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The Cause of Cuba: Autonomist

It is a question of the highest interest and moment whether the war reopened in 1895 was avoidable, and the strongest testimony that it was not, we find in the address to the people of Cuba of the Central Board of the Liberal Autonomist party, which makes the last eloquent plea against war. The address asserted for the party that it had "worked for many years to avoid any future strife, and to prevent anything that might justify or afford pretext for it. The Autonomist party is the depository of the hopes and ideals of the Cuban people." And the further claim was made, "the only party of reasonable opposition that has ever been organized in the country, for which consideration it is now incumbent on us to make a frank statement of our position, and do our best to unite the opinions and feelings of all who have faith in our loyalty and confidence in our patriotism at this time, that while the government is making great efforts to quell the rebellion in its beginning, the whole people and its genuine representatives must also, on their part, help to maintain order and protect the common interests." Then followed this ornate declaration:

The trouble has started just when a new order of things had been established, to which our deputies and senators have contributed with purity and honesty of purpose. The government that presided over this work of peace is not the one that will have to put it into execution. The financial situation, which was most critical for reasons independent of the action of governments, is becoming more complex on account of the expenses and anxiety caused by the war, at the moment that a happy understanding amongst the various local parties seemed to secure in a short time for our threatened sources of wealth, that limited help which, under grave circumstances, can be obtained only from the governing powers by stimulating individual enterprise and the fruitful spirit of association, which will, in the end, affect the salvation of said wealth.

The cry of rebellion has sounded here, having been uttered from abroad at the risk of the lives and property of others, by a group of irresponsible conspirators who have spent many years away from this country, whose real condition is unknown to them, pretending to liberate it from evils which they would not suffer in common with us, in the same manner that they will also shun those that must follow their preposterous and condemnable attempt, and even perhaps the risks to which they may expose the obdurate instruments of their folly; but even in absence of such trouble that is menacing the fundamental interests and the future of this country, our central board would have made it their duty to address the people on the eve of the establishment of a new regime created with the co-operation of our parliamentary representatives in the midst of an atmosphere of benevolence and concord "as they had never met before at the metropolis," and of which they desired to make a loyal testimony in the presence of their compatriots; for as this change in the disposition of mind proves that the suspicions and obstacles which so often had interfered with colonial reforms have begun to disappear in large proportion, it is now quite proper to make it constant that the real Cuban people, in spite of said emigrant conspirators, will reciprocate such rectification in the traditional policy, if the government maintains it in the same spirit of concord and confidence under which it was originated. But it is unquestionable that the actual disturbance primes all other affairs, and must affect every one of them. Even in the probable case that the rebellion be soon overcome with the decided concurrence of public opinion, its pernicious effects must be felt for many years.