Cuba’s final movement for independence began on February 24, 1895.  Under the treaty of Zanjon, executed in 1878, Spain agreed to grant to the Cubans such reforms as would remove their grounds of complaint, long continued.  The Cubans denied that the terms of the agreement had been kept.  Those terms are indicated in a statement submitted by Tomas Estrada y Palma to Richard Olney, then Secretary of State of the United States.  It bore the date of December 7, 1895.  The communication sets forth, from the Cuban point of view, of course, the causes of the revolution of 1895.  It says: 

“These causes are substantially the same as those of the former revolution, lasting from 1868 to 1878, and terminating only on the representation of the Spanish Government that Cuba would be granted such reforms as would remove the grounds of complaint on the part of the Cuban people.  Unfortunately the hopes thus held out have never been realized.  The representation which was to be given the Cubans has proved to be absolutely without character; taxes have been levied anew on everything conceivable; the offices in the island have increased, but the officers are all Spaniards; the native Cubans have been left with no public duties whatsoever to perform, except the payment of taxes to the Government and blackmail to the officials, without privilege even to move from place to place in the island except on the permission of government authority.

“Spain has framed laws so that the natives have substantially been deprived of the right of suffrage.  The taxes levied have been almost entirely devoted to support the army and navy in Cuba, to pay interest on the debt that Spain has saddled on the island, and to pay the salaries of the vast number of Spanish office holders, devoting only $746,000 for internal improvements out of the $26,000,000 collected by tax.  No public schools are in reach of the masses for their education.  All the principal industries of the island are hampered by excessive imposts.  Her commerce with every country but Spain has been crippled in every possible manner, as can readily be seen by the frequent protests of shipowners and merchants.

“The Cubans have no security of person or property.  The judiciary are instruments of the military authorities.  Trial by military tribunals can be ordered at any time at the will of the Captain-General.  There is, besides, no freedom of speech, press, or religion.  In point of fact, the causes of the Revolution of 1775 in this country were not nearly as grave as those that have driven the Cuban people to the various insurrections which culminated in the present revolution.”