THE CUBA REVIEW 



The penalty prescribed by the old Span- 

 ish law, still in force in Cuba, is severe in 

 such cases, providing a maximum imprison- 

 ment of three years. As the case against 

 Maza appears to admit of no contradiction 

 as to the facts of the assault, it is assumed 

 that in the end he will receive the proper 

 punishment. The annoying feature is that 

 under the Spanish legal practice it is pos- 

 sible to drag out the proceedings to an 

 indefinite length, unless the Cuban execu- 

 tive himself should demand speedy action 

 by the judiciary. 



The Conservative Party disavows any 

 connection with the newspaper El Siglo, 

 started a few days ago. El Siglo is printed 

 in the office of the Conservative newspaper 

 Cuba, and makes the claim that it is itself 

 a Conservative newspaper. 



The government is rushing the prosecu- 

 tion of Maza, IMr. Gibson's assailant. It 

 is expected that his trial will be called up 

 within a third of the time usually required 

 in ordinary cases. 



El Dia. the organ of the Conservative 

 Party, devoted two pages recently to the 

 life of Maza, Secretary Gibson's assailant, 

 showing that he had long been eccentric 

 and was suspected of being insane. 



The anxiety with which President Gomez 

 regards the Gibson affair was made evident 

 on September 1st when he sent a personal 

 message to President Taft, expressing his 

 regret that the American charge d'affaires 

 had been assaulted liy a foolish irrespon- 

 sible person, and declaring that the man 

 would be severely and rapidly punished. 



The public prosecutor has asked the 

 Audencia Court to impose a penalty of 

 four vears and two months on ^laza. 



Request 



from 



Diploniafs 



Sr. Fosalba, minister from 

 Uruguay and dean of the 

 Diplomatic Corps, handed 

 to Secretary of State San- 

 guilly on September 4th a 

 note, the contents of which is a united re- 

 quest from all the diplomats in Havana 

 accredited to Cuba that the Cuban govern- 

 ment take up measures to prevent further 

 attacks by the Cuban press on Mr. Gibson, 

 the American minister, or on other diplo- 

 mats. 



Sr. Sanguilly conferred with the secre- 

 tary of justice and other eminent lawyers 

 in an effort to find if any Cuban law 

 existed whereby the state could proceed 

 against newspapers attacking diplomats. 

 But the lawyers informed him that there 

 was no such law. With a view of making 

 every effort to prevent future similar at- 

 tacks, Sr. Sanguilly called all editors to 

 him to show them the danger to the coun- 

 try caused by such attacks, and to obtain 

 their promise not to make them in the 

 future. 



Sra. America Arias de Gomes. 

 Wife of President Gomez. — La Bohemia, Havana. 



At present, real property in 

 Real Cuba is not subject to any 



Estate tax on its value, but its 

 Taxes rental value is taxed 4 per 



cent in rural and 8 per cent 

 in urban districts. This being the case it 

 costs a big landlord nothing at all to hold 

 half a province in a state of wilderness, 

 while general advancement of the country 

 and not his own co-operation in it. increases 

 its valuation. On the contrary the moment 

 he makes such a wilderness of use, the 

 state penalizes his industry by way of a tax 

 on income obtained. The far-reaching evil 

 results of this system are evident in the 

 condition of the Cuban people to-day : the 

 Cuban provincial is a squatter in his own 

 land, his home a temporary shack and his 

 most treasured possession a horse to carry 

 him away when the rightful owner shall 

 discover and eject him from the shack and 

 the field where he has wasted time scraping 

 up a little crop with his crooked stick plow. 

 — La Gloria Ciibaii-Aiiicrican. 



A Herald despatch of Sep- 



Against tember 9th says that several 



Discrimina- manufacturers of Massa- 



tioii chusetts, Pennsylvania and 



New Jersey have filed a 



joint protest and claim for damages with 



the State Department in Washington 



against abuses and discriminations in Cuban 



custom houses and ask that a special comr 



mittee investigate. , \, 



