RECENT HISTORY.]
CUBA
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heeded. Between the years 1889 and 1893 the sugar in- revolt was that it was not a pronunciamiento of any pardustry increased rapidly. A treaty with the United States ticular leaders, but the spontaneous uprising of people allowing considerable advantages to sugars of Cuban belonging to the lower classes, without distinction of colour. origin was a substantial aid to the situation, and in the At the outset the whites were in the minority, hence the season 1893-94 the output amounted to 1,023,719 tons. mistaken opinion was almost invariably held outside Cuba Prices during this period of expansion had been fairly that the trouble was one of negroes against white men. remunerative. In 1895, however, a change came for the At the beginning of 1895 Spain had in Cuba a garrison worse. The treaty with the United States was denounced, of some 17,000 men, a force amply sufficient to have and Cuban sugars entered only on the same terms as crushed the revolutionary movement had it been enerthose from other foreign countries. The value of sugar getically handled. The officials, however, made hardly any all over the world fell steadily until it reached a price effort to disperse the rebels, whose ranks were rapidly inwhich left little, if any, profit to the producer. The creasing, and before the end of March 1895 it was evident factory owners, who had not had time to recoup themselves that serious trouble was in store for Spain. The Madrid for the money which they had laid out in improvements, Government raised the garrison of Cuba to a strength of began to feel the strain severely, and numbers of the 30,000, and appointed General Martinez Campos as Captaincane-growers abandoned their fields. As the economic General of the island. After his arrival in Cuba in April, crisis developed, real misery and hardship began to be General Campos found that his hands were tied by the many restrictions imposed from home, and that he would felt in nearly every district. The Government of Spain so far recognized the danger not be permitted to declare in force the Abarzuza reforms of the situation as to consider seriously the acceptance of until the insurrection was suppressed. The Spanish troops some measure of reform. Senor Maura brought forward were in a demoralized condition, and the character of the in the Cortes a project for restricted home rule for Cuba, eastern portion of Cuba made military operations difficult. On April 21, Antonio Maceo, who afterwards played so but after long discussion it was rejected. A scheme of modified local government was then introduced by Senor important a part in the revolt, landed at Duabi, and Abarzuza and accepted; but this acceptance did not entail shortly afterwards was followed by Maximo Gomez, acits immediate application to Cuba and Porto Rico, as the companied by Marti. Maceo was a mulatto, and his pregeneral public was induced to believe would be the case. sence in Cuba at once drew many additional recruits to Indeed, the measure was never applied to the Spanish the insurgent ranks from the coloured population. Maximo West Indian colonies, being delayed on one excuse or Gomez was a native of San Domingo, and had served another until the condition of Cuba had become such that in the Spanish army during the campaign in that island. the concessions proposed were inadequate. When concili- Both Gomez and Maceo had taken part in the insurrection atory measures were tried in the island, a different law of of 1868-78, and won for themselves a considerable amount constitution was promulgated. The opinion generally ex- of prestige. To Gomez was confided the post of Compressed in Cuba was that if Senor Abarzuza’s proposals mander-in-Chief of the rebel forces, while Maceo was had been immediately put in force, the insurrection would appointed next to him in rank. Marti prepared to return not have broken out in 1895, or in any case would not to New York to procure further supplies of arms and have received the widespread sympathy which was accorded ammunition, but on his way to the seacoast he was killed to it. Meanwhile a powerful factor was at work, the in a skirmish with Spanish troops. His death was a severe strength of which was too lightly estimated by the blow to the Cuban cause, but the progress of the rebellion Spaniards. This was in the person of Jose Marti, a clever continued unchecked. In every town in Cuba secret and intelligent man with the gift of oratory to aid him in committees were formed to aid the revolt, and by the his work. Love of Cuba, hatred of Spain, and a desire to month of August Gomez and Maceo had under their orders see the island freed from Spanish domination led him to some 4000 men, and the area of the movement had exdevote his whole life to pleading for the Cuban cause, and tended over the whole of the province of Santiago and the he ended by dying for the country he loved so well, shot greater part of Puerto Principe. Realizing the gravity of down soon after the insurrection broke out. Marti began the situation, the Captain-General explained to the home his work of organization after the Zanjon Convention had Government that it would be necessary to occupy every been signed. Meetings were held from time to time at province of the island and vigorously attack the insurKey West, Tampa, and all other places where Cuban gents in the field. In response to his demand for reincolonies were established, and funds were collected for forcements, troops were poured into the island, but they the purchase of arms and ammunition. Ultimately Marti consisted mainly of young and raw recruits, and sickness decided to strike before the proposed Abarzuza reforms set in among them to an alarming extent. The wet season, could be promulgated and the hostility of the Cubans to- furthermore, rendered any active operations almost imwards Spain be in any degree modified by the concessions possible. At the close of 1895 the Spanish army in Cuba, including the volunteers and irregular cavalry under arms, granted. Jose Marti had made plans for a simultaneous rising in numbered 100,000 men. The rebel forces had also steadily the provinces of Santiago and Matanzas. In the former increased, and amounted to 10,000, but they were very Outbreak Province 100 persons assembled in the neighbour- imperfectly supplied with arms and ammunition. The condition of the Spanish army was far from satisof the hood of Yara, and on February 23, 1895, took up insurrec- arms under the leadership of Jesus Rabi. The factory. The men were obedient and cheerful, but were ti°a. movement in Matanzas was attempted on the young, inexperienced, unacclimatized, poorly fed, and same day, but was mismanaged at the start and suppressed badly looked after. No attempt was made to instruct for the moment. The Government from the first under- officers or men in their duties, or to improve the musketry estimated the sympathy of the public with the outbreak, practice. The officers were generally ignorant of the topoand declared that it was nothing more than an attempt by graphy of the island, and took no trouble to make proper a few bandits to commit robbery and outrage under the reconnaissances. Such maps as were compiled by order of guise of patriotism. How fallacious was this reasoning the Government were so inaccurate as to be of small soon became apparent from the eagerness shown by people practical value. In these circumstances it is no wonder of all classes in watching the progress of events in Santiago. that the insurgents were able to elude pursuit and conPerhaps the most significant fact in connexion with the stantly to lead the Spanish troops into carefully prepared S. III. — 39
