CUBA. 



233 



The United States Government was continually 

 called upon to seek redress from Spain for injuries 

 to citizens who were maltreated liy Spanish Soldiers 

 or imprisoned on charges of sedition or sometimes 

 shut a< being guilty of the crime of rebellion. 

 ('apt. -Gen. Weyler. to put an end to the confusion 

 caused by persons who took advantage sometimes 

 of their Cuban birth and sometimes of their Ameri- 

 can naturali/.ation. issued a decree in July ordering 

 all aliens to regiMer themselves. 



Diplomatic Complications. In a note mailed 

 on April !) to the minister at Madrid, the United 



- (Jovernment tendered its good offices to se- 

 cure the cessation of the rebellion on the basis of 

 the reforms promised by the Spanish Government 

 after an interchange of views with the Washington 

 <io\ eminent in 1S70. These reforms included an 

 equitable levy of the taxes of the island, no dis- 

 crimination against native Cubans in the matter of 

 holding office, security of persons and property, 

 the separation of the judiciary from the military 

 authorities, and the granting of greater freedom of 

 religion, speech, and the press. Mr. Olney sug- 



! that if the new Spanish Cortes would frame 

 a measure of home rule that would be satisfactory 

 to Cuban taxpayers this would go far toward re- 

 storing peace. The justification of his friendly ad- 

 vice was the fact that the estates of many Ameri- 

 cans had been damaged by the conflict, and the 

 great and growing commercial interests of the 

 United States in the island were suffering from its 

 continuance. The Secretary of State, in confer- 

 ences with the Spanish minister at Washington, 

 Sefior Dupuy de Lome, expressed the belief that 

 the Cubans and their friends in the United States 

 would withdraw their pecuniary assistance and 

 moral support if the proposed reforms were inau- 

 gurated. Overtures were made by the Vatican, 

 looking to the mediation of the Pope between the 

 Spanish Government and. the insurgent leaders: 

 while the revolutionary Junta declared, through 

 J. Estrada Palma, its American representative, that 

 those who have already established an independent 

 government in Cuba were not concerned with sup- 

 po.-cd reforms, but were resolved to shrink from no 

 sacrifice of property or life in order to emancipate 

 the whole island from the Spanish yoke. The 

 Spanish Government made no direct reply to Mr. 

 Olney's note. A scheme of autonomy was dis- 

 cussed, including an administrative council, half 

 of its members to be appointed and half of them 

 elected from among the officials and the highest 

 taxpayers of the island. Xo reform, however, would 

 be granted or considered until after the insurgents 

 had laid down their arms. The speech from the 

 throne at the opening of the Spanish Cortes, on 

 May 11. announced a measure for establishing in 

 Cuba an administrative and financial department 

 of an exclusively local character, in order to give 

 the country a share in the management of its 

 pecuniary affairs, while maintaining intact the 

 sovereign rights of Spain; but the rebels desired 

 independence, and not local autonomy, and the 

 Government therefore accepted the view of the 

 Captain (Jeneral that the application of reforms 

 would not now contribute to peace, but would re- 

 tard it. The interests, industry, and commerce of 

 Cuba could not prosper with independence: and if 

 the insurrection triumphed Cuba would take a step 

 backward in civilization. The insurrection was 

 said to be declining, and it would already have 

 been stamped out if the insurgents did not receive 

 great and frequent aid from abroad, where public 

 opinion was deceived regarding the political and 

 administrative situation iu Cuba. 



Gen. Weyler issued a decree, intended to give an 

 advantage to the cigar manufacturers of Havana 



over those of the United States, prohibiting from 

 May :><; the export of leaf tobacco to all countries 

 except Spain. The United States consul general 

 protested against the prohibition as in contraven- 

 tion of existing treaties. A modification of the de- 

 cree allowed Americans to export tobacco which 

 they had already purchased. Five American sail- 

 ors captured in the filibuster "Competitor" hav- 

 ing been condemned to death by court-martial, 

 Consul-General Williams demanded a civil trial, 

 which was ordered by the authorities at Madrid in 

 consequence of a threat that the American con- 

 sulate would be closed if the men were shot. Mr. 

 Williams was succeeded by Fit/.hugh Lee. The 

 new consul general arrived in Havana on June 3. 



The Trocha. A new military strong line was 

 established late in March from Majana to Mariel, 

 parallel with the boundary between Havana and 

 Pinar del Rio provinces. This was strengthened 

 until it was fortified through the entire length and 

 guarded by 28,000 troops stationed in forts at in- 

 tervals for the purpose of preventing Maceo's forces 

 f rcm escaping again from Pinar del Rio. Block- 

 houses, forts, and earthworks were erected at the 

 intersections of roads, barbed wire was stretched 

 across the fields, artillery protected the critical 

 points, and the garrisons at all the salient points 

 were in communication with each other by tele- 

 graph and well supported. There were about 10.- 

 000 more regulars operating against Maceo just 

 west of the trocha, divided into flying columns of 

 1.500 or 2,000 men each. In all the" other provinces 

 there were not more than 15,000 regular troops in 

 the field, which left Gomez, Lacret. Jose Maceo, 

 Calixto Garcia, and the other rebel leaders practi- 

 cally unopposed and in full possession of three 

 quarters of the island. The total effective Spanish 

 force at the opening of the rainy season was not 

 more than 100,000 men, fully 25,000 having suc- 

 cuml ed to bullets and disease during the year's 

 fighting and 15.000 being sick or disabled". In 

 spite of the strengthened trocha some of Maceo's 

 bands crossed over into Havana province, where he 

 effectually stopped the grinding of sugar cane as 

 well as in Pinar del Rio. After he had demolished 

 the machinery and stock, on half a dozen planta- 

 tions the planters sent a deputation to Gomez, of- 

 fering to pay a heavy contribution to the Junta in 

 Xew York if they were allowed to harvest their 

 crop, but Gomez would allow none to grind save 

 those with whom the arrangement was made in the 

 beginning. Gen. Arolas afterward made the trocha 

 so strong with barricades, ditches, and forts sup- 

 plied with rapid-firing guns that the rebels could not 

 cross it without great risk and loss. One of the 

 Spanish flying columns, commanded by Col. Debos. 

 was nearly cut to pieces by Maceo's men on April 

 11 at Lechuza. The troops in their advance from 

 Mariel were opposed at every step, and finally, find- 

 ing themselves encircled by 5.000 rebels, retreated 

 to the San Claudio estate and fortified themselves 

 there, and were only saved by the fire of the gun- 

 boat "Alert a" and the arrival of Col. Inclan's column. 

 This disaster to Spanish arms occurred immediately 

 after the repulse of a rebel band that attempted to 

 surprise the garrison at La Palma and obtain for 

 Maceo the arms and ammunition in that town. 



The destruction of plantatirns in April was 

 greater than at any previous period. The Spanish 

 troops retaliated by burning those belonging to in- 

 surgents. Great numbers of country people, in 

 obedience to Weyler's decree, wer.t into the towns, 

 others sent their 'families, and there was much suf- 

 feringtmd destitution. The Spanish commanders 

 ordered cultivators to plant vegetable gardens in 

 the vicinity of the towns to supply the people with 

 food, but the rebels would not allow this. Many of 



