THE CUBA REVIEW 



The National Maine Monu- 

 The Maine ment, erected to commemo- 

 Monument rate the martyrdom of the 

 Unveiling officers and men of the bat- 

 tleship "Maine," who went 

 to their deaths when the warship sunk in 

 Havana harbor on February 15, 1898, was 

 unveiled May 30th in New York City with 

 an impressive ceremony. 



The Maine dedication ceremonies stiarted 

 May 29th with the arrival in the Hudson 

 of the gunboat "Cuba," bearing the Cuban 

 representatives for the unveiling. It was 

 the first time that a warship flying the flag 

 of Cuba visited New York, and when she 

 arrived at her anchorage, under escort of 

 the "Yankton," the "Wyoming" and the 

 other flagships fired a national salute of 

 twenty-one guns in her honor. The "Cuba" 

 saluted the American flag as she passed 

 Governors Island. 



The Cuban government had sent to New 

 York its famous military band of eighty 

 pieces and this band marched in the parade. 

 This is the first time it has visited x\merica. 

 The Cuban commissioners at the cere- 

 mony were Manuel de la Vega Calderon, 

 charge d'aff'aires at Washington ; Colonel 

 Jose Marti, representing the army; Com- 

 mander Quevedo, representing the navy; 

 Consul General Mariano Rocafort, Luis 

 More y del Solar, commander in chief of 

 Cuba's artillery ; Felipe Pazos and Jvaquin 

 Torrabas. 



In the course of an address at the un- 

 veiling. Ex-President William Howard 

 Taft had the following to say about Cuba : 

 "Out of the Spanish war came the Re- 

 public of Cuba. Prophecies of impending 

 danger to it if a change of administration 

 in the United States were to come had 

 be?n freely made, but in the last year one 

 President of the United States had peace- 

 fully given over his office to his successor 

 and the Cuban people had successfully met 

 the test. 



"Cuba is our foster child. As she errs 

 in the childhood and youth of her national 

 life we must bear with her and aid her. 

 Again and again it has been said, and 

 without a thought of the new responsibili- 

 ties and the new burdens we would have 

 to assume and the plighted fate we would 

 have to break, that if Cuba again stumbles 

 and the United States is obliged to inter- 

 vene to prevent a fratricidal war and great 

 disaster, then we must end the republic 

 and take over the island within our juris- 

 diction and protection. This is said with- 

 out regard for our parental relation to 

 her, and our continuing duty to help her, 

 and to be patient with faults that may be 

 expected in her struggles to govern her- 

 self." - 



The Governor of Maine next spoke, and 

 following him Sr. Calderon, of the Cuban 

 legation at Washington and one of the 



The great American people are lavishly entertain- 

 ing the Cuban army which is visiting their country. 

 El gran pueblo aniericano festeja con efusion al 

 Ejercito Cubano que visita su nacion. 



representatives "^f the Cuban government 

 at the unveiling ceremonies. Sr. Calderon 

 also read a message from the president of 

 the Cuban War Veterans to the American 

 veterans of the war, and sprung a stir- 

 prise on the assemblage when he presented 

 to Gen. Wilson his government's check for 

 $1,000 as Cuba's contribution to the Maine 

 monument fund. 



The thanks of Cuba for the cordial re- 

 ception given its representatives at the 

 dedication of the Maine Memorial Monu- 

 ment in New York City are conveyed in a ' 

 dispatch received June 4th by the Secretary 

 of State from Sr. Cosme de la Torriente, 

 Secretary of State of Cuba. The message 

 is as follows: 



"Permit me to convey to you the satis- 

 faction felt by all the official and social 

 elements of the republic at the brilliant 

 and friendly reception of the representa- 

 tives and forces of the army and navy of 

 Cuba who attended the dedication of the 

 Maine Monument in the City of New York. 



"As your telegram to the authorities of 

 the State and City of New York, recom- , 

 mending most solicitously the reception of' 

 the Cuban commission, contributed without 

 doubt to so cordial a demonstration, 1 beg 

 you to accept the expression of the sincere 

 gratitude of our President, government 

 and people." 



