congress. It is a solemn responsi- bility. We have exhausted every effort to relieve the intolerable condition of affairs which is at our doors. Prepared to execute every obligation imposed upon me by the Constitution and the law, I await your action. " Yesterday, and since the preparation of the foregoing message, official information was received by me that the latest decree of the Queen Regent of Spain directs General Blanco, in order to prepare and facilitate peace, to proclaim a suspension of hostilities, the dura- tion and details of which have not yet been communicated to me. " This fact, with every other pertinent consideration, will, I am sure, have your just and careful attention in the solemn deliberations upon which you are about to enter. If this measure attains a suc- cessful result, then our aspirations as a Christian, peace-loving people will be realized. "If it fails it will be only another justification for our contemplated action. "WILLIAM McKINLEY. " EXECUTIVE MANSION, April //, 1898" The President's message was accompanied by the consular cor- respondence. It was prepared in response to a resolution of inquiry adopted by both the House and the Senate. It covers the communi- cations of Consul-General Lee, at Havana ; Consul McGarr, at 56 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Cienfuegos ; Consul Brice, at Matanzas ; Consul Hyatt, at Santiago de Cuba, and Consul Barker, at Sagua La Grande. These consular communications cover near sixty thousand words, and deal largely A SPANISH DOORWAY IN CUBA. Doors and windows are fitted with stout iron bats, both as a means of defence and to secure privacy . with the distress and suffering which exist in all the districts ; but General Lee reports fully upon the decrees of the government in ref- erence to autonomy and other political phases of the situation. General Lee's correspondence runs from November 17, 1897, to April AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 57 i, 1898. He commences with statements showing the futility of all efforts to help the reconcentrados, and then, after intimating that it would be well for several warships to be in the neighborhood of Cuban waters, he dwells upon the anti-autonomy position of Spanish officers, the great misery and death in rural towns, the refined cruelty toward the starving Cubans ; and Consul Barker and the other consuls draw revolting pictures of human destitution and death. To those who desired the country to rush blindly into war, the President's message was a sore disappointment. Belligerent resolu- tions offered both in the Senate and the House, which played effec- tively to the galleries and doubtless impressed deeply many constituents at home, went to appropriate committees never to be heard of again ; and certain newspapers in the land worked themselves into a rage against the calm gentleman in the White House. Amidst these stirring events the Administration was hoping for the best and prepared for the worst. In the Senate the following resolutions were passed after a heated discussion : "Whereas, The abhorrent conditions which have existed for more than three years in the island of Cuba, so near our own borders, have shocked the moral sense of the people of the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian civilization, culminating, as they have, in the destruction of a United States battleship, with 266 of its officers and crew, while on a friendly visit in the harbor of Havana, and cannot longer be endured, as has been set forth by the President of the United States in his message to Congress of April n, 1898, upon which the action of Congress was invited, therefore, "Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled : First That the people of the island of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free and independent, and that the government of the United States hereby recognizes the Republic of Cuba as the true and lawful government of that island. " Second That it is the duty of the United States to demand, and the government of the United States does hereby demand, that the government of Spain at once relinquish its authority and govern- 5 8 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. ment in the island of Cuba and withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters. "Third That the President of the United States be, and hereby is, directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval forces of the United States, and to call into the actual service of the United States the militia of the several States, to such extent as may be necessary to carry these resolutions into effect. " Fourth That the United States hereby disclaims any disposi- tion or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over said island, except for the pacification thereof, and asserts its deter- mination when that is accomplished to leave the government and the control of the island to the people." The differences between the House and Senate bills threatened to cause a deadlock ; but finally a joint resolution was passed, which was substantially the Senate bill with the recognition clause omitted. This was signed promptly by the President, and on April 20, 1898, this government sent an ultimatum to Minister Woodford at Madrid to be presented to the Spanish government, at the same time taking the precaution to present the same communication to the Spanish Minister at Washington. We give the text of the ultimatum and Minister Woodford's dispatch telling of his summary dismissal from Spain : " April 20, 1898. " WOODFORD, Minister, Madrid : " You have been furnished with the text of a joint resolution voted by the Congress of the United States on the nineteenth instant, approved to-day, in relation to the pacification of the island of Cuba. In obedience to that act, the President directs you to immediately communicate to the government of Spain said resolution, with the formal demand of the government of the United States that the government of Spain at once relinquish its authority and government in the island of Cuba and withdraw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters. In taking this step the United States hereby disclaims any disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over said island, except for the pacification thereof, and asserts its determination when that is accomplished to AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 59 leave the government and control of the island to its people, under such free and independent government as they may establish. " If by the hour of noon on Saturday next, the twenty-third day of April, instant, there be not communicated to this government by that of Spain a full and satisfactory response to this demand and resolution, whereby the ends of peace in Cuba shall be assured, the President will proceed without further notice to use the power and authority enjoined and conferred upon him by the said joint resolu- tion to such extent as may be necessary to carry the same into effect. " SHERMAN." Spain's Reply, Minister Woodford's Dismissal. The Department of State sent a copy of this dispatch to Minister Polo Wednesday morning. He replied by asking for his passports. The following message, received in Washington, announced the final severance of diplomatic relations with Spain : " SHERMAN, Washington : " Early this ( Thursday ) morning, immediately after the receipt of your open telegram and before I had communicated same to Spanish government, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs notified me that diplomatic relations are broken between the two countries, and that all official communication between their respective repre- sentatives has ceased. I accordingly asked for safe passports. Turn Legation over to British Embassy and leave for Paris this afternoon. Have notified Consuls. " WOODFORD." But for the precaution of handing to Minister Polo de Barnabe as the official representative of Spain at Washington, a copy of the ultimatum, there would have been no way of notifying Spain officially of the action of this government as our Minister was dismissed before this could be done at Madrid. As this last act of Spain was virtually a declaration of war, the President issued his proclamation declaring a blockade of the ports of the Northern Coast of Cuba, between Car- denas and Bahia Honda, and the port of Cienfuegos on the South Coast ; Congress passed an act empowering the President to call for 60 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. volunteers to serve for two years, if necessary, which act was followed by a proclamation summoning 125,000 men into military service of the government to be apportioned, as far as practicable, among the several states and territories and the District of Columbia, according to population. In view of the measures already taken, and with a view of the adoption of such other measures as may be necessarv to enable him to carry out the expressed will of Congress, on April 25, 1898, the President sent this special message to Congress recom- mending the adoption of a joint resolution declaring that a state of war exists be- tween the United States and the Kingdom of Spain. " The Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America I transmit to the Congress for its consideration and ap- proval copies of correspon- dence recently had with the representatives of Spain in the United States with the United States Minister at Madrid and through the latter with the government A CUBAN OTHER. taken under joint resolution approved Apiil 20, 1898, ' for the recognition of the independence of the people of Cuba demanding that the government of Spain relin- quish its authority and government in the island of Cuba and to with- draw its land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters and directing the President of the United States to use the land and naval forces of the United States to carry these resolutions into effect.' "Upon communicating to the Spanish Minister in Washington the demand which it became the duty of the executive to address to the government of Spain in obedience to said resolution, the Minister AMERICA, CUBA'S CHAMPION. 61 asked for his passports and withdrew. The United States Minister at Madrid was in turn notified by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs that the withdrawal of Spanish representative from United States had terminated diplomatic relations between the two countries and that all official communications between their respective repre- sentatives ceased therewith. " I recommend to your especial attention the note addressed to the United States Minister at Madrid by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs on the twen- ty-first instant, whereby the foregoing notification was conveyed. It will be per- ceived therefrom that the government of Spain, having cognizance of the joint reso- lution of the United States Congress, and in view of the things which the President is thereby required and au- thorized to do, responds by treating the demands of this government as measures . of hostility, following at that instance immediate and com- plete severance of relations by its nation, which, by the usages of nations, accompa- nies an existent state of war between sovereign powers. The po- sition of Spain being thus made known and the demands of the United States being denied with a complete rupture of intercourse by the act of Spain, I am constrained in exercise of the power and authority conferred upon me by the joint resolution aforesaid to proclaim under date of April 22, 1898, a blockade of certain ports of the north coast of Cuba lying between Cardenas and Bahia Honda and of the port of Cienfuegos on the south coast of Cuba ; and, further, in exercise of my constitutional powers and using the authority conferred upon me by the act of Congress approved April SENOR SAGASTA, Premier of bpain. KECRUV S \ \\ \O OlQG HI (,\M ENLISTING RECRUITS FOR THE WAR. (62) ,-/ Scene in City PI all Park, New York. COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. 63 22, 1898, to issue my proclamation dated April 23, 1898, calling for volunteers in order to carry into effect the said resolution of April 20, 1898. " Copies of these proclamations are hereunto appended. " In view of the measures so taken and with view to the adop- tion of such other measures as may be necessary to enable me to carry out the expressed will of the Congress of the United States in the premises, I will recommend to your honorable consideration the adoption of a joint resolution declaring that a state of war exists between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, and I urge speedy action thereon to the end that the definition of the national status of the United States as a belligerent power may be known, and the assertion of all its rights and the maintenance of all its duties in the conduct of a public war may be assured. [Signed] "WILLIAM McKINLEY." " EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, April 25, 1898." Upon the receipt of this message, without delay both houses of Congress passed this declaration of war on the Kingdom of Spain : rt First That war be and the same is hereby declared to exist and that war has existed since twenty-first day of April, A. D. 1898, including same day, between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain. " Second That the President of the United States be, and he hereby is directed and empowered to use the entire land and naval forces of the United States and to call into the actual service of the United States the militia of the several States, to such extent as may be necessary to carry this act into effect." Since the early years of the century America has shown a com- passionate regard for the beautiful but blood-stained island of Cuba ; and now she has become her champion. Trusting in the God of battles, let us go forth in this holy crusade from every part of this liberty-loving land, regardless of creed or color or party, singing the song of freedom : " In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea; As He died to make men holy, Let us die to make men free !" CHAPTER III. The Battle for Humanity. (65) CHAPTER III. THE BATTLE FOR HUMANITY. Incapacity of European journals to appreciate disinterested interference The United States patient and forbearing Offers of purchase Spanish resentment A European indictment of the oppressor A long series of outrages European powers deprecate war Not a war for territory The nuisance of proximity to mediaeval barbarity A vision of Anglo-Saxon comradeship A poet's acclaim. |T is with difficulty that the present position of America is made clear to the conscience of Europe; and consequently European journals with the single exception of the Eng- lish press are savage in their attacks upon us, based upon a total misunderstanding of our attitude and a complete misinterpre- tation of our acts. For many years this country has silently and patiently waited for Spanish barbarities to cease in the fair island of Cuba. Moved by unselfish sympathy America has ever stood ready to lend a helping hand in any generous move to restore order among the Cubans and bring to them liberty and happiness in the place of despotism and inhumanity. In 1848 President Polk went so far as to propose a transference of the island to the United States for the sum of $1,000,000. Ten years later a proposition was made in the senate of the United States to buy the island for $30,000,000. With characteristic magnanimity and conservatism our government has done everything that it could do within the limits of international law, to show that it was not an uninterested spectator of the events that were transpiring among a people living less than one hundred miles from our shores; but without exception, the government at Madrid has repelled all of our good offices as unwarranted interference; and in more than one instance she has been positively insulting. It seemed that America's sympathy for the Cubans merely served to increase the cruelties of Spain against these unfortunate people ; and now, when patience has (67) 68 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. ceased to be a virtue, sympathy must develop into something more substantial. In discussing the terrible ten years' war (1868-78) the Edinburgh Review uses these words : " It is well known that Spain governs the island of Cuba with an iron and blood-stained hand. The former holds the latter deprived of political, civil and religious liberty. Hence the unfortunate Cubans, being illegally prosecuted and sent into exile, or executed by military commissions in time of peace ; hence their being kept from public meeting and forbidden to speak THE LANDING PLACE, SANTIAGO BE CUBA. or write on affairs of state ; hence their remonstrances against the evils that afflict them being looked upon as the proceedings of rebels, from the fact that they are bound to keep silence and obey ; hence the never-ending plague of hungry officials from Spain to devour the product of their industry and labor; hence their exclusion from public stations, and want of opportunity to fit themselves for the art of government ; hence the restrictions to which public instruction with them is subjected in order to keep them so ignorant as not to be able to know and enforce their rights in any shape or form what- ever ; hence the navy and the standing army, which are kept in their THE BATTLE FOR HUMANITY. 69 THE LATE SPANISH PREMIER CANOVAS. country at an enormous expen- diture from their own wealth, to make them bend their knees and submit their necks to the iron yoke that disgraces them ; hence the grinding taxation under which they labor and which would make them all perish in misery but for the marvelous fertility of their soil." At this time if the United States government had sent an ultimatum to Madrid, the world would not have witnessed the horrors of the last three years ; but, according to precedent, she was slow to interfere in the gov- ernment of another sovereign power. The government of the United States determined wisely that war should be the last resort. During the last three years while the Spaniards were engaged in deeds of un- U civilized war- fare, along our shores, that wereumnatch- ed by the at- rocities of the Turks against the A r m e- nians, we gave to the world an illustration of calmness, re- served power and suppress- ed indignation. ' TENTING OUT" IN CUBA. .70 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. that must ever defend us from the charge of precipitate action. The bread-winners were not allowed to pursue their honest labor ; inno- cent women and children were driven from their flaming homes to suffer nameless agony and to die of disease and starvation ; the plow rusted in the furrow ; fertile fields were blackened by the tongue of the torch ; factories were silent ; and despair, darkness and death reigned throughout a land that might be an Eden of beauty were it not for the madness of man. In the words of another : "This government, on the suggestion of the President, took $50,000 out the treasury of the United States and begged permission SUGAR CANE LOADKD FOR MARKET. of Spain for the privilege of feeding the starving on her unhappy island. Popular subscriptions have forwarded food, clothing and medicine to the starving, the sick and the dying. Every effort at pacification, mediation, arbitration, however, made by the President has been construed by Spain to rje an act of cowardly compromise ; every effort at cautious and careful consideration to avoid war on our part has made Spain more cruel to her own people and more insulting to us. Our battleship ' Maine,' when in the harbor of Havana, by right of custom of tendered hospitality, also by treaty contract, and while acting as a messenger of peace, was suddenly exploded by treachery and^sunk as a coffin containing the bodies of 266 of our THE BATTLE FOR HUMANITY. innocent sailors. This happened in the night time, a dark and gloomy night natural and proper time for diabolic deeds. Our men were asleep on the bosom of friendly waters ; they were taken at a cruel disadvantage ; no warning was given them ; no challenge to arise and show their courage. They were not whipped in honorable battle. Nay ; they were choked, burned, strangled and drowned without a chance to die fighting for life, without a moment to say a prayer. In a sec- ond of time they were ushered be- fore the bar of the Almighty to face the issues of eternity. The / world stood aghast with hor- r o r ; the con- science of Chris- tendom cursed the foul and das- tardly crime. The President knew it all, but waited. Like a judge on the bench he waited for a thor- ough and impar- tial investigation of all the facts, hoping against hope that accident and not treachery would account for the colossal ' Maine ' disaster. Diplomacy exhausted its resources ; delay was allowed Spain to have recourse to the ' sober second thought ; ' a seasonable demand was made that she simply evacuate an island which she had lost power to pacify ; all to no purpose. Drunk with debauchery, mad with crime, environed with hate and led along by folly, the effete mon- archy of Spain flung her gauntlet in the face of the mightiest republic the world has ever seen and dared us to arrest her impu- dence, lawlessness, barbarism and inhumanity. War was inevitable and so war is here. So be it." COURT-YARD OF GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S PALACE, HAVANA. 72 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. The joint note of the six powers gave evidence that America's attitude in this Cuban matter was misunderstood, and her determined action was misinterpreted. Six ambassadors and ministers repre- senting the great powers which form the so-called concert of Europe appeared in a body and expressed the hope on the part of their governments that peace might be maintained. The President's reception of these gentlemen has been criticised, but no loyal IN THE COURT- YARD OPPOSITE "LOS FOSSOS," HAVANA. Los Fossos ("the Ditch ") is the public resting-place of the poor and destitute. It has sheltered many thousands of the reconcentrados, and has been a nest of filth, misery and disease. American can find fault with his short but pointed reply to the joint note. The note was as follows : " The undersigned representatives of Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain, Italy and Russia, duly authorized in that behalf, address in the name of their respective governments a pressing THE BATTLE FOR HUMANITY. 73 appeal to the feelings of humanity and moderation of the President and of the American people in their existing differences with Spain. They earnestly hope that further negotiations will lead to an agree- ment which, while securing the maintenance of peace, will afford all A CUBAN BEDROOM. necessary guarantees for the re-establishment of order in Cuba. The powers do not doubt that the humanitarian and disinterested character of this representation, will be fully recognized and appre- ciated by the American nation." The President's reply had been carefully prepared in advance, 74 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. MARINA STREET, SANTIAGO DE CUBA. and was im- mediately submitted, its purport being suffi- ciently indi- cajted by the f o 1 lowi n g sentence : " The gov- ernment of the United States appre- ciates the h u m a n i t a - rian and dis- interested character of the communication now made on behalf of the powers named, and, for its part, is confident that equal appre- ciation will be shown for its own earnest and unselfish endeavors to fulfill a duty to humanity by ending a situation the indefinite prolongation of which has become insufferable." This is not a war for conquest. This is a fact hard for Spain to admit ; for all of her wars, during the ages, have been waged either to defend her own pos- sessions or to secure the ' j possessions of others. For years rich islands in the Pacific have been repeat- edly offered to the United States ; but, as yet, this "Paradise of the Pacific " has not been accepted. If this government had been inspired by the love of conquest, her standing army and navy would be much larger than they WHERE BABES WERE SKELETONS. THE BATTLE FOR HUMANITY. 75 are, and earlier in the century the stars and stripes would have been flying, not only over the West Indies, but over more desirable possessions. And surely this is not a war for military glory. We count it no special honor to silence the guns of a nation that has a genius for murdering women and children, and whose territory and population cannot be compared to ours. And we are waging not a war of revenge or retaliation ; for Spain was given the opportunity of leaving this hemisphere after the " Maine " was destroyed, and before the declaration of war was made at Washington. We have entered upon VILLAGE OF SEIBA DEL MOCHA, NEAR MATANZAS CITY. This Little Village was almost rviped out by the Famine. a war which will entail the expenditure of millions of money and which may cost the sacrifice of many lives, prompted by the highest motives that can burn in the human breast. Our enemy, who is the enemy of every instinct of nobility and humanity, has been tried, convicted and condemned by the code of Christendom ; and by the help of a righteous God we expect to execute the just sentence. This part of the world has no place for mediaeval barbarity ; and having awakened to this conclusion, our army and navy will not rest iintil the shadow and shame of Spain are lifted from American waters. The right of way of civilization condemns her presence on 7 6 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. the track over which it must move in its onward march ; and the country that represents the highest type of civilization on earth is called upon to see that she is moved forcibly, as she will not leave peaceably. America owes a debt to the world ; and it is time she was paying it. Her position among the nations is unique. Here on her shores were planted the seeds of a pure gospel the gospel of light, love and liberty ; here was first broken the chain that bound together Church and State ; here was opened an asylum for the oppressed of earth ; here in clearer and more ' consistent notes than anywhere under the blue vault of the skies is preached the divine doc- trine of the fatherhood cf God and the brotherhood of man ; and from hence must go forth influences which shall be for the abolition of every form of tyranny and the uplifting of the emblems of peace and purity, truth and righteousness. It is to be hoped that this war will bring about a clearer understanding and a more inti- mate union between Great Britain on the other side and Greater Britain on this side of the Atlantic. Why should not the Anglo- Saxon race unite forces? Not for war, but for peace ; not to enslave, but to give freedom ; not to humiliate, but to exalt ; not to destroy,, but to upbuild ; not to create enmity, but to proclaim and illustrate among the nations the Gospel of Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men. GENERAI, MARTINEZ CAMPOS, Former Captain-General of Cuba. THE BATTLE FOR HUMANITY. 77 ANGLO-AMERICAN UNITY. BY ALFRED AUSTIN, POET-LAUREATE. What is the voice I hear On the winds of the Western Sea ? Sentinel, listen from out Cape Clear, And say what the voice may be, 'Tis a proud, free people calling loud to a people proud and free. A PUBLIC SQUARE IN THE SPANISH CAPITAL. "And it says to them, ' Kinsmen, hail ! We severed have been too long ; Now let us have done with a worn-out tale, The tale of an ancient wrong, And our friendship last long as love doth last, and be stronger than death is strong.' " 78 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR. CUBA. Answer them, sons of the self-same race, And blood of the self-same clan, Let us speak with each other, face to face, And answer as man to man, And loyally love and trust each other as none but free men can. Now fling them out to the breeze, Shamrock, thistle and rose, And the Star-Spangled Banner unfurl with these, A message to friends and foes, Wherever the sails of peace are seen and wherever the war wind blows. A message to bond and thrall to wake, For wherever we come, we twain, The throne of the tyrant shall rock and quake And his menace be void and vain, For you are lords of a strong young land, and we are lords of the main. Yes, this is the voice on the bluff March gale, " We severed have been too long ; But now we have done with a worn-out tale, The tale of an ancient wrong, And our friendship last long as love doth last, and be stronger than death is strong." CHAPTER IV. Weyler, Blanco, and the Reconcentrados, The " Maine" Disaster. (79) CHAPTER IV. WEYLER, BLANCO AND THE RECONCENTRADOS AUTONOMY AND THE " MAINE " DISASTER. Attempts to crush the insurrection by brutality Butcher Weyler Personal esti- mate of the man His menacing manifests The infamous concentration order Sugar planters provoked A fence of steel across the island A Policy of extermination Driving in the peasants Direct responsibility for sixty thousand deaths What autonomy meant DeL,ome's insult to the President His recall Destruction of the " Maine " Verdict of the Board ol Inquiry. N 1895, when General Martinez Campos was recalled by the Spanish government and General Valeriano Weyler was appointed as Captain-General of Cuba, the mother country congratulated herself that the insurgent uprising would soon be crushed. The arrival of General Weyler was cele- brated by a brilliant display at Havana. When he stepped from his ship the general was dressed in full uniform, his breast was bedecked with all of his flashing decorations, and while the cannon was booming, the flags were flying, and the bands were playing martial airs, he was escorted between files of soldiers to the palace. One who held a personal conference with this man of unenviable reputation thus describes him : " Weyler is lean, diminutive, shriveled, ambitious for immortality irrespective of its odor, a master of diplomacy, the slave of Spain for the glory of sitting at the right of her throne, unlovable, unloving, exalted. His eyes far apart, bright, alert and striking, took me in at a glance. His face seemed to run to chin, his lower jaw protruding far beyond any ordinary indication of firmness, persistence or will power. His forehead is neither high nor receding, neither is it that of a thoughtful or philosophic man. His ears are set far back, and what is called the region of intellect in which are those mental attri- butes that might be defined as powers of observation, calculation r judgment and execution, is strongly developed." 6 (81) 82 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Soon after reaching Cuba, Weyler struck the keynote of his administration by issuing an order in which occurred the following significant sentences : " I take charge of my duties with the expec- tation ever constant in me of preserving its possession for Spain, determined as she is in this purpose to spare no kind of strenuous exertions, of which she is giving evident proof. I shall not be found wanting in determination and energy, which are my characteristics, Copyrighted 1896, by J. S. Johnston. THE U. S. BATTLESHIP "MAINE," AS SHE APPEARED ON HER VISIT TO HAVANA. to punish with all the severity sanctioned by law those who may- help the enemy in any way, or try to abate the dignity of our national name." As the campaign continued, the published orders sent out from the Spanish headquarters in Havana grew in severity. " All prisoners," it was decreed, " taken by the troops during an engage- ment with the enemy will be submitted to summary proceedings, for which all judicial formalities shall be avoided that are not absolutely indispensable to pass judgment." WEYLER, BLANCO, AND THE RECONCENTRADOS. 83 On February 25, 1896, when the Spanish cause seemed to be in dire straits, Weyler commissioned a committee of military officers to execute a requisition for ten per cent of the number of horses used for running cabs, stages and tram cars. All of the state papers of the general, at this time, show great energy of expression and earnestness of purpose ; but placed side by side, their inconsistency is quite apparent. On one day _ . DIVEKS AT WORK ON THE WRECK OF THE he sounds a paean of victory over ,, MA1NE IN HAVANA HARBOR the enemy ; the next day comes a call for more courage and aggression on the part of the soldiers ; then follows a savage threat against those who are secretly giving the enemy information ; now appears a rally cry, invoking all in the name of the fatherland, to crush out the rebellion that seems to be assuming larger proportions than was anticipated ; and apparently realizing that extreme measures must be taken in every part of the island accessi- ble to his soldiers, the captain-general sent out this extraordi- nary decree: "All rural inhabitants of the Sancti Spiritus district and of the province of Puerto Principe and Santi- ago de Cuba, will make their concentra- tion at the towns having any division, brigade, column or other troops of the army, and then get docu- ments of personal guarantee, within eight days after the present decree has been published at the nearest township." Again: THE MASCOT OF THE "MAINE. COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. FIRST OFFICER WAINWR] THE "MAINE." " Storekeepers established out in the country will empty their shops, and the chiefs of columns will take such steps as may favor the suc- cess of operations in regard to build- ings or other property, which while not being of considerable value, may afford shelter to the rebels in the in- terior of the woods or on the open country." A question of vital in- terest now arose which touched the chief industry of the island. Dur- ing the latter part of February the sugar makers insisted upon Weyler informing them when they could grind cane. The answer to this question would effect not only the prosperity of the island, but the commercial life of Spain, to an important extent. The shipment of one million tons of sugar, the impost duties on which amounted to eighteen million dollars a year, was not an insignificant matter to a kingdom overwhelmed by debt. When Weyler at last positively prom- ised the sugar men that on March fifteenth they could grind cane un- molested by the enemy, this pro- duced much satisfaction ; and from the palace it was announced that within three weeks at least three of the provinces now disturbed by the insurgents would be at peace, and the wheels of industry would be turning without interruption. But the captain-general was over-confi- dent, and the planters were doomed to disappointment. By the middle A JUNIOR OFFICER or THE CAPTAIN SIGSBEE, OE THE "MAINE," ON BOARD OF THE U. S. S. "FERN." This Photograph was taken ivhen the "Fern " was in Key West Harbor. (85) 86 COLUMBIA'S WAR^ FOR CUBA. of March the enemy was stronger than ever ; there was not a district in all the island where " grinding " was regarded safe ; and the promises and plans of the sanguine successor of Campos were, unlike the insurgents, broken and crushed ! As the inroad of the enemy must be stopped, Weyler conceived THK SPANISH WARSHIP "ALFONSO XII." WRECK OF THE " MAINE." the brilliant idea of forming a fence of steel composed of Spanish columns, across the island ; and this was greeted as a fine stroke of military genius. But in the words of Hudibras he " Found in few minutes, to his cost, He did but count without his host." The columns of Spanish soldiers were hardly formed from one side of the island to the other, when the enemy broke out in unex- pected places ; and from Havana could be seen the light of burning WEYLER, BLANCO, AND THE RECONCENTRADOS. 87 tobacco and sugar plantations, which Spanish soldiers had been sent out to protect. Early in the fall of 1896 General Weyler, convinced by this time that he could not easily crush the rebellion of the insurgents, and doubtless fearing that his administration would prove as ineffective as his predecessor's, determined to press heroic measures, which were no less than a process of extermination by starvation. Having the endorsement of the government at Madrid, he published the bando or proclamation under which the various commanders of military districts were instructed to give the country people of the four western provinces of ^^ Pinar del Rio, Havana, Matanzas and Santa Clara, a period of eight days in which to leave their homes and report at certain specified sta- tions of concentration. The execution of this barbarous p r o c 1 a m a- tion was attended by nameless horrors in many instances,as those who carried it in force were the guerillas or irregular troops. The homes of these wretch- S^' MfKTM^^^^^BM'.^^^^^BffiH ed guajiros were burn- ed, their horses and cattle were confiscated ; and farms were devas- tated and everything of any value was taken from them. A month after the publication of this cruel bando, it was estimated that 400,000 of these peasants, including aged and infirm men and women, mothers and children, were "concentrated" at these stations ; military cordons were thrown about them ; and the DON RAMON BLANCO, Captain-General of the Island of Cuba. 8 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. strictest watch was kept over them. Before we consider further the dreadful consequences following this order, let us present its text in full : " I, Don Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, Marquis of Tenerife,. Governor-General, Captain-General, of this Island and Commander- in-Chief of the Army, etc., etc., hereby order and command : " i. That all the inhabitants of the country districts, or those who reside outside the lines of fortifications of the towns, shall within a delay of eight days enter the towns which are occupied by the troops. Any individual found outside the lines in the country at the expiration of this period shall be considered a rebel and shall be dealt with as such. " 2. The transport of food from the towns, and the carrying of food from one place to another, by sea or by land, without the permission of the military authorities of the place of departure, is absolutely forbidden. Those who infringe upon this order will be tried and punished as aiders and abettors of the rebellion. " 3. The owners of cattle must drive their herds to the towns, or to the immediate vicinity of the towns, for which purposes proper escort will be given them. "When the period of eight days which shall be reckoned in each district from the day of the publication of this proclamation in the .- ountry town of the district, shall have expired, all insurgents who may present themselves will be placed under my orders for the purpose of designating a place in which they must reside. The furnishing of news concerning the enemy, which can be availed of with advantage, will serve as a recommendation to them ; also, when the presentation is made with fire-arms in their possession, and when DON VALERIANO WEYLER, Formerly Captain-General of Cuba and the author of the notorious Reconcen- tration edict which resulted in the death by starvation of multitudes of Cuban peasants. WEYLER, BLANCO AND THE RECONCENTRADOS. 89 and more especially when the insurgents present themselves in numbers. "VALERIANO WEYLER. "HABANA, October 21, 1896." One who visited six of these stations declares that in these alone there were sixty thousand homeless and starving wretches, and not less than ten thousand died from disease or starvation during the first two months after the concentration order was put into execution. It is well known that the reason for driving these innocent non- combatants from their quiet country homes and herding them within the lines of fortifications, was to destroy, if possible, all the insur- THE CASTLE, CIENFUEGOS, CUBA. gents' sources of supply and information ; but during the eighteen months since the dastardly decree was put into effect, the enemy has managed to exist, but the poor peasants, driven from their homes and farms and allowed to take nothing with them except what they could carry on their backs, have perished by the hundreds of thousands. The recall of General Weyler and the appointment of General Blanco as Captain-General of Cuba, the more pacific administration of the new ruler of the island, the declaration from Madrid that the Spanish government was willing to grant a generous scheme of autonomy to the Cubans, all combined to quiet the indignation of America against Spain for a while ; but when it was seen that she was acting with her characteristic insincerity, and when it became apparent that what the autonomy offered would not be accepted by the Cubans, who for three years had waged a valiant warfare for 9 o COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. liberty from the Spanish yoke and for national independence, Ameri- can interest in Cuba and the Cubans became more acute than ever. Events occurred to intensify our sympathy for the unfortunate island and to increase our distrust of Spain. Early in February Dupuy de Lome, the Spanish Minister at Washington, wrote a letter to Senor Canalejos, a Spaniard of high rank who had recently been in the United States and subsequently A NEAR-BY VIEW OF THE FROWNING MORRO. in Havana, supposedly making observations for his government, in which he used disparaging and insulting language against the Presi- dent of the United States, and clearly intimated in the letter that the autonomy proposals were not to be considered seriously, but that they were a mere blind for the purpose of gaining more time for military operations by diverting public opinion in the United States. Finding that his falsehood in denying the authorship of the letter was exposed, and knowing that his dismissal or recall from Washington was a foregone conclusion, he telegraphed his resignation, and hurried 92 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. out of the country. This unfortunate episode did not tend to lessen the bitter feeling against Spain. In January, 1898, the Atlantic Squadron sailed to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and there was a rendezvous of the American fleet at the Dry Tortugas. On January 25, by order of the Navy Department, the battle- ship " Maine " left the fleet and proceeded to the harbor of Havana. The Spanish government expressed its entire acquiescence in this act ; and immediately it announced that, as a return courtesy, the Spanish cruiser " Vizcaya " would come to the New York harbor. BOAT LANDING AT HAVANA HARBOR. Just about the time the " Vizcaya " was due to arrive at Sandy Hook, on the night of the fifteenth of February, our battleship " Maine," lying in the harbor of Havana, was destroved by an explosion, and 266 of her men were killed. Because the officers' quarters were toward the stern and the explosion was near the bows, in the quarters of the crew, all the officers on board were rescued except two. A vivid description of the catastrophe was cabled to the New York Sun by a correspondent in Havana who heard the explosion and was by the side of the poor maimed warship when she sank. Following is an extract from his story : WEYLER, BLANCO AND THE RECONCENTRADOS. 93 "As I sat in the park last night about 9.45 p. m., talking to some friends, the skies over the bay were seen to be brightly illuminated for about ten seconds. "Then a most terrific explosion was heard which shook the whole city and threw it into great consternation. Knowing that something unusual had occurred, the reporter took a cab and drove to the wharves from which direction the detonation had come. " On arriving there he noticed that the bay was brightly lit by the flames of a burning ship, which was easily distinguished as the THE CATHEDRA^ AT HAVANA. unfortunate ' Maine ' by its well-known mast. Screams and cries were heard coining from the sinking ship, for she went partially down very soon after the explosion. " Mingling with the echoes of the wails of the wounded and drowning sailors were heard the shouts of ' Viva Espana ! ' ' Mueran los Americanos ! ' ' Manana tendremos buena pesca en la bahia ! ' (' We shall have good fishing in the bay to-morrow ') and such remarks coming from the Spanish rabble, who were congregating in great numbers around the wharves and seemed greatly delighted at the misfortune which had befallen the Americans. 94 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. " It was then that for the first time the suspicion of foul play came to the reporter's mind. " Having induced a boatman to take him to the side of the burning vessel the reporter saw a sight most horrible and not pos- sible to describe. u Near the ship were already two boats of the ' Maine ' with a few officers and men who were rescuing their shipmates. The 'Al- fonso XII.,' not far distant, had also sent some of her boats, which were assisting Some of the sail- ors who were rescued were taken to the 'Alfonso XII.,' others to the ' City of Washington,' some to ' Regla,' the steamship ' Colon,' and to the wharf of the Ma- china. It is marvelous how some of them could swim, as they were nearly all very severely hurt. One man had both legs fractured r another had an ankle shattered,, and nearly all were severely burned. All of them received the best attention wherever they were taken. " The sanitary corps of the Fire Department, as well as of the Spanish marine corps, sta- tioned themselves at the Machina and there gave the first medical attention to the men as they were brought in. After receiving treatment the men were carried in litters or ambulances to the hospital of San Ambrosio or to the 'Alfonso XII.' " The ' Maine ' immediately after the explosion began to burn fiercely. Every few minutes a shell would burst, scattering the burning debris all around. " Notwithstanding the imminent danger of being struck, a boat of the ' Maine ' was constantly encircling the ship looking for any one who might be in the water. A few firemen got on board and GENERAL STEWART I. WOODFORD, Ex-Minister to Madrid. 9 6 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. rescued two sailors. One of the firemen had his clothes and hair burned. "Although over two hundred men were still on board, not a sound of a living being could be detected on the ship. Just then an officer on one of the 'Maine ' boats approached the ship, and with a voice that could be heard far away in the stillness of the night called out : " ' If there is any one living on board, for God's sake say so ! ' GRAN HOTEL INGI.ATERRA. This is the principal hotel in the Cuban Capital City and residence of Consul- General Lee. "All waited for an answer, but none came, save the echo from the shore. Seeing that it was useless to try to save any more near the vessel, which was already the iron coffin of hundreds of men, the reporter departed from the scene and went on board the ' City of Washington,' where Captain Sigsbee was. " The face of the captain showed the mental suffering he was WEYLER, BLANCO AND THE RECONCENTRADOS. 97 undergoing, and although he was burned about the head he never complained. When he was asked about the cause of the explosion he said : " ' I cannot tell you. All was right on board. The men had just retired. The keys of the magazine were all in my room.' A STREET SCENE IN OLD MADRID. u From the 'City of Washington' the reporter went to the Palace, where all the authorities both civil and military had congregated around General Blanco. As the reporter was going up the steps of the Palace he passed a group of officers who were discussing the incident. One of them said : 98 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. " ' I guess this will bring the war that we all wish.' " At the Palace everybody said that the cause of the explosion was the bursting of a torpedo that one of the ' Maine's ' men was cleaning. This was absurd. Everybody knew that no torpedoes are ever cleaned at 10 o'clock at night. " This morning the bay was swarming with little boats searching for the bodies. About ten had been found floating in the water at 9 o'clock. The part of the deck of the ' Maine ' that was still above water was like the crater of a volcano. It was still smoking at 10 o'clock this morning. " The sailors in the hospitals are bearing their sufferings with great courage. Not a complaint is heard. They all talk fight, and they believe that the ' Maine ' was blown up purposely. "At 3 o'clock this afternoon an immense crowd gathered in front of the City Hall. It had been announced that the funeral procession of the victims of the ' Maine ' disaster would start from this place. " The municipal government of Havana occupies only the west side of the big old two-story building called the Palace, which is the traditional residence of the Spanish governors-general of the island. In front is the well-known square called the Plaza de Armas. At the rear of the building is Mercaderes street, and O'Reilly street is on the east side. The entrance to the City Hall is on Obispo street, which is too narrow for so great a number of people as gathered there to-day. " The correspondent visited the hall in which the twenty-two bodies lay in state. So unwonted a spectacle will probably never be seen there again. The bodies of the poor American sailors rested in the Palace of the Spanish government in Cuba. The hall was filled with wreaths and flowers sent by private corporations, banking and mercantile houses, and Cuban and American ladies. There were also wreaths sent by the Spanish army and navy. The public was allowed to pass through the hall and see the bodies of the victims. The utmost order and decorum was observed. " When the correspondent left the City Hall he received informa- tion that eighteen more bodies had been rescued by the divers from the bottom of the bay. A few moments later he learned that fifteen WEYLER, BLANCO AND THE RECONCENTRADOS. 99 more had also been rescued by the same divers. They were all placed in the City Hall with those that were first brought there." This dire disaster coming just after the De Lome affair, the strained situation became more intense than ever between the United States and Spain ; and the slow deliberations of the Court of Inquiry tested the patience of our people not a little. The Naval Board of Inquiry appointed to investigate the cause of the destruction of the THE PALACE OF THE QUEEN REGENT OF SPAIN, NEAR MADRID. "Maine," consisted of Captain Sampson, of the "Iowa," Lieutenant Marix, Commander Potter, of the " New York " and Captain Chadwick of the same vessel. Before the report was sent to Washington, the House of Representatives unanimously voted to place $50,000,000 at the unqualified disposal of President McKinley as an emergency fund for national defence. The continued delay of the Board of Inquiry and the preparations that were being made for any emergency served to confirm the belief that the report would show foul play. On March 28, more than forty days after the destruction of our noble warship and ioo COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. the murder of our brave sailors, the President transmitted to Congress the report of the Naval Board with a brief message, in which he said that he could not permit himself to doubt that " the sense of justice of the Spanish nation would dictate a course of action suggested by honor and the friendly relations of the two governments." The report expressed the opinion that the explosion was caused by a sub- marine mine, and, while it failed to fix the responsibility for the disaster, it clearly pointed to culpable negligence, if not direct com- plicity on the part of Spanish authorities. The Spanish government went through the form of appointing a board to investigate on their part ; but its work was so brief and superficial that it made no impression on intelligent and honest people, and when its conclusions were read, the general impression seemed to be that its finding was prepared in Madrid before a diver saw the wreck. A London dispatch of April 13 said : " Mr. J. P. Gibbins, who claims to have handled the submarine mines which were intended for use in Havana harbor, and whose statements have been denied by the Spanish Ambassador here, says that Spain is denying some things that he never said. He reasserts that about ninety-six mines and fourteen tons of gun cotton were furnished the Spanish government for use at Havana by Latimer, Clark & Co., of London. He, as superintend- ent of the submarine department of the firm, supervised the shipping of the material. Mr. Gibbins again affirms that he is able to prove absolutely that the ' Maine ' was deliberately and wilfully blown up. He says he believes he could fix the act on two men, and even one. General Hyde, the shipbuilder, who has just returned from Cuba, says: "No man can view the remains of the 'Maine' and doubt that it was an external explosion that rent her sides. Neither is there any doubt in my mind that it was the work of Spaniards. We didn't do it. The Cubans didn't do it. They couldn't. They had no chance to put down mines in the harbor. The ' Maine ' was blown up with a Spanish mine and by official act. I do not think that Governor-General Blanco had anything to do with the conspir- acy, but it must have had Spanish officials behind it. Professor R. H. Thurston, of Cornell University, formerly of the navy, has been giving some time since the publication of the ' Maine ' Board of Inquiry report to calling the attention of the readers of foreign and WEYLER, BLANCO AND THE RECONCENTRADOS. 101 technical journals to the conclusion, as he asserts, that it gives 'proof, positive and absolute,' of the facts that the ship was destroyed by an 'exterior explosion,' that it must have been that of a mine, and at the port side of the vessel, near the bow ; that only an exceptionally heavy charge could have performed the destructive work ; that such a mine could only have been set by expert military or naval engineer or ordnance officers. It could, therefore, he says, have been fired only by men officially connected with, but not authorized by, the Spanish government, and thus the case of the United States is made abso- lutely unchallengeable. He asserts that it is a duty on the part of all members of the engineering profession to examine these proofs as presented in that report, and the more so as they, next to naval and military men, will necessarily direct public opinion in relation to the responsibility. " Consul-General Lee appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and expressed himself as very decidedly of the opinion that the ' Maine ' was blown up by a Spanish officer. He said : " ' I have always had an idea about the ' Maine ' that, of course, it was not blown up by any private individual or by any private citi- zen, but it was blown up by some of the officers who had charge of the mines and electrical wires and torpedoes in the arsenal there who thoroughly understood their business, for it was done remarkably well. I do not think General Blanco, the present Captain and Governor-General of the island of Cuba, had anything to do with it. I do not think he had any knowledge of it. I think it came from some of the subaltern officers who had been there under Weyler, and who were probably anti-Bianco anyhow, and who had full knowledge of the business. The man who did that work was an officer thor- oughly acquainted with explosives of all sorts, and who knew all about it. It was verv well done.' " CHAPTER V. Comparison of Military Strength CHAPTER V. SPANISH AND AMERICAN MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. Spain's eight army corps A list of Spanish vessels with their speed and armament Her reliance on her navy Disadvantages of distance from base of supply Coal is king United States ships and their commanders Elements of strength An English estimate Rapid mobilization The response to the President's call American inventive genius in activity Science harnessed for war Electric bombs and flying torpedos Modern advances in speed. I HAT is known as the peace organization of the Spanish army of the peninsula consists of eight army corps. According to the last report, exclusive of 56 line bat- talions, and 10 rifle battalions located in Cuba, there were available for mobilization in the peninsula including the garri- sons of the Balearic and Canary islands, and of North Africa : Infantry 56 second battalions at 1000, 56,000 men ; 56 third battalions at 1000, 56,000 men, and 10 rifle battalions at 1200 12,000 men. Cavalry 28 regiments at 596 horses and 700 men, 19,600 men. Artillery 14 field artillery regiments, each of 8 batteries of 6 guns, with an equal number of artillery and infantry ammunition columns, 25,606 men ; 3 mountain artillery regiments and ammuni- tion columns, 7254 men ; 9 battalions fortress artillery, partly of 6, partly of 4 companies, 8175 men. Engineers 4 sapper and miner regiments at 2000, 8000 men ; i pontoon regiment, 3442 men ; i railway regiment, 1040 men ; i tele- graph battalion, 1271 men ; total, 198,389 men. To these have to be added the administrative and sanitary ser- vices, 4845 men. The cavalry takes the field with 16,708 horses ; the artillery has 816 field guns. The following reserve troops were also available : Infantry 112 reserve battalions (56 regiments of 3 battalions) at 1000 men, 112,000 men. (105) io6 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA Cavalry 14 reserve regiments of 4 squadrons, with 600 horses and 702 men, 9828 men. Artillery 7 field artillery regiments, i for each army corps district, and 136 guns, 14,140. Engineers New formations, 6000 men ; total, 141,968 men. Apart, therefore, from the troops in Cuba, 130,000 men in round numbers, there were in March, 1896, available on mobilization 340,- ooo men, with 25,108 horses (cavalry), and 952 guns. THE PATH ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN. The following is a list of the fifty-eight Spanish vessels of war in Cuban waters in April, 1898, together with their type, displace- ment, speed, armament and date of launch : Alfonso XII., cruiser, 3900 tons, 12 knots, 6 6.3-in. B. L., 3 57inm., 2 42inm., 6 37mm., 4 machine guns, 1887. Reina Mercedes, cruiser, 3090 tons, 15 knots, 6 6.3-in. B. L., 3 57111111., 2 42mm., 6 37inm., 4 machine guns, 1887. MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 107 Marquis de la Ensenada, cruiser, 1064 tons, 14 knots, 4 4.7-111., 2 57ium., 2 37111111., 2 machine guns, 1890. Conde de Venadito, cruiser, 1189 tons, 12 knots, 4 4.7-in. B. L., 2 2.75 in. B. L., 6 37111111., i machine gun, 1888. Infanta Isabel, cruiser, 1196 tons, 14.75 knots, 4 4.7-111. B. L., 4 37mm., 6 machine guns, 1885. Isabel II., cruiser, 1152 tons, 12.8 knots, 4 4.7-111. B. L., 2 2.75 in., i 42inm., 9 37mm., i machine gun, 1886. n Tf . IS'Mi, by J. S. Johnston. U. S. CRUISER " NEW YORK. " Filipinas, torpedo cruiser, 750 tons, 20 knots, 2 4.7-111. R. F., 4 Nord., 9 42111111., 2 machine guns, 1892. Jorge Juan, torpedo cruiser, 935 tons, 13 knots, 3 4-7 in. B. L., 4 ma- chine guns, 1876. Galica, torpedo cruiser, 541 tons, 18.6 knots, 6 57inm., i machine gun, 1891. Marques de Molins, torpedo cruiser, 571 tons, 18.6 knots, 6 57mm., i machine gun, 1891. io8 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Martin Alonzo, torpedo cruiser, 571 tons, 18.6 knots, 2 4.7-111. B. L., 4 57inm., i machine gun, 1891. Vincente Yanez, torpedo cruiser, 571 tons, 18.6 knots, 6 57111111., i machine gun, 1891. Nueva Espana, torpedo cruiser, 630 tons, 18.6 knots, 2 4.7-111. B. L., 4 57mm., i machine gun, 1889. Legaspi, transport, 1249 tons > 9-6 knots, 2 3-5-in. B. L., i machine gun, 1874. Magallanes, gunboat, 527 tons, n knots, 3 4-7-in. B. L., 3 machine guns, 1884. General Concha, gunboat, 548 tons, k j R j ma _ chine guns, 1883. Fernando el Catolico, gunboat, 500 tons, 10 knots, i 5-111. B. L., i machine gun, 1875. Hernan Cortes, gunboat, 300 tons, 12.2 knots, 2 2.9-111.. R. F., 2 37111111. Maxim guns, 1895. Vasco Nunez de Balboa, gunboat, 300 tons, 13.5 knots, 2 2.9-in. R. F., 2 37mm. Maxim guns, 1895. Alsedo, gunboat, 217 tons, 9 knots, i 4.7-111. B. L., i machine gun, 1882. Cuba Espanola, gunboat, 255 tons, 8 knots, i 5-1.111. B. L. i machine gun, 1870. THEO. ROOSEVELT. Organizer of the "Rough Riders." U. S. TORPEDO BOAT "CUSHING." Contramaestre, gunboat, 179 tons, 9 knots, i 5.1-111. B. L., 1869. Diego Velasquez, gunboat, 200 tons, 12.25 knots, 2 57111111., i 17111111., 1895. MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 109 Ponce de Leon, gunboat, 200 tons, 12.5 knots, 2 37111111., i 37111111., 1895. Alvarado, gunboat, 100 tons, 19 knots, i 57111111., i 37inm., 1895. QUARTERDECK OF ' ' BROOKLYN. " Sandoval, gunboat, 100 tons, 19 knots, i 57inm., i 37111111., 1895. Aguila, gunboat, 70 tons, 14 knots, i 37111111., 1892. Estrella, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42111111., 189=;. Fleclia, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42inm., 1895. Ligera, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42111111., 1895. Lince, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42inm., 1895. Satelite, gunboat, 43 tons, 10. 5 knots, i 42mm., 1895. Vigia, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42inm., 1895. Alota, r gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42mm., 1895. COMMANDER CRAIG, U. S. N. no COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Ardilla, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42111111., 1895. Comete, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42inm., 1895. Fradera, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42111111., 1895. Gaviota, gunboat, 43 tons, 10.5 knots, i 42111111., 1895. Golondrina, gunboat, 43 tons, 10 knots, i 42111111., 1895. Ahnendares, gunboat, 40 tons, 10 knots, i 42inm., 1895. Baracoa, gunboat, 40 tons, 10 knots, i 42111111., 1895. Cauto, gunboat, 40 tons, 10 knots, i 42inm., 1895. Guantanamo, gunboat, 40 tons, 10 knots, i 42inm., 1895. Yumuri, gunboat, 40 tons, 10 knots, i 42111111., 1895. Mayari, gunboat, 40 tons, 10 knots, i 42mm., 1895. El Dependiente, gunboat, 40 tons, 10 knots, i 42111111., 1896. Del Gado Parejo, gunboat, 85 tons, 10 knots, i 37mm., 1895. Guardian, gunboat, 65 tons, 10 knots, i 37inm., 1895. Esperanza, gunboat, 22 tons, n knots, i 37mm., 1895. Dardo, gunboat, 26 tons, n] knots, i 37mm., 1895. Centinela, gunboat, 30 tons, 9.5 knots, i 37mm., 1875. Caridad, gunboat, 34 tons, 7 knots, i machine gun, 1881. Lealtad, gunboat, 20 tons, 7 knots, i machine gun 1887. Intrepida, gunboat, 20 tons, 9.7 knots, i machine gun, 1895. Mensajera, gunboat, 20 tons, 10 knots, i 25mm. machine, 1895. REAR ADMIRAL NORTON, U. REAR ADMIRAL SICAKD, U. S. N. MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. in Criollo, surveying vessel, 201 tons, 8 knots, 2 5-in. Parrots, i machine, u. s. CRUISER "RAI.EIGH. " Valiente, gun vessel. Antonio Lopez, gun vessel. U. S. RAM "KATAHDIN." Before the naval combat near Manila, Philippine Islands, the opposing fleets were : ii2 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. United States. Name. Class. Tonnage. Armament. Baltimore .... Cruiser . . . 4,413 4 8-in. and 6 6-in. Olympia (flagship) . Cruiser . . . 5,870 4 8-in. and 10 5-111. Concord .... Gunboat . . . 1,710 6 6-in. Boston Cruiser . . . 3,000 5 6-in. and 2 8-in. Petrel Gunboat . . . 892 4 6 in. Raleigh .... Cruiser . . . 3,213 10 5-in, and i 6-in. Monocacy .... Cruiser . . . 1,370 4 8-in. Hugh McCulloch . Revenue cutter small. Zafiro, auxiliary cruiser. Nanshan, store ship. Spain. Name. Class/ Tonnage. Guns. Reina Cristina Cruiser . . . 3,090 6 6.2 in. Castilla Cruiser . . . 3,342 4 5.9 in. Velasco Cruiser . . . 1,139 4 3-6 i n - Don Juan de Austria . . . Cruiser . . . 1,152 44-7 in- Don Antonio de Ulloa . . . Cruiser . . . 1,152 4 4.7 in. El Cano Gunboat . . . 525 3 4.7 in. General Lezo Gunboat . . . 525 34-7 i 11 - Marqtiez del Dtiero .... Gunboat . . . 500 i 6.2 in. Paragua Gunboat ... 137 Manila Transport. Cebu Transport. Alava Transport. These vessels had from two to five torpedo tubes. Besides these war vessels in the Cuban waters and the fleet near the Philippines, before the contest on May i, Spain has : the Cristobal Colon, the Terror, the Almirante Oquendo, the Maria Theresa, the Furor, the Pluton and the Vizcaya. In order to maintain herself at all, Spain's policy must be one of naval activity ; and as a Spanish officer recently declared that the sea was Spain's friend, and that she would show the United States how the Atlantic would be made to tell in her behalf during the war, evidently she hopes to gain her advantage on the sea. Cuba as a strategic base, is a necessity for Spanish success in American waters ; and with this island an objective, her chances of victory should be MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 113 considered. The insurgents have so successfully turned the advantage of the island to their own end that the army of Spain is fed by bulk imported for that purpose. Bearing directly upon this important question the words of one of our naval offi- cers are very significant : " Modern ships of war are great coal consumers, and their demands in that direc- tion must be met to make the vessels effective. Setting aside the coal already in Cuba and available for the purposes of the Spanish fleet, and leaving out of the question for the present the harassing internal condition of the island, it is necessary to know only that of the coal already in Cuba quite two-thirds of it came from the United States, and also that coal coming from any neutral nation would be contraband, and liable to capture, no matter what the flag under which it claimed protection. "With Cuba under blockade, the next nearest coaling stations belonging to Spain are in the Canary Islands, distant something like 3500 miles; and there is not one of her vessrls able to come from CAPT. BAKER, U. S. N. U. S. BATTLESHIP "OREGON," Which came around the Horn to the Atlantic when the ivar began. there, even at the most economical speed, and still have enough coal left to make her serviceable but for a precious short while. By interna- tional law, a neutral port can give vessels of belligerent nations coal enough only to carry them safely to the next nearest of their national 8 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. PHIUP HIGHBORN, Chief Constructor. ports ; and it is quite needless to remark that Cuban ports, not Span- ish ports, would govern strictly the ships of Spain. In effect, then, assuming the Spanish possession of the island, Spain's ships would have either to depend upon the Canary Islands or upon such doubtful supplies of coal as could be smuggled into the strictly Spanish ports of Cuba. " How are we prepared to intercept her first move, i. e., her rally about Cuba, and then to meet her possible second stroke in the shape of operations against our own seaboard? Everything would depend upon our securing the command of the sea ; and in this case command of the sea would first mean the seizing of the only strategic base near our seacoast open to Spanish occupancy." We give a full list of the vessels of the United States Navy in Commission : North Atlantic Station. Captain William T. Sampson. Asiatic Station. Acting Admiral George Dewey. Pacific Station. Rear Admiral J. N. Miller. Flying Squadron. Commodore W. S. Schley. First^ District Mosquito Fleet. Lieu- tenant Commander H. G. O. Colby. Second District Mosquito Fleet. Lieutenant Commander W. L. Field. Third District Mosquito Fleet. Lieu- tenant Commander C. T. Forse. Fourth District Mosquito Fleet. Lieutenant Commander W. H. REAR ADMIRAL WALKER, U. S. N. Recdcr. Fifth District Mosquito Fleet. Lieutenant Commander C. H. Arnold. Seventh District Mosquito Fleet. Lieutenant Commander A. V. Wadhams. Adams, 6 guns, Commander W. C. Gibson (Training ship). MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 115 Albany, 6 guns (cruiser recently purchased from Brazil). At New- castle, England, fitting out to proceed to the United States. Alert, 4 guns, Commander E. H. C. Leutze (p. s.). At San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Alliance, 7 guns, Commander A. Ross (Training ship). Off Monroe, Va., April 14. Amphitrite, 6 guns, Captain C. J. Barclay (n. a. s.). Gunnery vessel. At Key West, Fla. Annapolis, 6 guns, Commander J. J. Hunker. Baltimore, 10 guns, Captain N. M. Dyer (a. s.). Bancroft, 4 guns, Commander R. Clover (n. a. s.). At Navy Yard, Boston. Bennington, 6 guns, Commander H. E. Nichols (p. s.). Ad- TACK TARS' LEISURE HOUR, u. s. N. dress care Navy Pay Office, San Francisco. At Honolulu. (Flagship.) Boston, 8 guns, Commander B. P. Lamberton (a. s.). Brooklyn, 20 guns, Captain F. A. Cook (flying s.). (Flagship of Commodore W. S. Schley, commanding the Flying Squadron.) Castine, 8 guns, Commander R. M. Berry (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Catskill (monitor), Lieutenant M. E. Hall. Ordered into commission at League Island. Will go to Boston. Cincinnati, u guns, Captain C. M. Chester,- (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Columbia, n guns, Captain J. H. Sands (flying s.). At Hampton Roads, Ya. .^^^H^AJB^, (See Brooklyn). Concord, 6 guns, Commander A. Walker (a. s.). Constellation, Commander John McGowan (Training ship). Newport, R. I. COMMANDER M'CUIAOM, n6 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Gushing (torpedo boat), Lieutenant A. Gleaves (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Detroit, 10 guns, Commander J. H. Dayton (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Dolphin (dispatch boat), 2 guns, Commander H. W. Lyon (n. a. s.). Sailed from New York for Key West, April n. Dupont (torpedo boat), Lieutenant S. S. Wood (n. a. s.). Flag boat of the flotilla. At Key West, Fla. Enterprise, 6 guns, Commander Jos. G. Eaton. (Nau- tical schoolship of Massachusetts.) Ericsson (torpedo boat), Lieutenant N.R. Usher (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Fern (dispatch boat), Lieutenant Com- mander W. S. Cowles (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Franklin, 30 guns, Captain Silas W. Terry (receiving ship). At Navy COMMODORE M'NAiR, u. s. N. Yard, Norfolk, Va. Foote (torpedo boat), Lieutenant Win. L. Rodgers (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Gwin (torpedo boat), Lieutenant C. S. Williams (n. a. s.). At New- port, R. I. Helena, 8 guns, Commander W. T. Swineburne (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Independence (receiving ship), Captain Louis Kempff. At Mare Island, Cal. MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 117 Indiana, 16 guns, Captain H. C. Taylor (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Iowa, 1 8 guns, Captain R. D. Evans (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Jason (monitor), Lieutenant H. F. Fichbohm. At League Island. Katahdin (harbor defence ram), Commander Geo. F. F. Wilde (n. a. s.). Lehigh (monitor), Lieutenant R. G. Peck. Ordered into commission at League Island. Leyden (tug), Acting Boatswain J. W. Angus (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Machias, 8 guns, Commander J. F. Merry (n. a. s.). Sailed from Boston April 7, for Key West, Fla. Mayflower, Commander M. R. S. Mackenzie. At Newport, R. L, April 14, tO BnKDHBBMKs I receive torpe- do outfit. Will return to Key West. Marblehead, 10 guns, Com- mander B. H. McCalla (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Marietta, 6 gUnS, Copyrighted 18117, l>y J. S. Johnston. Coil!- u - s - CRUISER "BROOKLYN." mander F. M. Symonds (p. s.). Left Callao, Peru, April 2, for Valparaiso. Massachusetts, 16 guns, Captain F. J. Higginson (flying s.). Mangrove (tender), Lieutenant Commander W. H. Everett (n. a. s.). Key West, Fla. Miantonomah (monitor), 4 guns, Captain M. L. Johnson. League Island Navy Yard, Pa. (n. a. s.). Will proceed to Key West, Fla. Michigan, 4 guns, Boatswain C. Miller. (Special service.) At Erie, Pa. i8 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Minneapolis, u guns, Captain T. F. Jewell (flying s.). (See Brooklyn.) Mohican, 10 guns, Commander G. M. Book (Training ship). The Mohican sailed from San Francisco for Honolulu March n. Montauk, Commander E. T. Strong. At League Island. Monadnock, 6 guns (monitor), Cap- tain W. H. Whit- ing (p. s.). At Mare Island, Cal. Ordered to Port Angeles, Wash. Monocacy, 6 guns, Comman- der O. W. Far en holt (a. s.). At Woo Sung, China. u. s. CRUISER "BALTIMORE." Monterey, 4 guns (p. s.). At San Francisco, Cal., April 14. Ordered to Puget Sound. Montgomery, 10 guns, Commander G. A. Converse (n. a. s.). At Norfolk, Va. Nahant (monitor), Lieutenant C. S. Richman. At League Island, Pa. Nashville, 8 guns, Commander W. Maynard (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. New Orleans, 6 guns, Captain W. M. Folger. Left Halifax, N. S., April 13, for New York and arrived April 14. Newport, 6 guns, Commander B. F. Tilley (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. New York, 18 guns, Captain F. E. Chadwick (n. a. s.). (Flagship.) At Key West, Fla. Nezinscot (tug), Mate C. H. Cleveland. Sailed April 6 from New York for Key West. Olympia, 14 guns, Captain Charles V. Gridley (a. s.). (Flagship.) MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 119 Oregon, 16 guns, Captain C. E. Clark (n. a. s.). Arrived April 5 at Callao and sailed April 7, after coaling. Pensacola, Captain H. Glass, Mare Island, Cal. Petrel, 4 guns, Commander E. P. Wood (a. s.). Porter (torpedo boat), Lieutenant J. C. Fremont (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Puritan (monitor), 10 guns, Cap- tain P. F. Harrington (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Raleigh, n guns, Captain J. B. Coghlan (a. s.). Address care B. F. Stevens, 4 Trafalgar square, London, England. Richmond (receiving ship), Cap- tain J. J. Read. At League Island. Rodgers (torpedo boat), Lieutenant J. L. Jayne (n. a. s.). more, Md. Will go to Key West. St. Mary's, 8 guns. (Public Marine School of New York.) At New York. Address care Board of Education, New York City. Samoset (tug), Acting Boatswain P. Deery (n. a. s.). Used as a dis- patch boat. At Key West, Fla. San Francisco, 12 guns, Captain R. P. Leary. Arrived off Tomp- kinsville, April 14, with the New Orleans. Saratoga, Lieutenant W. W. Gilmer in temporary command (Penn- sylvania schoolship). At Phila- delphia, Pa. OUR FIRST STARRY FLAG. Somers (torpedo boat), Lieutenant Used by Paul Jones on the "Alliance. ' ' John J. Knapp. At Falmouth, COMMANDER WII.DE, Of the Ram "Katahdin," U. S. N. At Balti- 120 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. England, April 15. Reported damaged by heavy weather. Now en route to United States with Topeka. Stiletto (torpedo boat), Lieutenant H. Hutchins (n. a. s.). At New- port, R. I. Talbot (torpedo boat), Lieutenant W. R. Shoemaker (n. a. s.). At Newport, R. I. THE HOLLAND SUBMARINE TORPEDO BOAT, As she appeared under test in Raritan Bay. Terror, 4 guns (monitor), Captain N. Ludlow (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Texas, 8 guns, Captain J. W. Philip (flying s.). Hampton Roads, Va. (See Brooklyn.) Topeka, Lieutenant J. J. Knapp, armored cruiser, purchased in Eng- land. En route to United States with torpedo boat Somers. At Fal mouth, England, April 15. MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 121 Vermont, i gun, Captain Merrill Miller (receiving ship). At New York Navy Yard. Vesuvius (dynamite gun vessel), Lieutenant-Commander J. E. Pills- bury (n. a. s.). At Newport, R. I., April 14. Vicksburg, 6 guns, Commander A. B. H. Liilie (training ship). Wabash, 20 guns, Captain H. F. Picking (receiving ship). At Boston, Mass. U. S. TRANSPORT STEAMSHIP "FERN." Wheeling, 6 guns, Commander Uriel Sebree (s. s.). At Seattle, Wash., April 2, and was en route to Dyea, Alaska, April 6, from Union, B. C. Winslow (torpedo boat), Lieutenant J. B. Bernadou (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. Wilmington, 8 guns, Commander C. C. Todd (n. a. s.). At Key West, Fla. 122 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. FISH COMMISSION VESSEL. Fish Hawk (R C. vessel), Lieutenant F. Swift, (s. d.) Avoca, N. C. The following is a list of auxiliary vessels comprising yachts, tugs, etc., being made ready for service : Algonquin, Ensign W. S. Crosley. At New York Navy Yard. Alice. At Norfolk, Va. Armeria, Commander R. Rush. VIEW OF THE PORT OF KEY WEST, FI,A. Key West is the southernmost city of the United States, and is at the present time the scene of great naval activity in consequence of the Cuban war. It is the rendez- vous of our Atlantic fleet. Canonicus. At Hampton Roads, Va. Dixie, Commander C. H. Davis. At Newport News, Va. Eagle, Lieutenant William H. H. Southerland. At New York Navy Yard. Hamilton. At Hampton Roads, Va. Hawk, Lieutenant J. Hood. At New York Navy Yard. Hornet, Lieutenant James M. Helm. At New York Navy Yard. MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 123 Hudson. At Norfolk, Va. Irawaddy (collier). At New York Navy Yard. Lebanon, Commander J. G. Eaton. Mahopac. At Fisher's Island, New York. Manhattan. At Fisher's Island, New York. Maple, Lieutenant Commander W. Kellogg. Menemsha. At Norfolk, Va., being refitted as a collier. Merrimac, Commander J. M. Miller. Coal vessel at Newport News, Va. Copyrighted, 1896, by J. S. Johnston. U. S. BATTLESHIP "INDIANA." Niagara, Commander G. A. Bicknell. Water distilling boat. At Navy Yard, New York, preparing for service. Morrill. At Hampton Roads, Va. Osceola, Lieutenant J. L. Ptircell. At Norfolk, Va. Potomac (tug). New Orleans. Prairie, Commander C. T. Train. Expects to sail April 22 for New- port News, Va. Saturn (collier), Commander S. W. Very. At New York Navy Yard. Ready for service. Scorpion, Lieutenant Commander A. Marix. At New York Navy Yard. 124 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Sioux, EnsigirW. R. Gherardi. At Key West, Fla. Address there. Solace, Commander G. C. Reiter (hospital ship). At Norfolk, Va., fitting out. Sterling, Commander R. E. Impey. Coal vessel. Suwanee. Tecumseh, Lieutenant G. R. Evans. At Norfolk, Va., from New York. Uncas, Lieutenant F. R. Brainard. Sailed April 13 from New York Navy Yard for Norfolk, Va. U. S. HATTLESHIP "MASSACHUSETTS." Vixen, Lieutenant A. Sharp. At League Island, Va. Wasp, Lieutenant A. Ward. At New York Navy Yard. Windom. At Hampton Roads, Va. Wompatuck, Lieutenant C. W. Jungen. At New York Navy Yard. Yankee, Commander W. H. Brownson. At New York Navy Yard. Yosemite, Commander W. H. Emory. At Brooklyn, N. Y. Zafiro, supply vessel, Asiatic squadron. MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 125 Setting aside the questions of personnel, speed and coal endur- ance, and considering the total displacement and the total muzzle energy and the total weight of projectiles fired by all of the regular naval vessels on each side during a period of three minutes, the pres- ent available force on each side may be represented as follows : U. S. BATTLESHIP "TEXAS." United States. Tons displacement 154,122 Muzzle energy, foot-tons 6,670,350 Weight of projectiles, in pounds 318,156 Spain. Tons displacement 91,912 Muzzle energy, foot-tons 7,109,863 Weight of projectiles, in pounds 2 54>599 The term " muzzle energy " expresses the impulse or destructive force with which the shell leaves the muzzle of the gun. One who 126 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. has closely studied all the questions involved in our present contest speaks thus significantly : "While our naval supiemacy cannot be questioned, the com- mand of the sea can be maintained only by sufficient support in the way of coast defences ; and, with the single exception of New York harbor, it may be seriously questioned whether any of our fortifica- tions are able to hold an enemy off without the assistance of the navy. With our long line of seaboard reaching from Eastport, Me., U. S. CRUISER " COLUMBIA." all the way down to the Gulf, and around to the border line of Mexico, it is manifestly impossible for the navy to hold its legitimate position at sea and to give that support to our land defences now demanded by their condition. " It is quite possible to so mine the approaches to our cities that they shall be free from the threat of actual presence of the enemy r but the fortifications of many of them are not enough in themselves to prevent hostile ships from lying with comparative security in the MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 127 offing and shelling destructively a number of these towns. The possible bombarding range of even a 9.2 inch gun is quite twelve miles ; and while the large target offered by a city would almost certainly invite attack, the distant mark of a moving craft would prove quite too much for effective fire from any of our land batteries. " It is imperative, then, that we intercept Spain's first coup, and prevent her securing control of Cuba and Costa Rica, and throw her U. S. CRUISER "MINNEAPOLIS." upon the distant resources of Spain and the coaling stations in the Canaries. It would not be necessary for us to undertake an extensive occupation of Cuba. By recognizing the insurgents, we at once become possessed virtually of a native ally, and an acclimatized army of occupation, and be saved to that extent the insalubrious conse- quences upon our own men. " In the matter of personnel, we may reasonably count upon that Anglo-Saxon stability and courage common to us as a people, and too, upon that wider intelligence, adaptability and unity of purpose 128 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. born of free institutions ; while in opposition we should have to face the nervous, excitable character of the Spaniard, hampered by a species of educational indifference and sloth born of long years of national torpor, aristocratic dominance, and a hazy, unreasoning faith in past glory. " In the matter of instruments, our modern navy is older than that of Spain, while in practice our moderate squadron evolutions of U. S. CRUISER "CHARLESTON." recent years place us in advance of the Spaniard, even though we are behind the rest of the principal European navies." In this connection it is interesting to read the opinion of an English admiral on the comparative strength of the Spanish and American navies : " Spain has a few fine warships, but her most formidable naval arm is her torpedo-destroyer flotilla. Those vessels can do immense damage if properly handled. "As for Spain's big ships," the admiral continued, " unless I am greatly mistaken they will prove utterly ineffective, apart from the MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 129 important difficulty of coaling, which is not insurmountable. The Spanish officers are quite inexperienced in big gun practice, and can hit nothing with them unless by a fluke. " I can tell you from personal investigation that Spain has spent no money to speak of in training her officers to use these big guns. She can't afford it. " Why, our navy spends more annually in gun practice than all U. S. CRUISER "CHICAGO." the other^navies in the world together. Still our handling of these weapons leaves, in my opinion, at least much to be desired. " The Spanish sailors are courageous and fine seamen, but these qualities are of little avail if they are mere apprentices at utilizing the weapons in their hands. " I know both the American and the Spanish navies. I have been on most of the ships of both. " I repeat, except for the Spanish torpedo destroyers, the Ameri- can fleet will have no difficulty in asserting its undoubted superiority. 9 I 3 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. " If the torpedo destroyers were eliminated it would be as un- equal a contest as that between China and Japan, where the main reason for the Chinese helplessness was inexperience in using the big guns." Although in time of peace our standing army has been less than 30,000 men, the preparation for the mobilization of more than 100,000 men in a few days along the Atlantic coast, gives an intima- u. s. CRUISER "CINCINNATI." tion of what we can do in this line should events require it. When the President called for 125,000 volunteers, immediately every State in the Union made an enthusiastic response ; and it was officially reported that in ten days one million of men would willingly enlist if the country needed their services. The following is the official apportionment of the various States and Territories on a basis of a call for 50,000 men, the proportions being maintained according to the same ratio in the case of calls for 100,000, 150,000 and 200,000- men : MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 131 Apportionment for Call for 50,000 Men. On National Basis States. Strength. Guard. Population. Alabama 4,500 1,061 1,000 Arkansas 2,400 633 810 California 4,400 !,623 I > 2 95 Colorado 1,800 465 530 Connecticut 3, 800 1,220 643 Delaware 1,000 194 136 Florida 2,200 493 300 Georgia 8,800 r ,973 J, 2 ? Idaho 800 229 93 Illinois 9,200 2,255 3, 2I 9 Indiana 4,100 1,190 i,7 2 i Iowa 4,800 !,O75 i,59 Kansas 2,700 561 1,115 Kentucky 2,600 594 r ,363 Louisiana 3,700 i, 22 9 776 Maine 2,400 656 502 Maryland 3,300 920 777 Massachusetts 8,500 2,290 1,889 Michigan 1,305 x ,748 Minnesota 3,ooo 894 I , I 49 Mississippi 3,300 790 863 Missouri 3,800 1,164 2,164 Montana 1,100 227 209 Nebraska 2 ,5oo 540 965 Nevada 600 162 55 New Hampshire 2,600 703 301 New Jersey 6,200 1,897 I I 8s' New York 17,700 5,705 5,005 North Carolina 2,000 738 I ,34 North Dakota 1,200 238 184 Ohio 9,500 2,644 2 ,899 Oregon 2,300 634 332 Pennsylvania 13,700 4,47 4, 308 Rhode Island 1,900 452 284 South Dakota 1,100 278 740 South Carolina 9,400 1,662 299 Tennessee 2,700 684 1,224 132 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. States. Texas . . . . . . . . Utah . . . . r . . Strength. 5.300 I J.OO On National Guard. 1,244 IQJ. Basis Population. 1,692 Vermont I ^OO 24.4. i/u 2 ^"* Virginia Washington . ..... 5,000 1,700 I,2O5 ^24. 1,115 472 Lord Wolseley, the commander-in-chief of the British forces, expresses himself in these words : " I believe the quality of the u. s. CRUISER "ATLANTA." American army and navy is so much superior to Spain's that the Americans will have no difficulty in defeating Spain's ships and land forces, which are their equals or superiors on paper only." America's inventive genius is showing itself in no more remark- able manner than in the numberless devices for warfare. The five thousand dollar range-finders, thirty-five hundred dollar automobile torpedoes, expensive guns and submarine boats, dirigible electric torpedoes, two million dollar battleships, sixteen-inch guns and MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 133 harbor mines have put fighting upon a scientific footing, and the means and methods of warfare known as late as our Civil War have been radically changed. The canister lights suggested by Mr. Edison would create a revolution in themselves. They can be filled with calcium carbide, with a small quantity of calcium phosphide mixed in, and they can be placed in the water near the patrol boats or fixed half a mile away from a mortar. Acetylene gas conies from these canisters, THE SPANISH BATTLESHIP "VIZCAYA." and this would be ignited continuously by the presence of inflam- mable phosphoretted hydrogen. A large number of cheap lights could thus be placed over a long distance, and as they burn for a long time, they would effectively reveal the approach of hostile torpedo-boats, which are greatly feared. We have recently seen an account of an invention which resembles bottled lightning. The 134 electricity is stored in condensers which are said to hold as much as a thunderbolt, and nothing can stand in the way of its destruc- tive power. As a de- stroying agency this is only matched by a newly patented elec- trical bomb, which, while flying, unrolls and carries along a copper wire connected with a powerful dy- namo, and when the bomb alights it can be exploded by touch- ing a button at the firing station. In the patent office Mr. Seeley has invented an electrical gun which will throw a continuous stream of projectiles containing high explosives over a range of six miles. But none of these will prove more de- structive than Cap- tain Zalinski's device consisting of a flying torpedo fitted with a dry battery, which, when thrown by the side of an enemy's ship, is energized and MILITARY AND NAVAL STRENGTH COMPARED. 13 exploded by the water, and anything in the neighborhood is blown into atoms. Modern warfare has become largely a matter of machinery, and as, in ingenuity and inventiveness, American mechanics, engineers and manufacturers have no equals in Europe, in a comparatively short time the United States might successfully undertake to cope with several of the leading powers of Europe combined. Our dynamite cruiser, the " Vesuvius," in a naval combat would prove more dan- THE SPANISH WARSHIP " REINA MERCEDES." gerous than a half dozen of the greatest battleships of the European navies. With her mediaeval ideas, it is next to impossible for Spain to com- prehend that, as war is waged to-day, a country like America, capable of supplying the world with electrical motors, mining machinery and engines of all kinds, would necessarily be a formidable foe against any or all of the powers. The question of speed is an im- portant one in naval warfare ; and one that is just now attracting much attention. When Nelson pursued the French fleet over seven thousand miles at sea in 1805, his ships averaged only ninety-three miles a day or less than four knots an hour. But steam has changed 136 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. all this ; and over these same waters which the English admiral passed and repassed so impatiently in the first decade of this century, the United States cruiser "Columbia" swept, in the last decade of this century, at a speed of 18.41 knots per hour, or four and three- quarter times faster than the brave sailors who did their deadly work at Trafalgar. With its magnificent equipment of men and machinery, and its power to add largely to both, America will give a good account of herself on land or at sea, whatever foe may face her. CHAPTER VI. Cuba's Heroes, (13?) CHAPTER VI. CUBA'S HEROES. Brave, honest and patriotic men Maximo Gomez A manly proclamation Masterly tactics Antonio Maceo His brother Jose Two daring soldiers A magnanimous proposal Calexto Garcia Nestor Aranguren A Cuban Centurion Brilliant capture of a train President Masso and his cabinet Once a prisoner in Morro Castle Cisneros ex-President His address to the Junta. JITH a little strip of land as a battle field, Cuba has developed during her stormy history, so singularly checkered by glory and gloom, a number of heroes, whose names will live in history ; and at no time have her sons fought more bravely for independence than during these last three years of ceaseless warfare. One of Cuba's greatest captains is Maximo Gomez, who has proven himself to be a genius in military affairs, both in the war of 1868-78, and in the present one. The Spanish accused him of being a traitor and selling out to them when Campos acted as peacemaker at Zanjon ; but his simple life on a little farm in San Domingo, where all the members of his family were obliged to work hard for a livelihood, and the manner in which he again entered into war when his island home needed his services, disprove the slander. A complete vindication of his character is found in a proclamation issued by him in December, 1895, in which he outlined his policy and defended his character. His opening words are these: "When, at seventy-two GENERAL MAXIMO GOMEZ, years of age, I decided to abandon The veteran leader of the Cuban patriots in the field. (139) 1 4 o COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. my large family, in whose company I was living calmly and happily; when,, in a word, I was embarking myself on the coast of San Domingo, to come back to my idolized Cuba, I could not hide the emotions that took posses- sion of me, nor could I make allusions to the magnitude of the colossal enterprise that I was about to undertake. Born, educated, and having spent the greater part of my existence on the field of battle, it was not possible for me to ignore the question as to what kind of an enemy I had to fight in order to fulfill what I had promised on my word of honor, that if I did not die, I would have Cuba as soon as possible among the free nations." In referring to the accusation of the Autonomistic party, that he was merely an adventurer, he wrote : ' ' Ah ! The men who fought Gen. Gomez, T. Estrada Palma, Prest. S. G. Cisueros. for half a score of years to give them a nation, honor and liberty, adventurers ? The one who gained with his own blood the first rank in that army which filled the world with admiration, an adventurer? The one who abandoned his own happy land without accepting the rich booty to which the shameful peace of the Zanjon invited him, an adventurer? The one who could have offered as an excuse for his non-return his many years and the consequent fatigue ; he who abandons everything and flies to occupy the place that his own brothers had reserved for him ? Ah ! he cannot be an adventurer, who, loaded with years and troubles, remembers still as if it were his own, the vow made by Cespedes and Agramonte, twenty-seven years ago, ' to vanquish or to die.' " After speaking of his confidence in the sympathy of those who believe in liberty, and after declaring that his soul grows sad as he thinks of the folly of shame of CUBA'S HEROES. 141 Spain in carrying on a cruel and useless war, he concludes with these eloquent words : ; ' What will be the future of these unhappy people if the Spanish are triumphant ? The rural elements being absolutely destroyed, their cities having been the scene of the most frightful misery ; with the debt of the past war and that of the present, which will amount to as much as $500,000,000 ; having to maintain an army of 50,000 men, in order to annihilate the Cuban race so that thev will not think of A VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR OF MATANZAS. The American Congressmen and Relief Workers are shown waiting in the Governor's Reception Room. repeating the disaster, every one who is able to do so will emigrate before so much misfortune ; and there remains no solution but to turn their eyes toward the revolution, thus after a few years making Cuba, which is a young and rich people, the most enviable country on earth. And we will conquer and be free, cost what it may, or happen what will, and though we have to raise a hospital in each corner and a tomb in each home." In disgust General Weyler said about Gomez : "I have never been able I 4 2 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. to get up with him." This remark was not only an admission of failure on the part of the Spanish general, but it indicates the character of the campaign that the Cuban Commander-in-Chief has been conducting. Occupying the hill-locked valleys and the mountain passes, Gomez and his brave men have been engaged in the only methods of war that was possible for them to wage. The Spanish soldiers have been puzzled over and over again by the masterly circular movements of the Cubans ; and knowing the country so well, they have availed themselves to the fullest extent of the advantages presented by the nature of the ground. In March, 1895, Antonio Maceo and his brother Jose, with Flor Crombet and other comrades, left Costa Rica and, after great difficulty, FONS Y SXKRUNO, Secretary of Treasury. MENDEZ CAPOLE, Vice- President. landed near Baracoa, on the last day of the month. While marching toward the interior of the island, Flor Crombet was killed and others were taken prisoners by detachments of regulars, but the Maceos, with a few men, succeeded in reaching the band of Periquito Perez, about Guantanamo, and then Antonio Maceo took command of the revolution- ary army in the Oriental province. The Maceos are mulattoes, full brothers, and they resemble each other so closely that, were it not for the full beard worn by Jose, it would be hard to distinguish one from the CUBA'S HEROES. 143 other. Antonio is the more distinguished of the two; he is a brilliant cavalry leader, and next to Maximo Gomez he deserves the greatest credit for the successful conduct of the present war. When mounted on his fine horse and having his flashing machete in his uplifted hand, he dashes into battle, his presence is an inspiration to the Cuban soldiers and a terror to the enemy. As a leader of skirmishers, Antonio Maceo was unsurpassed. After every precaution was taken by the Spanish soldiers to prevent the destructive inroads of the insurgents, the Maceos eluded the regular troops repeatedly, and would appear where they I were least expected. While Maceo was a hard fighter, he showed his kindly consideration for the wounded in this letter thai was addressed to General Mar- tinez Campos after a blood\ encounter: " Dear Sir: Anxious to give careful and efficient attendance to the wounded Spanish soldiers that your troops left behind or the battlefield, I have ordered ^ j. A*. u 1 j J ^r. -L. DR - CASTILLO, that they be lodged in the houses Cuban Surgeon ^^ of Cuban families that live nearest to the battle-grounds, until you send for them. With my assurance that the forces you may send to escort them back will not meet any hostile demonstrations from my soldiers. ' ' " I have the honor to be, sir, " Yours respectfully, ' ' ANTONIO MACEO. ' ' When, early after the insurrection broke out in Cuba three years ago, General Calixto Garcia joined the Cuban forces, he was looked upon as an important accession to the patriotic cause. Across his forehead he has a scar that shows experience in hand to hand sabre fighting; and in this, as in previous struggles, he has proven himself to be a soldier of courage and capacity. Nestor Aranguren has been called the Cuban Marion. For months he kept Havana and the Matanzas province in a state of intense excite- ment by his daring raids, and with his little band of one hundred men, 144 COLUMBIA S WAR FOR CUBA. nearly all of whom were members of the best Cuban families and gradu- ates of the University of Havana, he held in check the Spanish forces and gave impetus to the cause of liberty. One of his boldest and most successful adventures was the capture of a train at the entrance to the city of Havana, in January, 1896. All the Cuban passengers were liberated unharmed; ten Spanish officers were bound and carried away by the captors; two Cubans, who were fighting in the Spanish army against their native land, were hung as traitors by Aranguren's orders, and the officers were returned safely to Havana. The reported address of this __^____ dashing young leader to his prisoners is so characteristic that we give a part of it: ''You are our enemies," he continued, ' but I do not con- sider you mortal enemies. You are sent to fight for Spain in Morocco, the Philippines, and in Cuba, and I do not see very well how you could get out of it. ' ' ' Then we saw that we were not to be killed; but among the captured officers were two Cubans Barrios and Betan- court. To the former the chief turned and said : " 'You are a Cuban, and you are murdering your brothers for pay. You will surely die. ' " He turned to Betancourt and said: ' You are a Cuban, too, and you and I were schoolmates. I will not kill you, but I am ashamed to find you here.' "A detachment then filed away from the main body, carrying with them Barrios and the switchman, Misa, against whom the insurgents said they had an old grudge, as he had often informed against them. Barrios heard his sentence bravely and in silence. As he was carried away, Aranguren followed him with a look of withering contempt. " ' That Cuban must die,' he said. ' I must rid my country of such an unnatural son. Thank God there are few such traitors ! but I will not compel you gentlemen to assist at a spectacle which could not but be painful. ' " The hanging took place an hour later in Campo Florido. But the only details we have are the copies of the inscriptions over the bodies of the victims. That over Lieutenant Barrios read: GENERAL ROLOFF. CUBA'S HEROES. ' ' ' Bernardo Barrios, Cubano. Ados como este son sensibles pero necesarios paro cjemplo de tanto traidor.' " Over the head of Misa, the switchman, was written: " ' Muerto par delator.' " We then rode on until eleven o'clock, when we breakfasted. The insurgents' breakfast was not as good as their cigars, but Aranguren had some roast pig, cooked, as he said, laughingly, for his Spanish guests. We then rode on again until about three o'clock, when we were within two leagues of the Spanish lines. " 'Here,' said Aranguren, 'our ways part. If I accompany you farther we will only attract the attention of your sharpshooters, and per- haps your own men will not treat you as well as we have. I shall send, however, a small detachment after you to watch that no harm comes to you from the rear.' ' Masso, the president of what is known as the Republic of Cuba, is a unique personage ; and is hailed by his followers as the Father of his Country. The following are the names of the cabinet of the provisional government of the Cuban Republic : Andres Mareno de la Torre, Secretary of State ; Ernesto Fous, Secretary of the Treasury ; Jose B. Aleman, Secretary of War ; Manuel Ramon Silva, Secretary of the Interior; and Bartolome Masso and Domingo Mendez Capote are the President and the Vice-President. As the President is a character just now of increasing in- terest, we present a pen-picture of him and his heroic career : No potentate or ruler in all the world occupies so peculiar a position as Bartolome Masso. At the age of sixty-three, after a lifetime of bat- tling for the cause of his native country, he has been elected President of the Republic of Cuba and has been hailed as the Father of his Country. Probably there has never been an election held under similar circum- stances. The details are meagre in the extreme. Although the Cuban Assembly convened somewhere in the mountain fastnesses of the RAM6N SILVA, Secretary of Interior. I 4 6 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Camaguey district on September 2, it was not until quite recently that the result of the election was definitely known. The Cuban Junta of New York has been informed at various times that Masso and Mendez Capote had been elected. The reports were conflicting. But now it is known beyond the peradventure of a doubt that in that recent conclave, guarded from the Spanish forces by every precaution known to Cuban warfare, Bartolome Masso became the ruler of a Republic whose government is chaos, whose warrior statesmen are hunted through their own domains like fugitives a republic in name only. In spite of this state of affairs the Cuban sympathizers are rejoicing. In the election of Masso they see a new ray of hope. Throughout his entire life he has been unalterably opposed to any legislation other than that tending toward the absolute independ- ence of Cuba. He is a scholar as well as a soldier and a man who is said to hold honor above all else in life. The Man's Integrity. His integrity has never been questioned. An illustration of this occurred just pre- vious to the outbreaking of the present war, when he discounted all his outstanding I obligations, amounting to many thousands I of dollars. To those of his creditors who TJj would ask him the reason for settling all his debts prematurely he would remark : ' ' Suppose the rumors which are rife that there is to be another revolution in Cuba are well grounded. It is better for me to pay while I have the means than to leave matters to be settled when it may be im- possible for me to do so. " He undoubtedly knew what he was talking about, for as soon as war broke out in order to drive the Spaniards from his property he set fire to his estates. While Masso is not known to favor the political annexation of Cuba to the United States, he has never spoken against it, and is a decidedly stanch supporter of the closest mercantile relations between the two countries. He is credited with holding the views that if Cuban inde- pendence is accomplished American capital and enterprise will make the island of Cuba the richest and most productive country in the world. MORENO LA CORRE, Secretary Foreign Affairs. CUBA'S HEROES. 147 Early Political Writings. Masso was born in Manzanillo, Cuba. Both his father, Bartolome Masso, and his mother, Antonia Marquez, were wealthy persons of high social standing. Masso studied science and letters, and after being graduated from the Havana University, was sent by his father on a tour through Europe. On returning to Cuba he engaged in literary and newspaper work. His political writings at once attracted attention, and made him very unpopular with the Spanish authorities in Cuba. When the ten years' war broke out in Cuba in 1868, Masso, then at Manzanillo, joined the leader of that revolution, Carlos M. de Cespedes, at La Demajagua. Masso, who had made a special study of military affairs, was placed in c'.iarge of the first body of Cuban troops mustered by President Carlos M. de Cespedes, and his command was the first to engage the Spanish troops in a fight at Sabana de San Pedro, three miles from the historical town of Yara. Masso fought through- out the ten years' war and attained the rank of colonel. When in 1878 the Cubans, accepting in good faith the promises of Spain to grant Cuba complete home rule, provided they should sur- render their arms, Masso protested, and was, with General Maceo. one of the last to leave the field. He continued to fight the Spanish troops even after the treaty of Zanjon had been signed. Owing more to the entreaties of his friends than to his faith in the Spanish promises, he finally consented to leave the field. GENEKAL ALEMAN, Secretary of War. Thrown Into Prison. The non-fulfillment by Spain of the preliminary stipulation of the treaty of peace caused another uprising to take place six months after the termination of the ten years' war. Masso, who had been constantly hinting at Spanish bad faith, was thrown into prison at the first signs of 148 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. an uprising. After being kept for some time in close confinement at Morro Castle, Santiago de Cuba, he was deported to Spain by order of General Polavieja. On being released, in 1880, he returned to Cuba and engaged in sugar planting. His thrift and success in business soori enabled him to build up his fortune, which had been nearly ruined by the long war. After seventeen years spent in claiming from Spain the fulfillment of her promises made at Zanjon, whereby the ten years' war was ended, the Cubans resolved to take up arms again, not to compel Spain to keep her word, but in order to sever all connection between Cuba and the mother country. ARMED ESCORT ON A REIJEF TRAIN TO MATANZAS. Masso, who had been the trusted agent of the Cuban Revolutionary Committee during the time Cubans were preparing for the present revolu- tion, was the first man to raise the standard of freedom. On February 24, 1895, at the head of a handful of men, at his estate La Jaquita, near Manzanillo, he proclaimed the independence of Cuba from Spain. The prestige of Masso's name lent great importance to the uprising from the start. The Spanish government sent several delegations to confer with Masso, first to induce him to return to town, afterward, to offer him the greatest assurances that home rule would be granted to Cuba. CUBA'S HEROES. 149 Our sketch of Cuban heroes would be quite imperfect, did we not make mention of Senor Salvador Cisneros, whose loyalty to the cause of Cuba's independence and whose practical common sense, excellent judg- ment and intellectual force have not only won for him the admiration of his followers and others, but whose methods of procedure under most trying circumstances, and whose sincerity of character have added strength to the cause for which he sacrificed so much. We can not better illustrate the spirit of the man, than by giving the proclamation which, as President of Cuba, he sent to the Junta in New York, January, 1896. ' ' Nothing is more difficult at the outset of an enterprise than to maintain it uniformly deserving the world's approval. The people of A GROUP OF STAFF OFFICERS OF THE CUBAN ARMY. Cuba are now face to face with such a difficulty. They were born under the rule of a nation universally regarded as tyrannical and ambitious. They have never learned the lesson of governing themselves. Now, in their struggle for independence, they have not only to n^aintain the stress of warfare, but also to learn how to govern themselves. |j,Being a people of advanced ideas, they naturally desire a democratic government, created of the people, by the people and for the people. The people are the only rulers. Their wishes are above those of the men composing the 150 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. government, and the latter must obey the constitution adopted by the assembly of representatives. "Those who now form the provisional government of the new 7 republic, actuated by true patriotism, accept this obligation. They know that to establish a nation worthy of this age, and w r orthy of the heroic struggle of 1868, the people must be the only sovereign, and that such is the desire of all Cubans. For this reason, the provisional government, obedient to the constitution, and actuated by the exactions of common humanity, is compelled to permit a few exceptions to our last orders, which exceptions we shall now r explain, in order that our countrymen, our enemies and the world at large may know the honesty of our course. ENCAMPMENT OF A REGIMENT OF CUBAN TROOPS. "The revolution, as is the case with all revolutions arising from popular indignation, had at its inception no other rulers than those dictated by the few military chiefs then in arms. A uniform method of procedure was impossible, on account of the different lines of action adopted by each province in rebellion. Among the dispensations of some of these chiefs are the special permissions they gave to a few sugar planters to continue grinding this } r ear. To-day the revolution and its government permits no planters to grind, but they respect the dispensation above referred to in accordance with article 21 of our constitution, which reads: 'All the debts and promises of the military chiefs, from the beginning of CUBA'S HEROES. 151 this war, to the time in which this constitution is adopted, shall be respected as laws by the provisional government. ' "The government obeys the constitution, and this, then, is the only reason why some sugar estates are allowed to work during the present season; the permission is not, as our enemies say, the result of force of arms. The proprietors of these exempted estates have paid war contribu- tions to our military chiefs, and upon no other estates is work possible. In the beginning, when the revolution had no other government than that of the military chiefs, the commander-in-chief prohibited the importation of food by towns occupied by the enemy. Now the provisional govern- ment, considering that families of non-combatants might become the victims of such a measure, has abolished it, and we allow the entrance into Spanish towns of some articles of commerce, upon payment of an import duty. "Another measure adopted at the beginning of the revolution, and now accepted by us, is that permitting the burning of buildings used by the enemy as forts. It is false that we are inspired in this by personal feelings of revenge, as the Spanish government says we are. It is only a war measure. We are uniformly humane. We set Spanish prisoners free, and despite the sanguinary conduct of the enemy towards peaceful people and Cuban prisoners, we shall not retaliate. ' ' Nor do we accept bandits in our ranks. Those bands which were in existence before the revolution began, and came to us volunteering to fight for Cuban liberty, we have accepted, and will permit to remain with us as long as their conduct is honorable. Others who intended to dishonor the name of Cuba's soldiery, were promptly -punished. There are no bandits to-day in the Cuban camps, as there were in Cuba in the days of Spanish rule. "To be known, therefore, to all Cubans, to the enemy, and to the world at large, that a few sugar estates are grinding their crops at present because we respect their contracts with our military chiefs, and because they pay us high taxes. Thus we prove our strength, and if, unhappily, our forces, to-day victorious, should ultimately be vanquished, we shall have the courage to destroy all sugar estates rather than permit the continuance of Spanish tyranny in Cuba. Let Cuba perish if she cannot obtain her independence. ' ' CHAPTER VII. The Cuba Libre Movement, (153) CHAPTER VII. THE CUBA LIBRE MOVEMENT. Justified by the American Declaration of Independence Conditions of righteous insurrection fulfilled Suppression of Cuban representation in the Cortes The captain-general a dictator Petitions presented at Madrid A plan of government and pacification formulated Spain's arrogant answer Cuba saddled with cost of suppressing rebellions Pensions for retired Spanish officials Causes of commercial ruin Present situation in free Cuba. JUR Declaration of Independence declares ' ' that when a long train of abuses and usurpations evinces a design to reduce the people under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government." Exactly these words can be adopted by Cuba in justification of its present course. Where is there a country that has been more cruel and harassing than Spain has been in colonial dealings ; and where is there a colony that has been more patient and long-suffering than Cuba ? Early in this century patriots who had studied the question on the ground, and who, like Presbyter Caballero and Don Francisco Arango, were loyal to Spain, called the attention of the home government to the evils that were being enacted in the Colony and suggested necessary remedies ; but these reports made no impression on a government that was determined to pursue its narrow, selfish policy. In 1837 the small representation of Cuba in the Cortes, at Madrid, was suppressed ; and into the hands of a captain-general, living in Havana, were given the life and property of a peaceful and defenceless people. After seeing her sons exiled, crushed by heavy taxation, denied all the rights of citizen- ship, unlawfully prosecuted and hung on the scaffold because they dared to complain against social, commercial and political wrongs, Cuba in its despair arose in insurrection in 1850, 1851, 1855, 1868, 1879, 1885 and is now, let us hope, engaged in an effort that will result in breaking asunder forever the chains of Spanish thraldom. The world should know that Cuba exhausted all resources to induce Spain to cease her unjust measures before taking up arms. Before the struggle of 1868-78, petitions were addressed to the power at Madrid, asking for redress for wrongs committed by Spanish (155) 156 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. officials at Havana, and a complete plan of government which met all requirements and satisfied the aspirations of the people was presented ; but Spain answered by increasing the severities of her colonial policy. After the terrible ten year war in which Spain lost 200,000 men and spent $700,000,000, instead of learning wisdom by experience, she excluded every native Cuban from office and continued her former barbarous treatment of a people to whom she had promised desired reforms. From a manifesto sent by the Cuban Revolutionary Party to the people of the United States, it is shown that the number of voters were reduced by an electoral law so as always to give a majority to the Spaniards, that a Permanent Commission of Provincial Deputations was fa appointed, composed of those in sym- pathy with the Madrid government, to decide all controversies that might arise as to electors, and thus suppress everything like a popular voice in any of the public affairs, that Cubans were deprived of representation in local cor- porations to which they were entitled and that every avenue through which redress could be obtained has been closed. It is shown that Spain com- mits official spoliation through " its fiscal regime, its commercial regime and its bureaucratic regime. " After the war of 1878, although two- thirds of the island was in ruins, the government at Madrid was bent on making Cuba pay the cost of the war ; and consequently the first budget brought in after that struggle for 1878 to 1879 was $46,594,000, the large part of which was to be borne by the island, crushed by Spanish tyranny. In the words of the manifesto: "As a consequence of such a reckless and senseless financial course, the debt of Cuba has been increased to a fabulous sum. In 1868 we owed $25,000,000. When the present war broke out our debt, it was calculated, reached the net sum of $190,000,000. On the 3ist of July of the current year, the Island of Cuba was reckoned to owe $295,707,264 in bulk. Considering its population, the debt of Cuba exceeds that of all the other American countries, including the United States. The interest on this debt imposes a burden of $9.79 on each inhabitant. The French people, the most overburdened in this respect, owe only $6.30 per inhabitant. THE CUBA LIBRE MOVEMENT. 157 " This enormous debt, contracted and saddled upon the country with- out its knowledge; this heavy load that grinds it and does not permit its people to capitalize their income, to foster its improvements, or even to entertain its industries, constitutes one of the most iniquitous forms of spoliation the island has to bear. In it are included a debt of Spain to the United States; the expenses incurred by Spain when she occupied San Domingo; those for the invasion of Mexico in alliance with France and England; the expenditures for her hostilities against Peru; the money advanced to the Spanish treasury during its recent Carlist wars; and all THE HARBOR OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA. that Spain has spent to uphold its domination in Cuba and to cover the lavish expenditures of its administration since 1868. Not a cent of this enormous sum has been spent in Cuba to advance the work of improve- ment and civilization. It has not contributed to build a single kilometre of highway or of railroad, nor to erect a single lighthouse, or deepen a single port; it has not built one asylum or opened one public school. Such a heavy burden has been left to the future generations, without a single compensation or benefit. " But the naked figures of the Cuban budgets and of the Cuban debt tell very little in regard to their true importance and signification as 158 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. machines to squeeze out the substance of a people's labor. It is necessary to examine closer the details of these accounts and expenditures. "Those of Cuba, according to the last budgets or appropriations, amount to $26,411,314, distributed as follows: General obligations, $12,884,549.55 Department of Justice (courts, etc.), . . 1,006,308.51 Department of War, 5,918,598.16 Department of the Treasury 727,892.45 Department of the Navy, 1,091,969.65 Government, Administration, 4,035,071.43 Interior Improvements (Fomento), .... 746,925.15 "There are in Cuba 1,631,687 inhabitants, according to the last census, that of 1887. That is to say, that this budget burdens them in the proportion of $16.18 for each inhabitant. The Spaniards in Spain pay only 42. 06 pesetas per head. "The cause of the ruin of Ctiba, despite her sugar output of one million tons and her vast tobacco fields, can be easily explained. Cuba does not capitalize, and it does not capitalize because the fiscal regime imposed upon the country does not permit it. The money derived from its large exportations does not return either in the form of importations- of goods or of cash. It remains abroad to pay the interest of its huge debt, to cover the incessant remittances of funds by the Spaniards \vlio hasten to send their earnings out of the country, to pay from our treasury the pensioners who live in Spain, and to meet the drafts forwarded by every mail from Cuba by the Spaniards as a tribute to their political patrons in the Metropolis, and to help their families. " Cuba pays $2,192,795 in pensions to those on the retired list and to superannuated officials not in service. Most of this money is exported. The first chapters of the Cuban budget imply the exportation of over $10,600,000. Cuba pays a subsidy of $471,836.68 to the Transatlantic Company. It would be impossible to calculate the amount of money taken out of Cuba by private individuals ; but this constant exportation of capital signifies that nobody is contented in Cuba and that everybody mistrusts its future. The consequence is that, notwithstanding the apparently favorable commercial balance, exchange is constantly and to a high degree against Cuba. "On the other hand, if Cuba labors and strives to be on the same plane as its most progressive competitors, this is the work of her own people, who do not mind any sacrifices ; but the government cares little (159) i6o COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. or nothing about securing to the country such means of furthering its development as are consigned in the budget under the head of 'Fomento.' "And now, during the present war, Spain finds that, although the appropriations consigned in our budgets since 1878 amount to nearly $500,000,000, not a single military road has been built, no fortifications, no hospitals, and there is no material of war. The State has not provided even for its own defence. In view of this fact, nobody will be surprised to hear that a country 670 kilometres long, with an area of 118,833 square kilometres, has only 246^2 lineal kilometres of high roads, and these almost exclusively in the province of Havana. In that of Santiago de Cuba there are 9 kilometres ; in Puerte Principe and Las Villas not a single one. Cuba has 3506 kilometres of sea shore and fifty- four ports ; only fifteen of these are open to commerce. In the labyrinth of keys, sand-banks and breakers adjacent to our coasts there are only nineteen lighthouses of all classes. Many of our ports, some of the best among them, are filling up. The coasting steamers can hardly pass the bars at the entrance of the ports of Nuevitas, Gibara, Baracoa and Santiago de Cuba. Private parties have sometimes been willing to remedy THE CUBA LIBRE MOVEMENT. 161 these evils ; but then the central administration has interfered, and after years of red tape, things have remained worse than before. In the course of twenty-eight years only 139 kilometres of high-roads have been built, and practically no internal improvements have been made. ' ' According to the Spanish rule of the island, the natives and rightful owners of the land have no voice in their government, the product of their labor is confiscated without any return whatsoever, and the people THE PORT OF BARCELONA, SPAIN. have lived, during all these years, in the agony of despair and under the iron heel of a merciless oppression. Not only in vindication of an eternal principle, but for the continuance of existence, these people appeal to arms. As Americans who prize our blood-bought freedom, and who desire to offer not only a heart of sympathy, but a hand to aid those who are fighting a similar battle, we have taken our stand for Cuba Libre. What is meant by this, expressed by this term, has been pointed out. n COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. The two eastern provinces of Cuba are practically free and are commonly called "Cuba Libre." Spanish garrisons still exist there because they are supported and supplied by forces in other parts of the island. These two provinces, Santiago de Cuba and Puerto Principe, are in area more than half the habitable part of the whole island, and yet have not over a fifth of its population. San- tiago de Cuba had, according to the last census, 272,319 inhabitants, of whom 157,980 were white, and Puerto Principe had only 67,789, of whom 52,232 were white. None of the ports, declared blockaded by the President's proclamation, are in these provinces. Cienfuegos, the only port blockaded on the southern shore of the island, is in Santa Clara province, and is the meeting point of four railways. Excepting Havana, this is the most populous prov- ince, having 354,122 inhabitants, of whom 244,345 are white. The railroad, crossing the island to Sagua la Grande, is of military importance, though Spain would find it of no use if American troops were once firmly lodged on the island west of Santa Clara. This province and Pinar del Rio, at the west end of the island, have been largely held by the insurgents, but not entirely. The westernmost point covered by the blockade, Bahia Honda, is in the province of Pinar del Rio, but near its eastern limit, and the population of that province is 225,291, of which 167,160 are white. There remain the two provinces of Havana and Matanzas, covering in length about 140 miles of the nar- rowest part of the island, but having nearly half the entire population of KING ALFONSO XIII. QUEEN REGENT MARIA CHRISTINA. Cuba. Havana province has 451,928 inhabitants, of whom 344,- 417 are white, and Matanzas 259,570, of whom 143,169 are white, the colored population being greater in the r latter than in any other province. THE CUBA LIBRE MOVEMENT. 163 Cardenas, the most eastern of the northern ports blockaded in Cuba, is about half way between the eastern and western borders of Matanzas, and has been considered an eligible point for the landing of troops, as it is not fortified and is the terminus of two railways. The road thence to Matanzas is not very difficult, judging from military maps, though it runs in part through a somewhat hilly country. Practically the entire hold of Spain in Cuba depends on its strength in the two provinces of Havana and Matanzas, and it probably could not hold the latter a single day if it were not in possession of Havana. But where the island is narrowest, only twenty-eight miles southward from Havana, are found the chief support and strength of Spain, and not unnaturally, since its government has maintained itself for many years by plundering a great portion of the people for the benefit of the small number of Spaniards and other beneficiaries of the government residing in or about Havana. It is in that province, with a quarter of the whole population of Cuba, and more than an eighth of the entire population outside the city, that Spanish authority is strongly supported for obvious interested reasons. Once broken there, that authority would immediately cease to exist anywhere on the island. The inhabitants of Cuba Libre act as citizens of a republic ; they address each other as ciudadano (citizen); the peasants live in their clear- ings on the mountain trails, making their cheese and honey as if war were not in the land; every form of lawlessness among themselves is suppressed; parents are required by law to send their children to school; the tallercs, or government workshops, furnish the army, as far as possible, with cloth- ing and equipments; and now and then, as you pass through the wild mountain forests, you will come across shoe shops, saddle shops, broad- brimmed straw hat tallercs and repair stores. Nearly all of those who do not carry arms are by their labor directly or indirectly aiding the cause of Cuba Libre, so dear to their hearts. CHAPTER VIII. America, Cuba's Good Samaritan CHAPTER VIII. AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. President McKinley's appeal for Cuba's starving people Restrained from hus- bandry by Weyler's decree Consular supervision promised The Christian Herald's fund opened A central Cuban relief committee appointed by the President Early shipments of supplies Regular weekly consignments of food, quinine, etc. Twenty thousand dollars a day needed to sustain life The suffering described by an eye-witness Half a million slain by hunger Admissions of a Spaniard A living baby at its dead mother's breast The busy death-carts An appalling statistical table The Christian Herald's offer to Clara Barton Red Cross nurses for the survivors of the "Maine" The proprietor of the Christian Herald in relief work in Cuba A characteristic incident from the west. jEFORE the opening of the present year President McKinley in a proclamation set before the American people the pitiable condition of the non-combatant population of Cuba. Because of the stringent laws of Weyler's military administration all tillage of the ground was prohibited, sowing and reaping were suspended for several seasons, and consequently thousands of the peasantry were suffering for the necessaries of life. It soon became evident that the people were nearing the shadows of a dreadful famine, and the only hope for them must come from our shores. Regardless of the political questions pending between this country and Spain, Secretary Sherman, Senator Hale and other statesmen gave their earnest support to the President in laying the distressing facts before this country; and the announcement was made that our Consul-General at Havana, assisted by all United States consuls in Cuba, would personally supervise the distribution of all relief funds contributed. From every part of our country there came a hearty response to this call, and within a few weeks thousands of dollars and carloads of provisions were given by a generous people. When the news came across the waters of the suffering in Russia, India and Armenia, the Christian Herald, of New York, acted as a mighty agent in the relief of the distressed, by its own contributions and by opening its columns for contributions; and \vhen it was known that Cuba was in need this journal was foremost in the beneficent work of relief. After (167) 1 68 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. forwarding its own contribution of $1000 to Consul-General Lee, at Havana, a telegram was sent to Hon. John Sherman, Secretary of State, tendering the co-operation of the Christian Herald in any relief work to be done; and soon afterward Assistant Secretary Adee, in behalf of the government, proposed the appointment of an executive committee of relief to consist of three gentlemen, under whose direction the good work should be conducted throughout the country. The committee was as follows: Stephen E. Barton, of the American Red Cross, chairman; Hon. Charles A. Schieren, New York Chamber of Commerce, secretary and treasurer, and Dr. Louis Klopsch, of the Christian Herald. In organizing for its work the committee determined to invite the co-operation of the various chambers of commerce and boards of trade throughout the country; and SUFFERERS AT THE CENTRAL RELIEF STATION, HAVANA. thus, without delay, it prepared itself for practical service. The State Department in Washington issued the following notification: ' ' The Secretary of State has the pleasure to announce to the charita- bly disposed public of the United States that, through the co-operation of the American National Red Cross and the Chamber of Commerce of New York, and in connection with the generous offer of the Christian Herald, heretofore made public, a Central Committee of three has been organized in the city of New York for the reception and forwarding of money and supplies for the relief of the suffering people of the island of Cuba, in whose behalf the Secretary of State appealed to the benevolent people of the United States on the twenty-fourth of December. (i6 9 ) 170 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. " The Central Cuban Relief Committee, as now organized, is com- posed of Mr. Stephen E. Barton, second vice-president of the American National Red Cross; Mr. Charles A. Schieren, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and repre- senting that body, and Mr. Louis Klopsch, the proprietor of the Christian Herald, of New York. ' ' The Cen- tral Cuban Relief Com- mittee will shortly make public appeal for money and supplies to be sent to Cuba for the relief of the destitution and suffering now existing, and which so nearly appeals to ever}' gener- ous sentiment of the Ameri- can people, w ho h a v e never turned a deaf ear to a AMERICAN CONGRESSIONAL VISITORS AT MATANZAS. cry for help from their needy and af- flicted breth- ren in other lands. In the meantime, and with a view to encouraging the promptest aid from ON A PALACE PORCH. The two little sisters lay dying on the stones in jront of the Gov- ernor's Palace, Matanzas City. They lay for twelve hours untended. Diei in hospital. ^ and all quarters, contributions and supplies may be forwarded to New York, addressed to any one of the three members of the committee, with the assurance that they will be duly acknowledged and sent at once to the Consul-General at Havana." AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. The most heartrending reports of distress coming continuall} 7 from the island, arrangements were made for the shipment of provisions by steamer directly from the New York port ; and in this way thousands of tons of provisions were sent to relieve the suffering. At this time the Christian Herald contained this statement : " Our first cargoes of American food, clothing and medicines, which arrived in Havana several days ago, are now being distributed by General Lee and his official corps among the sick, starving and destitute Cuban concentrados. Although the details of this distribution have not yet been received, it is certain that these first evidences of practical sympathy from Christian America will be the means of saving many lives and relieving much suffering. One of the shipments, con- SCENE IN THE REUEF HOSPITAL, HAVAiNA. signed by the Central Relief Committee to General Lee, and sent by the steamship ' Vigilancia ' from New York, consisted of 30,203 pack- ages of various sizes, containing food, clothing and medicines. The food included bread, flour, oatmeal, peas, salt fish, bacon, rice, potatoes and a variety of canned goods. In addition to these, there were sent a large number of packages containing quinine, the whole aggregating 1,000,000 grains the largest shipment of the drug made from any American port since the close of the Civil War. I 7 2 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. "Secretary Sherman has advised sent, and our Government gives us the A NOOK IN THE RELIEF HOSPITAL, HAVANA. ately be used in the purchase of food Spain has consented to allow all sup- plies for the relief work to enter Cuban ports free of duty. Shipments are now being made twice a week by steamer from New York, reaching General Lee's hands four days after sailing. Responses to the widespread appeals are coming in from many quarters, demonstrating that when our generous - hearted people are brought to realize the condition of the men, women and children in Cuba, they will come gladly to their aid. Cablegrams from Havana, giv- ing the substance of dispatches from many points on the island, show no abatement of the suffering." For weeks every steamer leav- ing New York for Havana carried consignments of food, clothing and that not money but supplies be assurance that the real sufferers will receive the full benefit of the contribu- tions, which will be distrib- uted by Amer- icans only. Consequently all the money forwarded to the Christian Herald for this work, on being turned over to the Central Re- lief Committee, will immedi- supplies, clothing and medicines. A FAMINE-STRICKEN FAMILY. AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 173 medicines from the Relief Committee to Consul L,ee. One shipment contained two hundred and fifty barrels of potatoes, forty-six barrels of pilot bread, fifty boxes of codfish, fifty bags of rice, two hundred barrels of cornmeal, five hundred thousand grains of quinine, five cases of hollow-ware, cases of canned goods and drugs; and another shipment contained forty-eight thousand pounds of rice. On the first of February General L,ee received reports from various parts of the island that two hundred thousand persons were starving; and it was estimated that with ten cents for each person, it w r ould take twenty thousand dollars a day to stop the terrible death-rate among these wretched people. RECONCEXTRADOS AWAITING THE DISTRIBUTION OF SUPPLIES. During the month of February the consular reports from Cuba, the letters from visitors to the island, the articles written by correspondents to their American journals and the personal descriptions of those who returned home from the blighted island, increased the sympathy of Americans for the Cubans and elicited their liberal gifts. Among the press correspond- ents in Cuba was Mr. Sylvester Scovel, who at no slight risk of his life personally visited the refuges of the starving people and graphically described the appalling scenes he witnessed. One extract from his corre- spondence must suffice. On January 31, writing from Havana he said: ' ' Over two-thirds of the peaceable people of the island of Cuba have died, or are dying, from hunger. Under present conditions, and within 174 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. four months' time, one million human beings will have starved to death, within a radius of two hundred miles from Key West. Both Spanish press and Spanish officials have admitted that half a million people 500,000 non-combatant men, women and children have perished in Cuba during the last twenty months. " Now there are still three quarters of a million people left alive in Cuba's towns. One-third of these have monev. These need no REFUGEE CUBAN CHILDREN NOW IN THE UNITED STATES. These fortunate little ones are being cared for in Brooklyn, N. Y. assistance. One-third are starving. These can be saved. One-third are even now at the very point of death from famine. These are beyond hope. Such figures dwarf into insignificance the wars, plagues and massacres of modern history. The fact that within less than two years half a million people out of a million and a half have starved to death, and that another quarter million must follow them, is absolutely without a parallel, and it (175) 1 76 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. is hard for American readers, living quietly at home, to realize that within four hours' steaming from our shores, a people has been literally halved by death. ' ' Let me begin the story by pointing you to the Spanish statements, printed under the watchful censorship of a rigid military regime. They are necessarily conservative, and free from all exaggeration. One of the strongest conservative Havana dailies, the El Diario de la Marina, said: ' The scourge of hunger has finished with more than five hundred thousand persons of the fields children and women in the S. S. "STATE OF TEXAS" CARRYING REUEF SUPPIJES. CAPT. F. A. YOUNG. greater part. . . . But in addition to the hunger, sickness is finishing up the reconcentrados. Smallpox, malarial fever, infectious fevers, dys- entery and other enteric diseases, constitute the pathological conditions reigning in our land.' " Senor Canalejas informed the writer that he estimated the number of non-combatants already dead from hunger at half a million. He had just finished a tour of Cuba's cities to report upon their condition to Premier Sagasta. A new minister of Spain, a patriotic journalist and a great lawyer, Canalejas, with his facilities for getting at the truth, deserves great praise for having had the courage to tell it. AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. '77 "The Bishop of Havana, Santander Y. Fritos, has also stated the loss of life shown by his parochial records to be over the figure quoted. ' ' Of the three- ^^ quarters of a million JHfev living persons now in the towns of Cuba, BJI two-thirds have prac- Jjk tically no means of subsistence. The <, other third are fairly able to buy food fof themselves. The al- most absolute cessa- tion of sugar-making and tobacco-raising has brought hitherto rich families to ex- treme poverty. To their credit, be it said, these thousands of of genteel want, have done, and are doing, all A TRAVELING DAIRY. families, even in the tlm they can for ,. their destitute countrymen. But that is I comparatively little. Captain - General Blanco is also using his slender facili- ties to the ut- most in reliev- ing distress. But that is very little also. In a signed inter- view General Blanco recently . , ( -, pect to save three-quarters of the reconcentrados now alive. A DEAD DAUGH OF A pooi country girl Victim of famine in Los Fossos, Havana. Allowing I 7 8 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. for the number existing at that time, the other quarter would amount to about a quarter of a million persons. ' " Havana has fewer reconcen trades, in comparison to its population, than almost any other city or town in Cuba. Yet, within five minutes' walk from the beautiful square are sights to make one weep. In a big, bare house, called ' L,os Fossos, ' there are hourly scenes which beggar description. On the bare floor in a corner lay two women's forms, each with a baby upon its breast. One mother and one baby died while I was there. The dead baby still lay upon its living mother's breast. She did AN INTERIOR IN t,OS FOSSOS. Scores oj the destitute were crowded in just such chambers as this. not know it had died. She was too weak. And the dead mother's bony arms clasped a living baby. Strong men who saw that scene broke down and cried. In the same place I have seen twelve uncoffined bodies lying unregarded on the floor in different parts of the building, surrounded by closely packed women and children, scarcely less motion- less than they. " For over two hundred persons there were seventy-five small biscuits, and for each, once a day, an unsavory panful of codfish, beans, and oil, all cooked together. The sufferers could not eat it. i8o COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. " To the bishop's palace, thousands of babes in their mothers' arms come for succor from the society which the good old man has organized. There are over 5000 children registered, but only three or four hundred can be helped a day. It would break one's heart to see the throngs ot sad women who turn hopelessly away without the bottle of thin milk and the handful of cornmeal which the few secure for their little ones. "The starving babes! And such babies! Tiny skeletons, with the skin stretched tightly over the poor little protruding bones, or hanging in folds over them where the child-flesh has shrunken away. They seem all dead but their eves their big, sad, beseeching eves. There is not a WORKERS AT THE CENTRAL RELIEF STATION, ESTRELLA STREET, HAVANA. man in the United States who could look once into a poor, little, starving reconcentrado baby's eyes without turning away. There are thousands of such babies to be saved. The governor of the province of Pinar del Rio states that there are six thousand orphans there alone. No one asks help for them. Three days ago a sad but not an unusual thing occurred in the United States consulate. A woman entered, asking food. She had two little ones at her skirts and a babe in her arms. The baby died while she stood there. " But the suffering is worse in the smaller towns of Cuba, where the number of destitute country people ' concentrated ' there has quadrupled and quintupled the population. In these places, private charity was AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 181 almost instantly exhausted. Such a town is Madruga. A Spanish corre- spondent writes from there to a Havana paper : ' During the past fort- night there have been in this place 1 1 2 deaths, principally for lack of food. From early dawn one can see nothing else in the streets but women, men and children, pallid and attenuated, imploring public charity; others thrown upon door- steps, where they are col- lected to be hauled to the cemetery. That which hap- pens here is horrible. The pen refuses to describe it, for nothing like it ever hap- pened before, even in the most remote parts of Africa.' "Another characteristic reconcentrado town is Santo Domingo. La Lucha, Ha- vana's principal daily prints: ' 'That which occurs and which has gone on here since April has no precedent in the annals of misery. Hunger in its awful nakedness, want, malaria, and just now, small- pox, are day after day finish- ing with the people of this town, without any one taking a single measure to avert, even in part, the annihilation of Santo Domingo. There have died, out of 6000, more than 4000 persons according to the medical records.' " The spectacle could . . ,. A HAVANA FAMINE VICTIM. not be more heartrending. In the railroad station and in the streets stagger a multitude of suffering reconcentrados, pale, attentuated, shrunken up by fevers, simply awaiting the moment when they shall fall dead in the doorway of some building. It is impossible to form an idea of such misery without actually seeing these horrible sights. In a cart, piled one upon the other, they carry as many 182 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. as fifteen corpses which are dumped into a trench. I went to Santo Domingo. Most of the people had already died and the others were dying. But there are at least a thousand left who can yet be saved. The little towns away from the railroads and cut off by the war from any but spasmodic convoys of supplies are cemeteries." "A small newspaper, La Union of Guines, Havana province, says : " There have been brought here from the district Chascajaba, two hundred and fifty persons, which is the approximate total number of AT THK CLINIC IN THK LKE OkPHANAUK. Swollen famine sufferers being tr-eated by the physician in the examination room. inhabitants of that place. Of these only five are alive at the present moment ! ' " A newspaper of the important town of Trinidad gives the following plain story of misery: In Condado and in Caracusey the people have died from destitution and hunger to such a point that the cemetery of Caracusey will not hold the dead bodies, and in Rio del Rey and Condado for some time they have buried the corpses in the pasture of the plantation of Algaba without even protecting the ground where they dig the burial ditches by so much as a fence to keep the dogs and the pigs from rooting up the bodies. Thousands and thousands of Cubans have thus been buried. Some idea may be gained of the extent of Cuba's hunger plague from the fact that there is hardly a cemetery in the island which has not AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 183 been enlarged, and that even then there is hardly one where the corpses have not come so fast that earlier ones have to be removed before the quicklime has completed its work." Nearly Half a Million Dead of Famine. These statistics of Cuba's hunger plague are furnished by Mr. Sylvester Scovel, now in Cuba, and are drawn from official and other sources. They are entirely reliable: Normal population of Cuba 1,600,000 Cubans living out of Cuba during the war .... 100,000 Cuban insurgents and their families in the field . . 270,000 370,000 Number of concentrados in fortified towns .... 1,230,000 Reconcentrados brought into town (now dead) . . 380,000 Lower classes of townspeople (dead) 100,000 Estimated number dead of starvation 480,000 Alive in the towns of Cuba to-day . 750,000 These figures are wholly outside of losses sustained by the war. As the work of relief continued it was found wise to enlist the active co-operation of the American National Red Cross, more particularly in dealing with thousands of starving and sick Cuban mothers and children. The Christian Herald accordingly communicated with Miss Clara Barton, president of the Red Cross, on this subject; and Miss Barton's acceptance was conveyed through the following communication: "THE CENTRAL CUBAN RELIEF COMMITTEE, "Appointed by the President of the United States and acting under the direction of the Department of State. Headquarters : Temple Court, " NEW YORK CITY, Feb. 4, 1898. " DR. IvOUiS KLOPSCH, Proprietor Christian Herald, New York City. " MY DEAR DR. KLOPSCH: Your noble and esteemed letter of the 3ist ult., addressed to Miss Clara Barton, president of the American National Red Cross, asking if she would proceed immediately to Havana and take up the work of establishing hospitals, particularly for the relief of the starving and sick mothers and children, and pledging the generous support of the Christian Herald, to the extent of $10,000 a month, w r as duly received. I am requested by Miss Barton to ask pardon for the seeming delay in responding to your letter, and explain that she was compelled to defer the acceptance of \ our offer ( which she so earnestly i8 4 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. desired to accept) until she could have an opportunity to confer with the Secretary of State, and through that department, with Consul-General Lee at Havana, in order that she might know that such an under- taking would entirely meet the fullest desires and approval of the gov- ernment. " It was only last night, at a late hour, that she was able to come to a final decision that she would go, and to determine how soon she might be able to take her departure. It is with great pleasure that I am now instructed to say to you, in behalf of the American National Red Cross, that Miss Barton accepts your proposal and has made her preparations for taking the Saturday night train from Washington, D. C., via Tampa, Fla. , which should enable her to arrive in Havana on Tuesdav morning next. A CROWDED CORNER OF LOS FOSSKS, HAVANA. Miss Barton desires me to add that as soon after her arrival in Havana as she can ascertain the precise situation and necessities, and formulate a plan for carrying out your suggestion, she will communicate with 'you fully in the matter. : ' -. 4 " In going to Havana, she carries with her letters of introduction and commendation from the Department of State and the President to Consul- General Lee. She also carries a letter from the Spanish Minister at Washington, expressing the full approval of her mission by the Spanish government. ' ' Very sincerely yours, "STEPHEN E. BARTON, " Second Vice- President American National Red Cross." AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD; SAMARITAN. 185 Miss Clara Barton's Letter. "JACKSONVILLE, Fla., February 6, 1898. " DEAR MR. KLOPSCH: It would, have given me much pleasure to have made an earlier acknowledgment of your magnanimous letter of Jan- uary 31, received by me February 2, had time and opportunity made it possible. As it is, I employ the moments en_, route, w r aiting in a railroad station for that purpose. "Notwithstanding your voluntary guarantee of financial support, greater than any proffer I have ever known, made in aid of any humani- tarian effort, and which must stand before the world as a leading example, MRS. SCOVEL, AN AMERICAN LADY, FEEDING RECONCENTRADOS. and a lasting honor both to yourself and the grand journal you represent, it was still proper from the high nature of the call, that the matter of my action be submitted to the government before giving my final reply. I need not now say to you how the proposition was received, nor that the haste required for my departure left me no spare moment of time until the present. " I can only add that the offer is characteristic of the Christian Herald and its patrons, and my one prayer is that wisdom and ability be granted 1 86 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. me to justify their hopes and sustain the trust so magnificently reposed in me, both by them and by you.. " It will be my purpose to give to the readers of the Christian Herald such information as I am able as to the distribution of their gifts, and the needs of the suffering people whom they are striving, with a charity so truly Christlike, to relieve. "Accept, I pray you, Mr. Klopsch, the high appreciation and regard of " Yours sincerely, " CLARA BARTON, ' 'President American National Red Cross. ' ' The "Christian Herald's" Answer. " NEW YORK, February 8, 1898. "Miss CLARA BARTON, Havana, Cuba. " DEAR Miss BARTON: I was very glad indeed to receive your letter dated at Jacksonville, and to learn from it how fully you appreciated the object of 2 HRH^HB your mission to Cuba. I Ever since I V had received authentic in- formation as to the true status of the people there, I have been greatly trou- bled in heart and soul. The suffering is so intense, and much of it so easily avoidable, that I could hardly wait for your re- ply accepting the call. It seemed to me that the messengers of mercy should be provided with wings, and be swift of flight, in order the more speedily to stay the hand of suffering and of death. " I cannot express to you how relieved and delighted I am that you are now in Cuba, ready to do intelligently, lovingly and prayerfully, all RECONCKNTRADO HOYS IN A HAVANA SUHUKH. AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 187 that you possibty can to quickly and effect! vely relieve the sick, the suf- fering, and the dying. On Friday last, I sent you a brief letter and check for five thousand dollars, which money I place at your disposal to be expended specially for the relief of the sick women and children, DR. JOHN GUITERAS. according to your own best judgment. More money will be sent to you, just as soon as you call for it, and you may confidently expect financial support to the extent of at least Ten Thousand Dollars a month for February, March and April. 188 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. " We would like to have from you a letter twice a week, setting forth the condition and the needs of the people among whom you labor, and we GENERAL NESTOR ARANGUREN. will receive with much gratitude any suggestions which may be apt to prove helpful to us in the larger work of relieving the famine sufferers, in which we are engaged. AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 189 " Now, dear Miss Barton, I pray that you may be divinely protected and guided in this great enterprise, to which you are consecrating your energies, and that success may attend your efforts; that, through your instrumentality, lives may be saved, and suffering alleviated, the hungry fed, and the naked clothed. May you bring light to hearts that are dark, hope to those that are hopeless, jo)^ and happiness where sorrow and 190 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. desolation hold sway, and may it all be done in the name of Him whom we both delight to serve, and may His blessing rest upon you and upon the work in which you are now engaged. " Yours very cordially, " Louis KLOPSCH." The suffering among the Cubans became so widespread that the Spanish government unreservedly threw all the ports of Cuba open to relief contributions; and this significant fact gave a new impetus to America's practical charity for the island. A letter from Consul-General Lee to Dr. Klopsch, showing the great interest taken by both of these gentlemen in the relief fund, we are allowed to present : "CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, "HAVANA, February 9, 1898. " MY DEAR SIR: I am glad to hear that there is such a wide and growing interest in the condition of the destitute on this island, and that you are confident a large sum will be raised for their relief. I do not think it is possible for any one to realize the situation here without being present. "Among other measures of relief I have considered the advisability of renting a large and suitable building for the purpose of founding a destitute orphan asylum, where the little starving children, who have no- fathers and mothers or other relatives to watch over and protect them, can be placed, and where they will be fed and taken care of, and, per- haps, later, given some form of education. " I find that I can rent a most commodious establishment, with a large bath and all conveniences, as well as some ground around it, which the children could use and get their air and exercise. If you could help me to pay said rent for, say, six months, or possibly nine, it would in my opinion be the best assistance that could be rendered. I would, through humane agents, collect these helpless little ones, and have them transferred to said establishment, where they would be in charge of nurses and other suitable attendants. In this shelter I shall place the one hundred children's cots you were good enough to send me, and probably we may want some more, together with the necessary articles of furniture such as chairs, small tables, bedclothes, etc. I think if you will have such articles marked 'Furniture for Hospitals,' I will be able to get them delivered free of duty, as was the case with other supplies. From time to time I shall be most happy to communicate with you and keep you informed of the progress being made in the great work undertaken by the generous and benevolent people of the United States. [Signed] " FITZHUGH LEE, ' ' Consul- General. ' ' AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 19! While Americans were busy giving relief to the people who were the victims of Spanish barbarity, our noble ship " Maine" was blown up in Havana harbor ; and those who had been so carefully attending to the ANTONIO MACHO. wants of starving Cubans were called upon to nurse the wounded and dying citizens of our own loved land. The morning after the terrible disaster Miss Barton wrote the following touching letter : I 9 2 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. " DEAR MR. KLOPSCH: I write to confirm the dispatch just sent, ' Thanks, am with the wounded. ' I want to say more than mere ' thanks ' your thoughtful generosity demands it. " Life has some days hard to live through. This is one of them. It DR. HERMA. is one week to-day since we landed in Havana. We have done a week's work. The first two days (Wednesday and Thursday) were spent in visiting the worst places of destitution, hunger, sickness and misery. The next three (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), among the various places of AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 193 distribution of American food. Crowds of one thousand, fifteen hundred, NARCISO LOPEZ. twenty-five hundred, three thousand. The next two days (Monday and 13 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Tuesday), among the shipments of supplies from the boats, classifying and learning the proportions one may safely draw to feed such crowds. JOSE MARTI. That work brought us to last night. Would one could close the record there, and drop from it the story of that terrible night and this day that follows it. AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 195 " At 9.30 we sat at our desks, when the house shook and doors flew open a terrific burst as of thunder, and blazing balls playing in the heavens, told us that something had happened. Later, we knew that the GENERA^ CALIXTO GARCIA. magnificent battleship, where, at the invitation of its gallant captain, we had lunched only a few hours before, was lying all that was left of her burned to the water's edge, and over two hundred and fifty of our brave fellows a quarter of a regiment la}* mangled, torn and burned, among 1 9 6 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. the wreck. A hundred, perhaps, are still alive, scattered through hospitals and ships as they were picked up. I scarce need tell you of our occupa- tion of to-day. The Spanish hospital, San Jera, has the greater number. GENERAL JULIO SANGUILLI. We got to them early this morning ; they were having every attention from surgeons and nurses. " I thought to take the names as I went to them. The first poor fellow I spoke to, peering through the bandages and cotton on his burned AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 197 head and face, said anxiously, ' Isn't this Miss Barton ?' 'Yes' 'I knew you were here. I thought you would come to us. I am so thank- ful.' So on with the next, and the next, till it was more than I could SENOR JUAN ARNAO. bear. I gave up my little record to some one else, who will send it, and passed on. " CLARA BARTON." Up to the middle of March the readers of the Christian Herald had contributed nearly $60,000 to the Cuban Relief Fund; journals in different 198 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. parts of the United States opened their columns for contributions; the Red Cross and other charitable societies took an increasing activity in the GONZAI.O DE O.UKSADA. good work; churches, missionary societies, Sunday-schools and young peoples' organizations and other religious bodies contributed generously to AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 199 the fund; business firms took generous interest in the movement; and our general government lent the great weight of its influence to swell the GENERAL LACRET. large amount of money'and provisions sent to the overshadowed " Pearl of the Antilles." 200 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. On March 21, Dr. Klopsch, who at his own expense had gone to Cuba to personally assist in the distribution of funds and provisions, sent this cablegram to the Christian Herald: "This is the actual condition of affairs in Cuba at this date: Two GENERAL PEDRO E. BETANCOURT. hundred and five thousand reconcentrados, in over four hundred accessible towns, are helplessly destitute. Unless we can get, regularly and without AMERICA, CUBA'S GOOD SAMARITAN. 201 a break, three hundred tons of cornmeal and fifty tons of lard or bacon every week we can not give effective relief. Spasmodic and unsystematic efforts simply defeat even the best intentions. Canned goods are useless and condensed milk should be substituted. Fifteen thousand dollars weekly will feed every starving man, woman and child in Cuba. Small, irregular consignments of food for relief purposes are only tantalizing and accom- plish but little good. "Louis KLOPSCH." One of the most notable incidents in connection with the relief move- ments is the following, which shows how general throughout the land was the response to the appeals On April 1 1 , Mrs. Thurston , whose for Cuba: John M. home was in Omaha, wrote an appeal to the ' ' Mothers of the Northland " to feed starv- ing Cuba. Three days later Mrs. Thurston died. Three days after the death of Mrs. Thurston the World-Herald suggested that the greatest memorial to Mrs. Thurston would be to make generous answer to her appeal for help for the starving Cubans. It opened a "Cuban Relief Bu- reau ' ' in Omaha and asked for donations. The answer to the appeal was magnificent in volume. A great train of twenty-two cars, each car loaded to its full capacity with high-class provisions, is speed- ing eastward to New York. In twenty days the World- Herald collected over $11,000 in cash and tons of provisions for the Cubans. These donations were made by the people of Nebraska, Western Iowa and South Dakota. The train started at 3.30 o'clock on the after- noon of April 7 , and 'its departure was witnessed by a cheering crowd of FRANCISCO GOMEZ TORO. Son of General Gomez. 202 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. 10,000 people. The Missouri Pacific transported the train to St. L,ouis. The Wabash took it in charge there and delivered it to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western at Buffalo, and the latter road will deliver it to Stephen E. Barton, chairman of the Central Cuban Relief Committee in New York. The transportation is free. A striking feature of this magnificent donation is that the bulk of it came from sections of Nebraska that were, three years ago, the recipients of bounty from generous friends in the East. Thus during these dark days of dire distress, in her tender, sympa- thetic, generous dealings with the children of sorrow in the island so near our shores, did America give to the world a beautiful illustration of the parable of the good Samaritan, that fell from the lips of the Burden-Bearer of humanity. CARLOS GARCIA, JUSTO GARCIA, Sons of General Cali.vto Garcia. CHAPTER IX. America in the Orient, (203) CHAPTER IX. AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. Manila a picturesque city Taxed with no returns Privateering and neutral rights Spain defines contraband ot war President McKinley's Proclamation on same subject What a privateer is The right of search America's marines Commodore Dewey entering the Bay of Manila Daring attack on Spanish ships under the guns of the forts Annihilation of Spain's proud fleet A torrent of iron hail on the forts Splendid marksmanship of the United States gunners Dewey fighting under disadvantages. ANILA is a picturesque city, about the size of San Francisco, and is built on both sides of the Passig River, which is navigable to its source. The old city which was built only on the left side of the river is partly stand- ing ; and some of the stone wall which was built around it over two hundred years ago is still to be seen. The Cathedral, monasteries and the government offices are all in old Manila, while the business quarter, the foreign shipping houses, the banks, stores and custom houses are in Binondo, on the other side of the river. The fashion- able promenade is located between the walls and the shore ; and here, especially during the afternoons, could have been seen hun- dreds of equipages dashing along, and thousands of pedestrians enjoying the invigorating sea-breezes. The Manila houses are of special interest. They are built of stone ; no window glass is used in their construction, and the light is introduced into the rooms, when the doors are closed, by translucent oyster shells, which are cut into squares so small that a window eight feet by four will contain 250 of them. These glazed windows are found to soften the bright light and temper the fierce glare of the sun more effectively than the ordinary glass. Spain has boasted of the fact that the foreign trade of Manila amounted to $35,000,000 a year, comprising an export of over $8,000,000 of hemp, $6,000,000 of sugar, and $2,000,000 of tobacco. But under a more enlightened government the amount of business (205) 206 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. would be greatly increased. On the question of the unjust taxation that is imposed upon the Philippines, we gather the following facts- from Mr. Dana C. Worcester, who is the best authority on the subject : " In some cases the poll tax amounts to $25 a year, and women have to pay it as well as men. The Chinese pay a special tax. There 'are taxes on stores and shops, on weights and measures, on house property, taverns, and the smallest factories. A man must pay a tax for the privilege of killing his own buffalo or pig for meat, or of owning a horse, or of pressing oil out of his cocoanuts. For the collection of these taxes Spanish ingenuity has revived the plan which was in use in France before the fermie s generaux came into-, vogue. For each town or district a tax collector is appointed by the governor of the province. He is called a gobernadorcillo, and he is responsible for the estimated amount which his district should pay in taxes, so that if collections should fall short he must make them good out of his own pocket. He has under him a number of deputy collectors known as cabezas, each of whom collects the taxes of from forty to sixty taxpayers, and is personally responsible for the amount expected from each. If they fail to pay up, he distrains their property and sells it ; if the proceeds of the sale fail to cover the indebtedness, the delinquent debtors are imprisoned or deported. At Siquidor Mr. Worcester saw a melancholy procession of forty-four men who had lost houses, cattle and lands, and who still owed sums ranging from $2.00 to $40.00 ;. they were being sent prisoners to Bohol, and their families were left to shift for themselves. " The natives get little or nothing in return for this frightful burden of taxation. The courts of justice are a farce ; the judge makes no- ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY, " The Hero of Manila." AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. 207 secret of his venality. In a few towns there are a few schools. In the villages and in the country there are none. There are no roads which are passable except at the dry season, and then only by buffalo sheds. In the rainy season intercourse ceases. There are no bridges. Now and then a military bridge is built by an enterprising general. No attempt is made to repair it, and it soon falls into decay. Thus wherever it is possible people travel and send their produce to market by boat. Lots of brigands have been shot or hanged, but U. S. CRUISER " OLYMPIA." Admiral Dewey's Flagship in the Manila Battle. brigandage still flourishes at the Laguna de Bay, close to Manila; and the island of Mindoro, at the mouth of Manila Bay, is a safe refuge for pirates and cut-throats. Natives who travel cannot protect themselves, for no one can have a weapon in his possession without procuring a license, and that is expensive. The weight of taxation is aggravated by the rapacity of the governors. When General Weyler was Governor-General he received a salary of $40,000 a year, 208 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. but it was said that the calls upon his purse for entertainments and charities left him no savings at the end of the year. Nevertheless, at the close of his term he had lying to his credit in the banks of London and Paris a sum which Madrid politicians variously estimated at from $1,000,000 to $4,000,000. How he managed to accumulate so large a fortune may be inferred from an anecdote which was current talk at Manila. He was succeeded by General Desptiyol, who, strange to say, was an honest man. He had no sooner taken Ijis seat in the gubernatorial office than he was visited by one of the richest Chinese merchants at Manila. Behind the Chinese came servants bearing bags which contained $10,000 in silver coins. This trifle the merchant begged the new Governor to accept as a slight token of his consideration. He was mightily astonished when the new official promptly knocked him down." Privateering and Neutral Rights. As we have entered upon a war which will, doubtless, be largely a naval duel, national and international interest is directed especially to the question of privateering and neutral rights. On April 24, Spain made certain " absolute reserves " in a decree which she promulgated. It reads thus :" " We have observed with the strictest fidelity the principles of i international law and have shown the most scrupulous respect for morality and the right of government. The government is of the opinion that the fact of not having adhered to the Declaration of Paris does not exempt us from the duty of respecting the principles therein enunciated. The principle Spain unquestionably refused to admit then was the abolition of privateering. The government now considers it most indispensable to make absolute reserves on this point, in order to maintain our liberty of action and uncontested right to have recourse to privateering when we consider it expedient, first, by organizing immediately a force of cruisers, auxiliary to the navy, which will be composed of vessels of our mercantile marine and with equal distinction in the work of our navy. " Clause /. " The state of war existing between Spain and the United States annuls the treaty of peace and amity of October 27, AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. 209 1795, and the protocol of January 12, 1877, and all other agreements, treaties, or conventions in force between the two countries. " Clause 2. From the publication of these presents, thirty days are granted to all ships of the United States anchored in our harbors to take their departure free of hindrance. " Clause j. Notwithstanding that Spain has not adhered to the Declaration of Paris, the government, respecting the principles Copyrighted, 1893, by J. 8. Johnston. u. s. CRUISER "BALTIMORE," Of Admiral Dewey 's Asiatic Squadron. of the law of nations, proposes to observe and hereby orders to be observed, the following regulations of maritime law : " First. Neutral flags cover the enemy's merchandise except contraband of war. " Second. Neutral merchandise, except contraband of war, is not seizable under the enemy's flag. " Third. A blockade to be obligatory must be effective, viz., it must be maintained with sufficient force to prevent access to enemy's littoral. 14 210 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. " Fourth. The Spanish government, upholding its right to grant letters of marque, will at present confine itself to organizing, with the vessels of the mercantile marine, a force of auxiliary cruisers, which will co-operate with the new navy, according to the needs of the campaign, and will be under naval control. " Fifth. In order to capture the enemy's ships and confiscate the enemy's merchandise and contraband of war under whatever form, the auxiliary cruisers will exercise the right of search on the high seas and in the waters under the enemy's jurisdiction, in accord- ance with international law and the regulations, which will be pub- lished. " Sixth. Included in contraband of war are weapons, ammuni- tion, equipments, engines, and ' in general all the appliances used in war.' "Seventh. To be regarded and judged as pirates, with all the rigor of law, are captains, masters, officers, and two-thirds of the crew of the vessels which, not being American, shall commit acts of war against Spain, even if provided with letters of marque issued by the United States." The fourth is the most important clause, in which Spain main- tains the right to grant letters of marque, which right she reserved to herself in her note of May 16, 1857, contained in her reply to France. Spain defines contraband of war as " cannon, quick-firing guns, shells, rifles, all patterns of cutting and thrusting weapons and arms of precision, bullets, bombs, grenades, fulminates, capsules, fuses, powder, sulphur, dynamite, and explosives of all kinds, as well as uniforms, straps, pack-saddles, and equipment for artillery and cavalry, marine engines, and in general all appliances used in war.'* The government reserves liberty of action relative to the question of coal being contraband of war. President McKinley's proclamation on the same subject (dated April 26) officially declares against privateering, and adheres to the rules of the Declaration of Paris : " Whereas, It being desirable that such war should be conducted upon principles in harmony with the present views of nations and sanctioned by their recent practice, it has already been announced AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. 211 that the policy of this government will be not to resort to privateer- ing, but to adhere to the rules of the Declaration of Paris : " Now, therefore, I, William McKinley, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the power vested in me by the Con- stitution and the laws, do hereby declare and proclaim : " i. The neutral flag covers enemy's goods, with the exception of contraband of war. " 2. Neutral goods not contraband of war are not liable to confiscation under the enemy's flag. " 3. Blockades, in order to be binding, must be effective. A STREET JN MANILA. " 4. Spanish merchant vessels in any port or places within the United States, shall be allowed till May 21, 1898, inclusive, for loading their cargoes and departing from such ports or places ; and such Spanish merchant vessels, if met at sea by any United States ship, shall be permitted to continue their voyage if, on examination of their papers, it shall appear that their cargoes were taken on board before the expiration of the above term ; provided, that nothing herein contained shall apply to Spanish vessels having on board any officer in the military or naval service of the enemy, or any coal 212 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. (except such as may be necessary for their voyage), or any other article prohibited, or contraband of war, or any dispatch of or to the Spanish government. " 5. Any Spanish merchant vessel which, prior to April 21, 1898, shall have sailed from any foreign port, bound for any port or place in the United States, shall be permitted to enter such port and to discharge her cargo, and afterward forthwith to depart without molestation ; and any such vessel, if met at sea by any United U. S. CRUISER " RALEIGH," Of the Asiatic Squadron. States ship, shall be permitted to continue her voyage to any port not blockaded. "6. The right of search is to be exercised with strict regard for the rights of neutrals, and the voyages of mail steamers are not to be interfered with except on the clearest grounds of suspicion of a violation of law in respect of contraband or blockade." As to what is meant by "Privateering" and the "Right of AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. 213 Search," we quote from the Boston Herald and the New York Sun : What a Privateer Is. It is a ship owned and manned by private persons, but specially- empowered by a State to wage war against that State's enemy at sea. The commissions from a government granting this war power to private vessels are called letters of marque. Privateers are generally too light in their armament, for they are equipped at private expense, to fight warships of a regular navy, and they confine their operations almost exclusively to capturing the enemy's defenceless merchant- men. Privateering is generally conducted for the money there is in it, since when an enemy's ship and cargo are captured they become very largely the property of the privateersmen. History has proven that the attitude assumed by the government of the United States in reference to this question was a wise one. That the form which we wished to have adopted did not include the right to ignore the* requirements of a blockade. But our position, whether taken with entire good faith or taken, as some assumed, on the ground that we did not care to sign the proposition as drawn up, and thought this would be a good way of relieving ourselves of the odium of not doing so, because we were well aware that the great governments of the world would not accept our amendment, relieved us from the necessity of imposing any new restriction. For the last forty years we have been at liberty, if engaged in war, to send out privateers and to seize the goods of an enemy, even though these might be on board the vessels of a neutral, and this without regard to whether these goods were or were not contraband of war. It would probably have been better for us to have signed the declaration in 1856, as in this way we might have avoided the misfortune that came to us through the " Alabama," the " Florida," and other Confederate privateers. The Right of Search. Spain's proclamation of war declares that her auxiliary cruisers, organized out of the mercantile marine, will, like her regular navy, "exercise the right of search on the high seas and in the waters under the enemy's jurisdiction." 2I 4 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. There is no doubt that the right of searching neutral merchant ships in such seas and waters is accorded to a belligerent by interna- tional law. The reason is that, until the belligerent searches, he can not know whether there is any contraband of war in the cargo, or what the destination of that cargo is. In other words, the right of search is a corollary of the conceded right of maritime capture ; and yet, being a burden to the neutral ship, it must be conducted with asj little harshness as is possible, and with neither insult nor injury to the neutral. If, however, the neutral neglects the customary U. S. CRUISER " BOSTON," Of the Asiatic Squadron. warning by signals, hailing, or a gun, to heave to, and resists search by a lawful cruiser, it is liable to confiscation. War vessels of neutrals are, of course, free from search, because they are government vessels, and because they do not carry merchan- dise. But a mail steamer is not a government steamer in the sense of being relieved from that examination of its papers which is part AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. 215 of the right to search. A more difficult question to determine is whether a neutral merchant vessel under the convoy of one of its government's warships is exempt from search, and hence that matter is often regulated by treaty. Our country, true to its policy of favoring neutral trade, has provided for such exemption of convoyed ships in more than a dozen treaties with other States, and France has taken the same ground in various treaties, while Germany, Austria, Italy, and other European powers, Spain notably among them, provide that the word of the officer commanding the warship shall be taken in place of search. Our navy regulations instruct officers not to allow ships under their protection to be searched, and yet to satisfy themselves that no contraband is being carried to a belligerent port. Great Britain, unlike other nations, insists on the right of search in such cases ; but, so far as the present war is con- cerned, it is enough to know that both Spain and our country favor the exemption of neutral ships under neutral convoy. If search reveals cause for detention, the captured vessel must be sent for adjudication to some port as soon as possible, and if this can not be done at all, the neutral must be released. America's Marines. One of the oldest fighting organizations in the country is the United States Marine Corps ; and in all of our wars it has made a proud record. Among the first acts of the Continental Congress was the organization of two battalions of American marines ; and it was early in the Revolution that Captain Nichols led a detachment of marines and captured the forts in the Bahamas. Decatur's thrilling experience during the bombardment of Tripoli shows the pluck of the American fighting sailor. He boarded one of the Tripolitan gunboats and engaged the captain in a hand-to-hand sword duel, and one of the enemy coming up behind would have cleaved Decatur's skull with his sword, had not a marine interposed his arm, which saved the life of Decatur, but which was nearly severed from the body. Lieutenant Trip, of the Vixen, in the same battle, performed a similar act ; and while he was engaged in a personal conflict with the commander of a Tripolitan gunboat, he would have been killed by a Turk, had not Sergeant Meredith used his bayonet with fatal 216 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. effect. During this combat at Tripoli our marines covered them- selves with honor ; and when Lieutenant O'Bannon, with the aid of Midshipman Mann, hanled down the ensign of the enemy and hoisted the stars and stripes on the fortress of the old world, the last brave act of a glorious triumph occurred. The war of 1812, the Mexican war, the Florida-Indian contest, and the hot com bat between the "Merrimac" and the "Cumberland," all give evidence of the heroic courage of the Marine Corps. When we had our trouble with Corea, although the Coreans fought bravely to the last moment, their flag was captured by the marines ; and Commander Kimberly in his report of the battle, used these words : " The honor belongs to the marines for first landing and last leaving the shore. Chosen as the advance guard on account of their steadiness and discipline, their whole behavior on the march and in the assault proved that the con- fidence in them had not been misplaced. " Lord Charles Beresford, of the English ship " Condor," after the outbreak in Alexandria in 1882, stated that order could not have been restored had it not been for the " smart, faithful force " of the Ameri- can marines ; and Admiral Jouett wrote to Colonel Heywood, after the Panama expedition in 1885, this well-deserved compliment: " The marine battalion has been constantly at the front, where dan- ger and disease were sure to come, first and always. When a conflict has seemed imminent I have relied with implicit confidence on that body of tried soldiers." The present war may call the United States Marine Corps to defend the flag of freedom, and if this occurs the record of the past will be repeated in the present. The Great Victory at Manila. The news of the great victory at Manila was published in the American journals of May 2. Strangely enough, it came by way of Spain. The authorities at Manila had control of the cable, and were thus able to send to Madrid news of the disaster which had befallen the Spanish arms, while the victor on board his ships was cut off from communication with his government. It was a curious irony of fate that people who did not want such news should get it so long before the people to whom it was welcome. The only way by which Ad- miral Dewey could report his splendid triumph was by detaching a 218 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. vessel from his small fleet and sending it to the nearest cable station, which is Hong Kong, six hundred miles away. The " McCulloch " was selected for this errand. She reached Hong Kong safely, and by four o'clock on the morning of May 7 the first official news was PORT OF MANILA, SCENE OF THE GREAT NAVAL BATTLE OF MAY I, 1898. received at the Navy Department. Briefly and simply the victorious officer told the glorious news : " MANILA, May /. " Squadron'arrived at Manila at daybreak this morning. Imme- diately ^engaged the enemy and destrovel the following Spanish vessels": ''Reina Cristina,' ' Castilla,' 'Don Antonio de Ulloa,' * Isla de Luzon,' 'Isla de Cuba,' 'General Lezo,' 'Marques del AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. 219 Duero,' ' Correo,' ' Velasco,' ' Isla de Mindanao,' a transport and water battery at Cavite. The squadron is uninjured, and only a few men are slightly wounded. Only means of telegraphing is to American Consul at Hong Kong. I shall communicate with him. " DEWEY." This dispatch was evidently written Sunday, May i, the day of the battle, but something must have occurred to delay the departure is* A STREET MARKET IK MANILA. of the " McCulloch," for on Wednesday, May 4, she was still at Manila and Dewey gave her a later dispatch to carry to Hong Kong. This was as follows : " CAVITE, May 4, 1898. " LONG, Secretary Navy : "I have taken possession of the naval station at Cavite, Philippine Islands, and destroyed its fortifications. Have destroyed fortifications 220 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. at the bay entrance, paroling the garrison. I control the bay com- pletely, and can take the city at any time. The squadron in excel- lent health and spirits. The Spanish loss not fully known, but very heavy. One hundred and fifty killed, including the captain of the " Reina Cristina." I am assisting in protecting the Spanish sick and wounded. Two hundred and fifty sick and wounded in hospital within our lines. Much excitement at Manila. Will protect foreign residents. " DEWEY." To these modest dispatches Secretary Long sent the following reply, which must have been very gratifying to the gallant officer : " WASHINGTON, D. C., May 7, '" DEWEY, Manila : " The President, in the name of the American people, thanks you and your officers and men for your splendid achievement and over- whelming victory. In recognition he has appointed you acting admiral, and will recommend a vote of thanks to you by Congress as a foundation for further promotion. " LONG." Further details of the fight were obtained by the Associated Press correspondent at Hong Kong, from the " McCulloch's " officers, and were given in a dispatch, from which the following is an extract : " The squadron entered the bay and arrived off Corregidor Island on Saturday night, April 30. It appears that the first reports that the Americans entered without being seen were erroneous, for the fort on Corregidor Island fired three shots and then became silent. The Americans were prepared for any contingency that might arise, and the gun crews and other men stood at their stations, eager and alert, until the ships went into action. "Early on Sunday morning the Spanish fleet, numbering four- teen vessels, was sighted off Cavite. It was just about daybreak when the engagement began. " Passing in front of Manila the American line went to the southeast to within range of the ships and Cavite forts. The first guns that the enemy fired were powerful enough to send shells whizzing above our vessels at a distance'of four and a half miles. The Manila batteries fired at the fleet as it passed, but Dewey did AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. not reply to them, for he feared that he would do damage to the city and its inhabitants. " Commodore Dewey ordered his squadron to close in on the land batteries at Cavite and the Spanish warships, at once opening a heavy fire. The " Olympia " led the way, followed by the " Baltimore," " Raleigh," " Petrel" "Concord" and " Boston " in this order. As each ship came into range it joined in the bombard- ment which the "Olympia" had begun. " When we began firing on the ships, the " Reina Cristina," on which the Spanish Admiral's flag was flying, was a little in ad- vance of the other vessels. Next came the protected cruiser "Castilla," and stretched out in a line toward the sea, with one flank resting near the forts, were the other vessels of the Spanish fleet. During most of the fight the ships re- mained under way, but maintained the same rela- tive position. When we at- tacked the enemy our vessels were moving at the speed of eight miles an hour. " The " Olympia" fired the first shot, at 5.41 a. in. It was an eight- inch shell from a gun in the forward turret, and the first shot hit its mark. Some of the enemy's shots came very near hitting our vessels One large shell, coming direct for the forward bridge of the flagship, fell within less than four rods from the ship. Another shot just grazed the bridge, and later a shot passed beneath the place where Commo- dore Dewey was standing and gouged a small piece out of the deck. " Before a shot was fired from Cavite two submarine mines were A HALF-CASTE WOMAN OF MANILA. 222 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. exploded a little ahead of the flagship. It was not yet clear daylight, and the Spaniards had evidently misjudged the position of the hostile fleet. No harm was done to onr ships, but the mines were very powerful, and immense columns of water were thrown high into the air. It is probable that no other mines had been placed. At any rate only those two explosions occurred. " The morning was very hot, for this is the last month of the hot season in the Philippines, and many of the men wore no clothing at all excepting their trousers. There were about 450 men at the guns of our fleet, and most of them, as they dis- charged the great machines,, cried: 'Remember the Maine,' which was the watchword of the battle. " In all, fourteen Span- ish vessels took part in the engagement, and after fight- ing several hours the entire fleet was at the bottom of the bay. In addition to the vessels named ir Dewey's dispatch as being destroyed,, the transport ' Isla da Mindanao ' and another vessel, the name of which could not be ascertained, were sunk. " The land batteries had heavier guns than the fleet, and replied to our fire without cessation. The cannonading was terrible, and our ships did great execution. Soon some of the enemy's ships were burning and several magazines on their fleet exploded, but the forts were still uninjured. " Then the ' Baltimore ' was ordered to silence the strongest fort,. A LADY OF MANILA. AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. 223 which occupied a position at Canaco Point. The fort replied with great vigor to its fire. The ' Petrel ' gave her exclusive attention to the smaller fort near by and went close inshore. The other ships aided in subduing the forts, and kept firing also on the ships that were not yet entirely out of the fight. The accuracy of the American guns could not be excelled, and under the tremendous bombardment the Spanish fire gradually weakened, and fifty minutes after noon a white flag was run up over what was left of the Cavite forts. " On Monday the American squadron went up the bay to Manila and anchored. No landing parties were sent ashore, Commodore Dewey deeming it inexpedient to attempt to actually hold the city until reinforcements are forwarded to him. Meantime the city is under complete command of the guns of the fleet, and were a bombardment deemed necessary the ships are in the most advan- tageous positions to destroy the place. " There is a strong force of insurgents back of the city, and some fears were entertained on board the warships that they would attempt to enter the city and massacre the Spaniards. This Com- modore Dewey is firmly determined to prevent, and should the insurgents try anything of the kind they will find themselves pitted against the American bluejackets and marines, for Commodore Dewey, should the occasion arise, will land all his available force for the protection of the residents of the city." Probably never before in history was so great a victory won at a cost so small. Yet the danger was not small. The correspondent of the New York Herald, who was on the " Olympia " with Admiral Dewey, says : " The ' Olympia' was struck abreast the gun in the ward- room by a shell which burst outside, doing little damage. The signal halyards were cut from Lieutenant Brumby's hand on the after bridge. A shell entered the ' Boston's ' port quarter and burst in Ensign Dodridge's stateroom, starting a hot fire, and fire was also caused by a shell which burst in the port hammock netting. Both these fires were quickly put out. Another shell passed through the ' Boston's * foremast just in front of Captain Wildes, on the bridge. One shot struck the ' Baltimore ' and passed clean through her, fortunately hit- ting no one. Another ripped up her main deck, disabled a six-inch gun andexploded a box of three-pounderammunition, wounding eightmen." CHAPTER X. The Geography of Cuba IS (225) CHAPTER X. THE GEOGRAPHY OF CUBA. HE following interesting statistics regarding Cuba have been translated from the Geographical Treatise on the Island of Cuba, by Dr. D. Manuel Pruna, Santa Cruz, Havana, 1897 : Island of Cuba. The Island of Cuba, which is the largest of the islands that compose the Archipelago of the Antilles, constitutes a Captainship-General of the Spanish Monarchy, whose chief ruler is the Governor-Captain-General. Situation. It is situated in the Atlantic Ocean and the Sea of the Antilles, between the two Americas, at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico, in the Torrid Zone and near the Tropic of Cancer. Figiire and Dimensions. Our island represents the irregular figure of a plow, extending from east to west. It is 1230 kilometers long, 200 wide in the widest part and 40 in the narrowest. Surface and Population. The superficial extent is estimated 117,000 kilometers square, and the inhabitants are more than a million and a half. Contour. The contour is 3200 kilometers, of which 1500 pertain to the northern coast and 1700 to the southern. There are magnifi- cent ports and 1200 surrounding islets. Boundaries. On the north is the Channel of Florida and the old Channel of Bahama ; on the east, the Strait of Maist ; on the south, the Sea of the Antilles, and on the west, the Strait of Yucatan and the Gulf of Mexico. Neighboring Distances. Cuba is near the continent of America, distant from Florida 177 kilometers ; from St. Domingo 77 kilo- meters ; from Jamaica 140 kilometers ; from Yucatan 200 kilometers. Climate. The climate of Cuba is variable, being very warm and damp in the rainy season, which is between May and October ; and mild and dry, the rest of the year. [(227) 228 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Language and Religion. The rich and majestic Castilian language is spoken all over the island. The prevalent religion is the Roman Catholic. Civil Territorial Division. Among the several divisions of the island, the most prominent is the Civil Government, political and administrative, which is territorially divided into three districts known as the Western, the Central and the Eastern. Each district comprises two provinces, divided into several judicial departments, and these are subdivided into municipalities. MATANZAS, WHOSE KORTS WERE SILENCED BY REAR-ADMIRAL SAMPSON'S FLEET. District Divisions. Each district comprehends two provinces, as follows : The Western district comprises Pinar del Rio and Havana : the Central embraces Matanzas and Santa Clara ; and the Eastern, Puerto Principe and Santiago de Cuba. Provincial Divisions. Each province is divided into several judicial departments, and these are subdivided into municipalities, as follows : Province of Pinar del Rio. This province is divided into four departments, whose seats of government are : Piuar del Rio, San THE GEOGRAPHY OF CUBA. 229 Christobel, Guanajay and Guave, dependent on which are twenty-five municipalities. Province of Havana. This province is divided into twelve departments, six of which have for their seat of government the capital of the province and the re- maining departments have for their seats of government the towns of Marianao, Guana- bacoa, Jaruco, San An- tonio de los Banos, Bejucal y Guines, de- pendent on which are thirty-seven m u n i c i- palities. Province of Ma- tanzas. This prov- ince is divided into five judicial depart- ments, two of which have, as the seat of government, the cap- ital of the province, and the rest have their seats of government in the towns, Cardenas, Alfonso XII, Colon, depending on which are twenty-three mu- nicipalities. Province of Santa Clara. This province is divided into six parts, whose seats of government are Santa Clara, Sagua la Grande, Remedies, Cienfnegos, Trinidad and Sancti Spirittis, dependent on which are twenty-eight municipalities. (230) THE GEOGRAPHY OF CUBA. 231 Province oj Puerto Principe. This province is divided into three judicial departments, two of which have, as the seat of govern- ment, the capital of the province, and the third, has as its seat of gov- ernment, Moron, dependent on which are five municipalities. Province of Santiago de Cuba. This province is divided into seven judicial departments, each of which has as its seat of government the capital, Santiago de Cuba, and the others, the towns of Manzanillo, Bayamo, Holguin, Baracoa and Guantanamo, dependent on which are fourteen municipalities. Economic Division. The island has a general direction of domestic affairs in Havana, and six economic administra- tions, one in each provincial capital. Judicial Division. The island has three territorial courts, one in Havana, another in Matanzas, and the other in Santiago de Cuba; on which depend thirty -seven primary courts, and on these the municipalities established in the de- partments. There are besides, three criminal courts in Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara and Puerto Principe. Maritime Division. As to the mari- time department, the island consists of four provinces, namely, Havana, Nue- vitas, Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos. The command is confided to a command- ant general, chief of the marine station of Havana, having also captains of the port and adjutants of marines. Ecclesiastical Division. This con- sists of two dioceses : the archbishopric of Cuba and the bishopric of Havana, with 24 vicarships and 200 parishes between them. 2 3 2 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. Other Divisions. Although without official character, never- theless there are in the island, three departments, named Western, Central and Eastern. Also there are the Vuela Arriba (high circuit) and Vuelta Abajo (low circuit) both belogning to Havana ; Cinco Villas (five towns) to the territory which comprises the province of Santa Clara ; Cam- aguey, to Puerto Principe and Tierra Adentro, which comprises the region between Cienfuegos and Bayamo. Governor. The island of Cuba is governed by a governor- captain-general who is the chief magistrate, especially in the political and military economy. Each of the six provinces is governed by a civil governor. There is in each province a provincial police court, on which depends varied officers of this kind, whose justices are the local heads of their administrative departments. CHAPTER XI. Hastening to the End (233) CHAPTER XI. HASTENING TO THE END. Planning to intercept the Spanish Fleet Preparations for a battle of giants on the open sea Congress providing sinews of war Spain's policy changed by the Manila disaster Hysterical appeals for intervention The United States not seeking territory Causes of Spain's decadence Natural result of avarice and cruelty A specimen proclamation The dynasty menaced with revolution. iE victory at Manila broke the backbone of the war. Although the Secretary of the Navy and Rear-Admiral Sampson kept the details of the plans of operation a pro- found secret, it was believed that the Spanish Atlantic fleet would not be allowed to approach the coast of the United States, and that the enemy would be met on the high seas and given battle at a time and a place to be chosen by our admiral. It was wisely thought that it would be a point gained to take Spain's fleet, if pos- sible, totally unawares, and before preparation could be made and before it was possible for the enemy to escape, to open battle. A censorship of telegrams from Key West was established, and it was impossible to get news direct from that important place. The movements of both fleets were a mystery ; Spain was expected to combine her strength in a desperate effort to gain the advantage she lost at the Philippines, the " Vizcaya," the " Almirante Oquendo," the " Cristobal Colon," the " Maria Teresa " (all first-class cruisers), the torpedo boat destroyers, " Furor, " "Terror" and " Pluton," the battleship " Pelayo," the first-class cruisers, " Cardenal, " " Cisneros," the " Emperador Carlos V," the "Giuseppe Garibaldi," the "Alfonso XIIL," the warships " Numancia," "Vitoria," " Destructor " and several auxiliary cruisers and torpedo boats could all be brought into battle array ; and with the magnificent American fleet, a desperate struggle would follow. With the " St. Louis," "Harvard" and "Yale," with a number of assistants, doing patrol duty along the Atlantic shores, and being (235) 236 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. alert day and night, for the smoke of the enemy's ships, their prompt discovery would no doubt be made as they came into our waters. Commodore Schley's Flying Squadron remained at Hampton Roads to assist the northern patrol vessels in the defence of the coast, unless the enemy appeared at an unexpected place, and it seemed necessary to strike their warships in southeastern waters. Pending the activity at sea, Congress was not idle in considering additional war measures. Both Houses agreed upon the Fortifications THE UNITED STATES MARINE HOSPITAL AT KEY WEST, FI.A. Here the wounded sailors from the battleship ''Maine'" were quartered until fully convalescent. bill, which appropriates over $9,000,000 for sea-coast defences ; estimates were made of $20,975,000 for naval deficiencies in addition to the regular appropriations already made ; and there was a discussion of the wisdom of increasing the internal revenue taxes by $100,000,- ooo to obviate the necessity of raising money by bonds. Every movement of the American war forces was studied by those at the helm of affairs. The earlv seizure of Porto Rico was HASTENING TO THE END. 237 decided upon ; and with Havana successfully blockaded, Spain would be deprived entirely of a base of supplies on this side of the ocean. The defeat of the Spanish fleet in eastern waters had caused a com- plete change in the Mr drid war policy on the seas. Up to this time Spain had played the martyr, assuming the role of a deeply wronged nation, pursued by a stronger power and relying implicitly, but vainly, upon the European powers to help her in the day of her distress. The Queen Regent made appeal after appeal to the Pope and the powers ; the Minis- ter of War dramati- cal ly exclaimed, " Would to God we had not a ship west of Spain ; then we would say, ' here we are, come and take us ;' and there con- tinued to be warlike manifestoes, but no warlike acts. But the powers did not intervene ; and now after the crushing defeat at Manila, and while Spain was con- fronted by war at home as well as abroad, further inaction became impossible, and she must defend herself. Spain saw before her the inevitable loss of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines ; and her internal troubles became quite as aggravating as her foreign disasters. Although this government has the right and will enforce the right to seize and hold any Spanish colony until the war ends, we COMMODORE SCHLhY, U. S. N. Commander of the famous Flying Squadron. 238 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. are not waging a war of conquest, and will not ^deviate from the policy laid down in the Teller amendment to the Congressional resolutions ; and yet, if our flag floats over Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands, they will never become Spanish possessions again, until Spain acceeds to certain terms and pays a heavy war indemnity, which will naturally form the basis of a treaty of peace. Spain's deca- dence, if not doom, is written on her crumbling empire ; and no one is to blame but Spain herself. At one time she was one of the most powerful na- tions on the globe, and took a leading place in the equa- tion of civilization ; but she has not kept step in the march of progress, and her glory is fast depart- ing. Montesquieu in his "Esprit des Lois" expresses the opinion that the Spanish government started on its down-grade move- ment at the discovery and occupation of America. No nation ever had more splendid opportunities ; but she was demoralized by the vast treasures she found in the western world ; she committed the most flagrant acts of spoliation ; her soldiers and sailors, once the admiration of the world, degenerated into butchers and pirates ; instead of using her great influence to lift the peoples of her colonies into a higher moral, intellectual and religious life she became an active agent in COMMODORE HUWH1.L, I HASTENING TO THE END. 239 brutalizing them ; and, infatuated by material wealth, and adopting the inhuman methods of mediaeval times to enrich her coffers and to satisfy the rapacity of her ignoble nobles at home, she drew her own life-blood. Failing to recognize the day of her opportunity, the proud nation that valiantly withstood the mighty Moors, became her own worst enemy. There is nothing more certain than the fatal THE CABINET ROOM IN THE WHITE HOUSE. Here the war with Spain has been many times discussed by" the President and his advisers. result of the conflict between energy, honesty and progress on the one side, and sloth, dishonesty and stagnation on the other. The surprise is that Spain's colonial policy has not brought about her total decadence before the last years of the nineteenth century ; but at last she must reap the harvest which she has been sowing through the ages. If the world is to judge from the many proclamations and 240 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. manifestoes that have been issued from Spanish authorities since the signs of war appeared in the skies, Spain is ignorant of the fate toward which she is hopelessly moving. None of these state papers are more interesting than the one that came from the Governor- General of the Philippines, only a few days before Admiral Dewey's fleet ap- peared in the Ma- nila harbor. This remarkable docu- ment reads thus : " Spaniards : Be- tween Spain and the United States of North America hos- tilities have broken out. The moment has arrived to prove to the world that we possess the spirit to conquer those who, pretending to be loyal friends, take advantage of our misfortune to abuse our hospitality, using means that civilized nations count unworthy and disreputable. "The North American people, constituted of all social excrescences, have exhausted our patience and provoked war by their perfidious machinations, their acts of treachery, their outrages against the laws of nations and international conventions. " The struggle will be short and decisive. The gods of victories will give us one as brilliant and complete as the righteousness and justice of our cause demand. GENERAL N. A. MILKS, Coininander-in-Chief of the 1 J . S. Army. HASTENING TO THE END. 241 " Spain, which counts upon the sympathies of all nations, will emerge triumphant from this new test, humiliating and blasting the adventurers from those United States that, without cohesion, offer humanity only infamous traditions and ungrateful spectacles in her chambers, in which appear insolence, defamation, cowardice and cynicism. " Her squadron, manned by foreigners, possessing neither instruction nor discipline, is preparing to come to this archipelago A FAMILIAR SCENE AT CHICKAMAUGA PARK. ^ Our soldier boys eagerly welcome the arrival of papers from home. with ruffianly intention, robbing us of all that means life, honor and liberty, and pretending to be inspired by a courage of which they are incapable. " American seamen undertake as an enterprise capable of realization the substitution of Protestantism for the Catholic religion, 16 242 COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. to treat you as tribes refractory to civilization, to take possession of your riches as if they were unacquainted with the rights of property, to kidnap those persons they consider useful to man their ships or to be exploited in agricultural and industrial labor. " Vain designs, ridiculous boastings ! Your indomitable bravery will suffice to frustrate the realization of their designs. You will not allow the faith you profess to be made a mockery or impious hands to be placed on the temple of the true God. The images you adore thrown down by the unbelief of the aggressors shall not prove the tombs of your fathers. They shall not gratify lustful passions at the cost of your wives' and daughters' honor, or appro- priate property accumulated in provi- sion for your old age. " They shall not perpetrate these crimes, inspired by their wickedness and covetousness, because your valor and patriotism will suffice to punish a base people that is claiming to be civilized and cultivated. They have exterminated the natives of North America instead of giving them civi- lization and progress. " Filipinos, prepare for the strug- gle, and, united under the glorious Spanish flag, which is covered with laurels, fight with the conviction that victory will crown your efforts, and to the calls of your enemies uphold the decision of a Christian and a patriot, and cry ' Viva Espana.' " It is not surprising that there has been a reaction in the feelings of the people of Spain who by such deliverances were led to suppose that their army and navy were invincible ; and that the throne at Madrid is trembling upon its insecure foundation. The streets of all the cities of Spain have resounded with the cries : " Down with the MAJ.-GEN. BROOKE, CHICKAMAUGA. HASTENING TO THE END. 243 Bourbons," " Long live Don Carlos ! " " Long live the Republic ! " and " Weyler, our Leader ! " The demonstrations in Madrid became so threatening that an edict was issued, placing the capital under martial law, the Military Governor, General Dababan, received stringent orders from General Corea, the minister of war, for the preservation of peace ; and the cabinet council discussed the political situation, with a strong inclination in favor of an immediate suspen- sion of the constitutional guarantees, a step which requires closing the Cortes. Another defeat of the Spanish arms will be followed, it is quite certain, by a considerable modification of the present government, if not a radical change in the constitution of the Kingdom of Spain. Whatever the future may reveal, let not coming ages say that America failed to see and seize the providential opportunities that opened before her during the last decade of the nineteenth century, and that she hesitated to utilize the momentous and inspiring possibilities with which she has been endowed by the God of nations. Let us hope for the fulfillment of the exalted prophecy of Victor Hugo as we stand upon the threshold of the new century : "In the twentieth century war will be dead, the scaffold will be dead, animosity will be dead, royalty will be dead, but man will live. For all there will be but one country that country the earth ; for all there will be but one hope that hope the whole Heaven. All hail, then, to that noble twentieth century, which shall own our children, and which our children shall inherit." CHAPTER XII. The Bombardment of San Juan and the Cape Verde Fleet. --. CHAPTER XII. THE BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN AND THE CARE VERDE FLEET. Fire opened by battleship "Iowa" Spanish fire proved to be ineffective Cervera's warships seen at Martinique Shape of Porto Rico Discovered by Columbus The Population Outlook and opportunity. Dewey's brilliant victory at Manila, the war with Spain assumed a more serious and aggressive attitude ; and events of the greatest importance followed each other in rapid succession. Our government believing that the Spanish fleet, under Admiral Cervera, intended to proceed to San Juan, on the island of Porto Rico, and there establish a base of operations, Admiral Sampson's fleet was ordered to bombard its defences. Fire was opened by our battleship " Iowa," and soon the guns from all the vessels of the fleet joined in the attack. The chief defence of San Juan, Morro Castle (the same name as that at Havana), was soon destroyed ; the remaining forts and batteries were reduced to ruins ; other shore defences were demolished ; and after considerable loss, the garrisons were driven to the interior. During the bombardment, which continued at intervals for several hours, there was great consternation in the city, the foreign Consuls and many citizens of the place fled for their lives ; a well-aimed shell tore the roof from the palace of Governor-General Macias ; and despite the entreaties of the high-spirited daughter of the Governor- General, Paulina, the Spanish soldiers turned from their guns, and terrified by the havoc wrought by the American fleet, joined the fleeing multitude. Here, as at Manila, the Spanish fire proved to be ineffective ; only one of our seamen was killed and four were wounded ; and while the Spanish loss is not positively known, it is (244*) 244^ COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. supposed to be great. For some days the movement of the Spanish Cape Verde fleet was a mystery, that gave much anxiety to our government, for it was feared that it would make a sudden descent upon our North Atlantic Coast, while our warships were in Cuban waters. The echo of Sampson's guns had hardly died away before San Juan, when it was announced that the Cape Verde fleet was anchored at the French Island of Martinique, about two days' A'STREET SCENE IN THE WEST INDIES. sail to the southeast of Porto Rico. As evidently it was the pur- pose of Admiral Cervera to reach Havana harbor, where, backed by the guns of Morro, his fleet would have a decided advantage, Admiral Sampson prepared to intercept him ; and Commodore Schley, with the flying squadron, was dispatched from Hampton Roads with the view of protecting our blockading fleet off Havana, or of aiding Sampson in an effort to crush the Spanish fleet. But Spanish war vessels, like Spanish diplomatists, are apt to disappoint THE BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN. 244^ all expectations. Two days after Cervera's warships were seen at Martinique they were heard from at Curacao, a small Dutch island off the Venezuelan coast, where it is supposed that they took on coal, food supplies and ammunition. Curacao is a possession of the Netherlands, and as this nation declared its neutrality since the dec- laration of the American-Spanish war, it has evidently violated the neutrality laws in permitting Spain to make a rendezvous for her fleet and her supply ships at Curacao. The Spanish government, recognizing its sacred duty to General Blanco and his men, shut up in the island of Cuba by the American blockade, is determined, if possible, to go to their relief by securing a landing at Cienfuegos or some other place convenient to Havana. But with an American admiral north of them and an American com- modore south of them, these ships of Spain will never supply the needs of the captain-general of Cuba. Porto Rico, about which so much interest has been created, is the smaller of the two colonies in West Indian waters, possessed by Spain. Its shape is that of a parallelogram ; it has a length of one hundred and eight miles, a breadth in its widest part of thirty-seven miles, and it lies about eighty miles to the east of Hayti, while to the westward are located the group known as the Virgin Islands. The coast, like that of Cuba, is indented by many small bays ; a hill- range traverses the island from east to west; sugar, coffee and tobacco are the staple products ; mos.t of the minerals are found in abundance ; the climate is supposed to be the healthiest of any of the islands of the Antilles ; and from this little island the exports amount to nearly $20,000,000 annually. Although Porto Rico was discovered by Columbus in 1493, it was not settled until 1510, when Ponce de Leon founded the town of Caparra, and in the following year he founded San Juan, which is the chief city, and which is built on Morro Island, connected with the mainland by bridges. The population, numbering nearly one million, is composed of Spaniards, Germans, Swedes, Danes, Russians, Frenchmen, Jews, Chinese, and a few Americans and English. This people, like all Spanish colonists, have tried repeatedly to throw off the heavy yoke of Spain ; but in these latter years they have quietly yielded to the inevitable. But their freedom is drawing nigh. 2 44/ COLUMBIA'S WAR FOR CUBA. There is light in the Eastern sky. It means the dawning of a bright morning. Before the new century is born, a new birth shall come to the twin gems of the Antilles. Our Outlook and Opportunity. We have reached a crisis, the most significant and momentous that has faced our national life during the last generation. By the hand of a Divine Providence we have been led into a War for Human- ity ; the different sections of our loved land are united by the fraternal bonds of a patriotic union ; the sons of Federal and Confederate A FUNERAI, IN A MUNICIPAL COFFIN IN THE WEST INDIES. veterans are keeping step under a flag, which is the God-given symbol of human liberty ; a glorious and unexampled victory has crowned our arms on the opposite side of the globe from our seat of govern- ment ; the horizon of our national influence is widening in a mar- velous, if not mysterious, manner ; the echo of our guns in Eastern and Western waters resound the world around, as a warning to the enemy of freedom and as an inspiration to every noble, philanthropic sentiment in the human heart ; and, if we are true to the trust imposed upon us, the God who reigns among the nations will lead us forth for the enlightenment, for the emancipation, for the redemption THE BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAK of mankind. God forbid that our land should fail to remember the source of her strength and the secret of her exaltation. It is righ- teousness that exalteth a nation. For the want of this, faded the glory of the mightiest and most majestic kingdoms of the past ; and without it must fall our own blood-bought and blood-consecrated America. May the sanctifying Spirit of the living God permeate the whole fabric of our national life, our government, our commerce, our army and navy, our schools, our homes, and " in that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses 'Holiness iinto _the _ ^American 09oman it\ (Juba, By FRANCES LINTOR (245) flN flMERICfiN WOMAN IN COBfl. By prances Lhnton. Impressions of a two years' residence on the island Havana and its suburbs The people, their customs and amusements Cuban and Spanish cookery The concerts at the Hotel Gran Inglaterra The city walls and fortifications. A PEARL IN THE OCEAN. ***** Land of Eternal Summer ! Land of Eternal Sun ! This "Pearl," this "Queen," as they call her, This land is equaled by none. 1 hear the waves sough and simmer, 1 hear the waves roar and moan, In this sun-land of days so perfect, So perfect, the heart feels lone. HEAVING New York by one of the celebrated "Ward Line" steamers for one of the West India islands Cuba, the "Pearl of the Antilles," about a year before the outbreak of this present insurrection there, the trip there, living there, and leaving there, may prove as interesting, perhaps, to some of our readers as it was enjoyable to us. A storm had been predicted, and storm signals were up, it was believed, but notwithstanding, our boat left on time even with signs of the storm at hand; so, amid a shower of rain, we waved adieu to our friends on the dock, who had come to see us " off." Down came the rain, strong blew the wind, high rose the waves, and we had a storm ; but about eleven o'clock that night we emerged right out of the storm into clear moonlight, the sea calm with a few ripples, and from our stateroom window on the upper deck, the (247) 248 AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. scene was enchanting. The rain had ceased, and as the rattle of the storm had gone, we sank to our slumbers, with the rays of fair Luna peeping in upon us, on this, our first night at sea. Sunday morning broke fresh and fair, many of the passengers did not appear, the effects of the knocking about, on the previous evening, having proved too much for them, when perhaps they could sing with the poet : " Land me, oh land me on" any shore! Friends understand me, I care no more; I care not how rugged, how wild be the strand, Anyhow, anywhere, only on land." Be this as it may, all seemed to enjoy this balmy Sunday morn- ing with its freshness and brightness, giving healthful appetites, bright looks and cheerful greetings. In our meals we perceived many Cuban or Spanish dishes, a foretaste of what was to come, but all were relished. The cleanliness and neatness of this boat surprised us ; we had traveled on many steamers, but this one surpassed all in its sweet- ness and freshness. Among the passengers were a lady and grown up son from Mon- treal, Canada, bound for Mexico City; a medical man also from Montreal ; a fair-haired, red-cheeked German sat next to us at table, one or two Americans, two lovely dark -eyed Greek maidens and their brother ; also the celebrated Italian fencer Pini, the rest were Cubans. Some of the Cubans on board spoke tolerably good English. One young fellow made himself extremely agreeable to a group of young ladies near him; from our seat in the salon, scraps of their conversation and merry laughter could be heard. One of the young ladies asked where the piano was, and, proud of his English, the young fellow answered, "In the cabbage room." A titter went round, he hurriedly corrected himself and said "baggage room." In the distance on this beautiful day, the northern coast of Florida could be seen, and Indian river winding its way like a silver thread ; and on the following morning the dim outline of the coast of Cuba, lying like a pearl on the ocean, was visible. Many flying fish and porpoises we saw; the former flying from the crest of one wave to another, and the porpoises vying with each other which of them AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. 249 could keep pace with the boat. Such racing and darting! Such abundance of color gold, silver, green, blue, pink, yellow all in one, rich in color are the inhabitants of the ocean! The soft, balmy southern air was all around us, and a lazy haze, which made us dream day-dreams of other lands and other scenes too luxuriant and exuberant to be true. On the afternoon of Wednesday our boat gracefully curved round the rock on which the famous Morro Castle (which later on we sketched, showing the fine large steamer " Ciudad de Santander " in the distance, bound for Spain) is built, and up a mile or so into the harbor of Havana and anchored quite a distance from the shore, as all boats landing at Cuba do. Little bates of different styles and sizes, some propelled by steam, others simple sail boats, were drawn up in quick time in close proximity to our vessel, waiting to convey passengers to the shore. Friends who come to meet any of the passengers generally come in these little bates, and climb up the steps and greet their friends on board ; then all descend these steps, which are hung by ropes and wobble about considerably, making the travel on them difficult and dangerous, as there are always hungry sharks, we believe, waiting in the waters beneath for any bite. Our bate and our friend appeared, and after bidding farewell to our friends of the past few days we prepared to "face the music" in descending the quivering steps, which we did safely and gracefully, we hope, and stepping on to the wharf, after bobbing up and down in our little bate, we make our way to the custom-room to have our " cabbage " examined ; and leaving it in care of a carter, to be sent to our destination later on, we enter a single carriage, called in Cuba cache, and drive to the Punto, a point on the opposite shore from the Castle Morro, where a train starts every half-hour for one of the suburbs of Havana. We were struck as we went along with the foreign look of streets and buildings, some streets so narrow that two vehicles could not pass each other ; even the principal street of Havana, as we found out afterward, was only eight paces in width, in fact, the eighth step brought us on to the pavement on the opposite side, which latter in most places is only eighteen inches wide. 250 AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. The buildings for the most part are low, one story, casa baja, or two story, casa de alto, and built of stone, some rough-cast or stuccoed over and painted yellow. The stone of the country is a kind of coral formation, and also limestone (piedra de cat] ; these are broken in pieces and cemented together with mortar, then all made smooth. The windows and doors have iron bars grated like a prison ; they form of course a great pro- tection night and day, as the inside'shutters may or may not be left open; and on account of the great steady heat of that climate, for nearly the whole year round, shutters can be kept open and a free breeze through the house is the usual thing. The typical house is, of course, one story high, with flat roof projecting in front about ten or twelve feet, and forming a veranda supported by pillars of stone. Underneath is a platform of tiles (ladrillos) stone or brick, where the members of the family promenade or rest in their rocking chairs, and rock and chat and chat and rock for hours at a time. These rockers are a great institution in Cuba ; in some houses we counted thirty and over. Generally these houses run well back, with one wide patio, or hall we would call it. Either at the side of this long extension or through the middle of it, in this patio or hall, are the doors of all the rooms on either side, which are divided into compartments by little stained glass doors, inside of which are larger doors, strong and thick, of wood, and almost with- out an exception these are painted either a pale blue or else white, with pale blue trimmings. In fact, every house in Cuba has blue paint somewhere, and many have the whole outside and inside of the houses painted a pale blue, with perhaps darker blue facings, or in some cases yellow, green or pink facings ; some houses we saw were painted a bright yellow and the wood work a dark blue. One house our eyes fairly gloated over was pale blue, pink around windows and doors, the doors themselves green, blinds yellow, and a few minor combinations, which to our stolid, practical eyes were quite over- powering. While residing in Cuba we lived close by the sea. The shore, or play 'a, as it is called, is very rocky, and when a storm, or siclon, is on hand, this beetling western coast of Cuba is a sight to behold. Great yellow-green waves dash up and over the banos (bathing) AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. 251 houses, and creep into the play a till quite near fences and houses and threaten a little inundation. The wind is terrific at these times, some- times houses being blown down. We noticed after one of these siclons a large buoy which had done duty for nearly one hundred years, by its appearance, as shells, stones and such like were embedded in the underpart and a hard petrified surface around them and over them. This buoy, with its immensely strong chain, had broken from its moorings and the force of the waves had landed it on the play a over a hundred feet in. We examined the great pear-shaped iron monster, and touched it with reverence as I thought, Who constructed it? In what age did busy machinists rivet these divisions together ? Not one whit the worse for all those years of tossing and tumbling ocean wear, but the makers likely being long ago laid away. Havana is a city of probably 250,000 inhabitants more or less, including Spanish soldiery in large numbers. The latter are constantly kept in Havana and in all the forts around the city, and in the island to protect Spanish interests. The celebrated " ten years' war," from 1868 to 1878, is often referred to in conversation, especially since the beginning of this revolution, which commenced in February, 1895, and is still raging to the detriment of Spain's peace and prosperity. From the suburb in which we resided, the insurgents at one time were only fourteen miles distant, and many villages were occupied by the rebel forces. One village called "Wirra" was entered, the church burned, and many houses also, and people left destitute. One colored family whom we knew, lost home, with their clothing and furniture, and the son who was a bombero (fireman) was taken prisoner by the rebels, along with some thirty others and condemned to death, but through the intercession of the padre of the village, they were pardoned. This man, " Irineo " by name, a fine-looking negro, with soft, gentle manners and sad face, we after- wards saw and sketched, and received this little bit of history from his own lips. A kind family in our suburb helped " Irineo's " mother and sisters to come there, and work was procured for them. Many strange incidents occurred, and are occurring daily in Cuba, in connection with this war. One rather funny incident we laughed over. In the village of St. Nicolas in Pinar del Rio, the rebels entered, and, among other 252 AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. houses visited, the padre's was not exempt. They insisted he must dance till told to stop, also to cry out " Cuba libre! " " Cuba libre ! " (Free Cuba) which the poor priest had to do ; but when allowed to rest, he very pluckily said, that now as he had cried out "Cuba libre ! " they in return should cry out " Vive la Espana ! " which they, in their uproarious state did, with all their might. The rebels in their peregrinations through the country when, sometimes, they could wander unmolested, as the Spanish soldiery could not always be everywhere if they met any person whom they found was in any way helping Spain, took an unceremonious way of stopping any further demonstrations in that line. One incident we heard was about a countryman who was supplying a village with milk, and on his way to deliver it met the rebels. " You must let the people suffer for the want of milk, otherwise you help Spain." These words, if not spoken, were understood by the poor man in the quick action they took, by making him drink all of the milk which he carried. The consequence was the man died. Another case of a man on his way into a village to sell eggs ; the same proceedings were carried out, but whether the man was tougher, or the eggs not so fill- ing as the milk, this man did not die. Many strange stories of similar cases we heard, might be taken with a grain of salt, as we say. A noted bandit was killed in the beginning of this war. His name was Manuel Garcia, well known and feared by all plantation owners and others for his deeds of daring. A price had been set on his head for years. He lived among the mountains and woods of Cuba with his companions, he their chief. His title in Cuba was Rey de los Campos (king of the fields). He was killed in an engagement between the rebels and the Spanish troops. He has many successors, however, and many are the tales of their prowess which were recounted to our wondering ears. Mountain bandit stories of the old world in which we reveled in years gone by, tales of coach stopping, ransoms to be paid for wealthy prisoners, all have their counterpart in the interior of this fair Cuban land. Cuban music is most enchanting and fascinating, but difficult for a foreigner to master. There is a peculiar charm about it. When listening to a Cuban playing his own music one can conjure up all AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. 253 sorts of scenes. Gay young caballeros and senoritas in the dance, fancy sees the rounded arms of beauty raised over the head, with castanets between the taper fingers ; her companion, dark of visage, red sash tied jauntily at one side, a smile on his lip, their light feet tapping the ground airily to the music of the mirimbula wira, or banjo. The slow and stately Habanera, with its side-swinging move- ment and witching step ; the heel-tapping zapateo's inexpressible charm ; the quiet vals de pais, which smacks of the country. At balls or club reunions, the Habanera lancers and polka are danced, but our ordinary American or English waltz is very seldom danced. Among the negroes the dance is very strange, several muscles are moved independently from the rest of the body. As the dance continues, several join and dance separately on the floor at the same time, and the strange, queer movements rivet attention, as they bend and twist their bodies into the most fantastic contortions. The population of Cuba was supposed to be about 1,600,000. The yearly yield of tobacco and sugar from the plantations being worth somewhere near $80,000,000. The expense of importing machinery for the running of a plantation is heavy ; the amount expended for that purpose on the island yearly has been about $30,000,000. Before the present war, Cuba was in a fairly prosperous condi- tion, the yield of sugar and tobacco good, although many improve- ments were needed, still many lived in affluence and plenty. On some plantations the yearly yield would be often worth $200,000 or $300,000. Much money was spent on improvements in machinery, in fact there was always something new or more modern to be got every year in the machinery line arid at a great outlay too. On one plantation sometimes 700 or 800 men are employed. An arobas is a measure or weight of 25 pounds and a saco (sack) contains 350 pounds or 14 arobas. Sometimes 200 sacos or 70,000 pounds of sugar cane is ground in one day. Sugar cane grows to the height of loor 12 feet, and sometimes as high as 24 feet; it begins to be cut every December annually, and the cut- ting and grinding and making it into sugar goes on till about the end of April or May. The root of the plant is left in the ground and grows all summer long till December again, when it is ready to be 254 AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. cut. Any piece cut off will grow. Cane is planted in furrows, and a root lasts sometimes eight years and more, in some cases even to forty years. When fertilization is necessary it is done in June or July. A planter often owns several plantations. Life on a plantation runs gaily and contentedly; they live on what the land yields, and when meat is required they have their own mutton, pork, beef, chickens, etc., and wild fowls as a luxury. All kinds of vegetables grow easily and at any time of the year. The negroes and their families who are employed on the estate have their small houses in a cluster a little village of their own, a store or two, the carpenter's shop, the blacksmith's, and a post-office sometimes. Then there is the house of the superintendent or admin- istrator, the house of the engineer, and the principal one, of course, being the house in which the owner and his family reside, the latter seldom staying there the whole year round ; for in April, when the grinding ceases, they either go to France or some other place in Europe or come to Havana, leaving the house furnished, ready for their return in December. When that time comes, the young people are overjoyed to get out into the country again. One of the common sights in Cuba is a man selling the sugar cane. He sits on horseback with his feet toward the neck of the horse, as paniers, filled with sugar cane, are hung on either side of the horse. The cane when cut up in little pieces is chewed and the sweet sap is very palatable and much liked. It is difficult to obtain outdoor sketches in Cuba, on account of the great heat, the bright glaring sun, the dust and the wind, which latter is sometimes very high. In olden times the city of Havana had a high wall around it Muralla as it is called ; but of late years as the city spread and extended its streets and houses far beyond where the wall used to be, the consequence being that the muralla has all disappeared. We saw only a small part of it left, and soon that will also disappear. Morro Castle is the principal fortress in the island, situated in a commanding position at the entrance to the harbor of Havana. A pic- turesque looking old fort is the Castillo de la Chorera about a mile or more out of Havana, nearly one hundred years old. The fort of Santa Clara is on a high bluff, half way between the Morro and the Castillo- AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. 255 We New Yorkers must not think ours is the only Central Park. The street on which the Hotel Inglaterra is situated is called " the Prado," a fine wide, lengthy street, boulevarded, and beau- tiful shade trees on either side of the centre part, which is raised about two feet from the road level, and that raised part is used by promenaders ; between that and the pavement on both sides is a space wide enough for carriages to pass each other ; in the promenade, seats are placed at intervals, and opposite the Hotel Inglaterra is Central Park, where seats are arranged, and every evening when the band plays, the place would remind one of our Mall in our Central Park when music is on hand. All classes mingle to listen to the music, many beautiful faces peep out from under lace mantillas and black eyes flash, as all seem to enjoy thoroughly the entrancing strains and the gay crowds. A fine statue ornaments this part of the Prado, it is the statue of the Queen Isabella of Spain. There is also the Indian statue a little further on in the Parque de la Indie. The Albear statue, at the entrance of O'Reilly and Obispo streets, was erected in memory of Francisco Albear, who built the fine aqueduct and water-works of Havana. There are several fine modern hotels in Havana, the Pasage Inglaterra, Hotel Roma and others, and these are crowded with visitors from all parts of America and other countries,'who spend the winter annually there on account of the exceedingly mild tempera- ture. But within the last three years visitors are scarce, as this war keeps many away. Our visit to Cuba was of nearly three years duration, but the time flew by on golden wings of happiness among the kindest of friends, who were never weary of expressing to la Americana their love and sincerity. On leaving the island one has to get his passport signed by the Spanish official and also by the American Consul, or English, etc., as the case may be ; and a doctor appointed by government for the pur- pose has to be interviewed for five days in succession previous to leaving, and the patient has to be examined as to whether or not he has had yellow fever, and if the vaccination mark has recently been done. If the patient has not had yellow fever he receives a red 256 AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN CUBA. ticket, which portends he has to remain in Quarantine at New York for twenty-four hours the Quarantine being Hoffman's Island ; but if he has had the fever, and has recent marks of vaccination, he receives a white ticket, which means he can sail right up to the wharf along with the ship's other passengers. In our case we received a red ticket, as we had not contracted the fever. We were sorry when the time arrived for us to leave, glad to get home, but loth to part with our hospitable and kind friends and Cuba's lovely climate. But good-byes and adios had to be said, and by the aid of the little bates we sailed safely up a quarter of a mile to where the large steamer " Vigilancia " was waiting, and getting on board were shown to our stateroom. And as the vessel sailed out of the harbor, passing close under the shadow of the huge frowning rock on which Morro Castle is built, we looked up at the tower, so far above even the masts of our large vessel, and at the prison beyond, where many prisoners likely were confined, and sighed as we thought of the privileges of freedom they were denied, and which we reveled in this perfect day in the springtime of this perfect climate of Cuba. The hospitality and uniform kindness of the Cubans is well known, and once a friend always a friend is the rule and not the exception in this land of romance, music, poetry, beauty in form and feature, heroism, land of soft ocean breezes, hot sun beating down on land and sea, of far away ocean haze, under opal skies. Cuba, thou art indeed u a pearl in the ocean." On our voyage to New York we experienced a hailstorm as we neared Cape Hatteras, the first touch of frost we had seen or felt since we left New York. As our red ticket proclaimed, we were detained at Quarantine for twenty-four hours, where we were treated most kindly and every attention shown to us, even though we were a suspect, Hoffman Island being only for suspects ; but if any disease develops he is taken at once to North Brothers Island. 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