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(HIST)(CUBA) Cuba and Spain - A Historical Sketch by Alfred Emanuel Smith. New
Outlook, vol. 58, p 909 (1898)

Cuba and Spain: A Historical Sketch

THE present critical condition of Cuban affairs makes it appropriate to take a brief
retrospect of the causes which produced that condition. Broadly speaking, it may truly be
said that the history of Cuba is. one continuous story of misgovernment. Since Cuba's first
settlement by Spaniards in 1511, Spain has regarded it as a source of income rather than
an integral part of its kingdom, 1 Columbus called it " the most beautiful land that eyes
ever beheld." lis fertility is no less than its beauty, but its immense productive power has
been only half developed. In early days it was constantly threatened by filibusters and
buccanerrs, and its trade was carried on by a single chartered company. In 1762 England
held Havana for ten months, and under an open trade system Cuba's commerce increased
in those ten months many fold. A similar result followed in 1818, when Spain for a short
time adopted a liberal trade policy. As a rule, however, the Spanish policy has been to
discriminate against the commerce of Cuba, to wring the last coin possible in the way of
taxes, and, worst of all, to inflict upon the unhappy island a long series of Governors
whose only aim was to get rich as soon as possible and return to Spain. It is common talk,
for instance, that General Weyler was much more anxious to enrich himself than to
conquer the insurgents. Weyler's predecessor, General Campos, and the present Governor,
General Blanco, are both far superior personally to the average CaptainGeneral sent out by
Spain.

Spanish cruelty extinguished the Indian population within half a century of the island's
discoveryj Negro slavery was soon introduced, and Havana became a great center of the
slave trade. Half a million slaves were brought to Cuba in the first half of this century. In
1844 and 1^48 there were frightful negro insurrections. Slavery was absolutely abolished
only as late as 1886, though for some years before it was being gradually done away with.
Roughly speaking, nearly a third of the population to-day is of negro descent. The whites
are almost all of Spanish descent, but the Cuban people have become to a large extent a
separate race, and the late-coming Spanish official class is looked upon by the great body
of natives something

as our Southern whites looked upon the " carpctbaggeis" in the reconstruction period. The
total population is about 1,650,000. More than once there has been a political movement
in the United States lookipg to the purchase of Cuba, and at least once(1848) an actual
cash offer was made to Spain; the idea of assimilating Cuba was naturally a favorite one
with our slaveholding States. American filibusters took an active part in the Cuban
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rebellion of 1849, which was put down in about two years.

The war now going on is the second really formidable Cuban war for independence. The
so-called " ten years' war " really lasted nearly twelve years. SeQor Cespedes was the
President of the so-called Republic. Gomez, Maceo, and others of the generals famous in
the present war were leaders. The " ten years' war " was carried on in a desultory way,
though with occasional severe fighting. One by one the insurgent bands were dispersed
and their leaders killed or driven into exile. Bribery played a large part in ending the war.
Its close left Cuba overwhelmed with debt and in a wretched commercial and industrial
condition. Promises were made by Spain that Cuban interests should be regarded, but
what little reform was put into effect soon fell into disuse.

Soon the old policy of Spain was in full force; she sent out hordes of Spanish
officeholders bound only to make fortunes and return ;]places were found in government
offices, the customs, and in commerce for thousands of young Spaniards, who became a
class by themselves—that from which the much-talkedof Havana Volunteers is drawn. '•
The Cubans," says Mr. Murat Halstead, " became the victims of endless rapacity; each
swarm of flies, when gorged, giving way to another, each equal to its predecessors in
greedy appetites and profligacy at the expense of the people, who, as a last resort, rebel
and la) waste with fire and sword the island they love." Three-fourths of the office-holders
in Cuba were Spaniards. A military force was kept up by a peculiar conscription which
enrolled a paid force of 50,000 young Spaniards ; Cuba paid the bill; and the young
Spanish "Volunteers," thus paid for militia work, were also unfair competitors for
commercial positions. Taxes became unendurable. Spanish manufacturers were given a
practical monopoly of import trade into Cuba, while Cuban products were put to a
disadvantage in the Spanish markets. Apart from specific complaints, the stirring hope of
national independence had grown throughout the former war, and there was only needed a
leader to set a new one on foot. Agitation was going on constantly, and funds were raised
in the United States.

In the early winter of 1895 local outbreaks occurred, and soon Maximo Gomez, Maceo,
and other leaders landed in Cuba with arms and supplies, and the island was again ablaze.
What followed our readers know : Marshal Campos carried on a campaign honorably but
ineffectually; Weyler began with his famous trocha scheme of penning up the insurgents
in an end of the island, and failed ridiculously; then he formed his plan of concentrating
non-combatants into the cities and practically laying waste the country—but with no result
so far as the insurgents are concerned, and with the terrible effect of starving scores of
thousands of non-combatants and of finally arousing the uncontrollable indignation of the
people of the United States; finally came General Blanco, who has shown a disposition to
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conduct war humanely, but has had no military success. A detailed history of the war is
not called for; there have been few general engagements; two striking incidents have been
the death of the brave Maceo, and the execution of Colonel Ruiz, the Spaniard who tried
to induce the Cuban soldiers to accept autonomy. Of over 200,000 Spanish soldiers sent to
Cuba, more than half have returned invalids or have died. Spain's attempt to establish
autonomy came too late ; a Cuban autonomous government is in existence, but it is almost
without power; the insurgents absolutely refuse to talk of anything but independence.
Senator Proctor's address, summarized in The Outlook at some length two weeks ago.
gives a moderate and true account of the present state of Cuba, too recent and familiar to
need repeating here.

At present in Cuba we find three strong parties—the extreme Spanish element, which is
opposed even to the pretense of autonomy now in operation and cares nothing for Cuba's
future or for Cuba at all as distinct from Spain; the autonomists, who once represented an
apparently hopeful policy of such national independent government as now exis's in
Canada and Australia, but have now become reconciled to the hopeless scheme of
autonomy

which is farcically being administered by Spain as a lure to the insurgents to abandon war;
and, finally, the '• Cuba Libre " party, which is in arms and absolutely refuses to listen to
any terms but independence pure and simple. In Havana the first two parties are
undoubtedly in the majority; elsewhere the insurgents have the masses of the people with
them.

It is a mistake to suppose, as many Americans seem to do, that nothing has been
accomplished toward the solution of the Cuban question by pacific measures since the
present Administration came into power. A number of Americans were prisoners in Cuba,
suffering under very severe hardship, some of them under sentence of death. The energetic
protest of the United States Government has secured the release of all of them. A
considerable number of Americans were suffering great destitution owing to the
prolonged civil war. Congress appropriated $50,000 for their relief. Of this $45,000 have
been expended in relieving them, the consent of the Spanish Government having been
obtained. The atrocities of General Weyler. which aroused the indignation of the civilized
world, were protested against in the name of humanity by our Government, and, partly as
a result of that protest General Weyler was recalled, and a more humane and civilized
method of warfare substituted under General Blanco, against whom no charges of cruelty
or dishonor have been preferred. Substantially the whole body of reconcentrados—over
two hundred thousand in number—are being saved from starvation by charity, largely
American. Owing also to our urgency, the decree of General Weyler banishing
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non-combatants from their homes, and shutting them up in what are substantially
prison-yards, has been repealed, and the reconcentrados are gradually returning to their
homes.

We do not here discuss the question whether Cuba, under any modified Spanish
government, or under any independent Cuban government, can have hope of future
prosperity and peace ; nor whether it is the duty of the United States Government to carry
its intervention beyond that of diplomatic mediation ; or whether, in any event, it should
extend its own authority over Cuba, either as a colony, a territory, or an integral part of the
United States. Our object in this article has been simply to give a brief history of the island
down to the present time.

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