Cuba, Old and New | Page 9

of such a system appeared in the activities of
smugglers. The extent to which that industry was carried on cannot, of
course, be even guessed. Some have estimated that the merchandise
imported in violation of the laws equalled in value the merchandise
entered at the custom houses. An official publication (American) states
that "from smuggling on a large scale and privateering to buccaneering
and piracy is not a long step, and under the name of privateers French,
Dutch, English, and American smugglers and buccaneers swarmed the
Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico for more than two centuries,
plundering Spanish flotas and attacking colonial settlements. Among
the latter, Cuba was the chief sufferer." Had Cuba's coasts been made
to order for the purpose, they could hardly have been better adapted to
the uses of smugglers. Off shore, for more than half its coast line, both
north and south, are small islands and keys with narrow and shallow
passages between them, thus making an excellent dodging area for
small boats if pursued by revenue vessels. Thoroughly familiar with

these entrances and hiding places, smugglers could land their goods
almost at will with little danger of detection or capture.
Another heavy handicap on the economic progress of the island appears
in the system of taxation. Regarding this system, the Census of 1899
reports as follows:
"Apart from imports and exports, taxes were levied on real and
personal property and on industries and commerce of all kinds. Every
profession, art, or manual occupation contributed its quota, while, as far
back as 1638, seal and stamp taxes were established on all judicial
business and on all kinds of petitions and claims made to official
corporations, and subsequently on all bills and accounts. These taxes
were in the form of stamps on official paper and at the date of
American occupation the paper cost from 35 cents to $3 a sheet. On
deeds, wills, and other similar documents the paper cost from 35 cents
to $37.50 per sheet, according to the value of the property concerned.
Failure to use even the lowest-priced paper involved a fine of $50.
"There was also a municipal tax on the slaughter of cattle for the
market. This privilege was sold by the municipal council to the highest
bidder, with the result that taxes were assessed on all animals
slaughtered, whether for the market or for private consumption, with a
corresponding increase in the price of meat.
"Another tax established in 1528, called the derecho de averia, required
the payment of 20 ducats ($16) by every person, bond or free, arriving
in the island. In 1665 this tax was increased to $22, and continued in
force to 1765, thus retarding immigration, and, to that extent, the
increase of population, especially of the laboring class.
"An examination of these taxes will show their excessive, arbitrary, and
unscientific character, and how they operated to discourage Cubans
from owning property or engaging in many industrial pursuits tending
to benefit them and to promote the material improvement of the island.
"Taxes on real estate were estimated by the tax inspector on the basis of
its rental or productive capacity, and varied from 4 to 12 per cent.

Similarly, a nominal municipal tax of 25 per cent was levied on the
estimated profits of all industries and commerce, and on the income
derived from all professions, manual occupations, or agencies, the
collector receiving 6 per cent of all taxes assessed. Much unjust
discrimination was made against Cubans in determining assessable
values and in collecting the taxes, and it is said that bribery in some
form was the only effective defense against the most flagrant
impositions."
Some of the experiences of this period will be considered in special
chapters on Cuba's alleged revolutions and on the relations of the
United States to Cuba and its affairs. One point may be noted here. The
wave of republicanism that swept over a considerable part of Europe
and over the Western Hemisphere, from 1775 to 1825 had its direct
influence in Spain, and an influence only less direct in Cuba. In 1812,
Spain became a constitutional monarchy. It is true that the institution
had only a brief life, but the sentiment that lay beneath it persisted and
had been repeatedly a cause of disturbance on the Peninsula. Something
of the same sentiment pervaded Cuba and excited ambitions, not for
national independence, but for some participation in government. A
royal decree, in 1810, gave Cuba representation in the Cortes, and two
deputies from the island took part in framing the Constitution of 1812.
This recognition of Cuba lasted for only two years, the Constitution
being abrogated in 1814, but it was restored in 1820, only to cease
again three years later. Representatives were again admitted to the
Cortes in 1834, and again