The Key West Citizen Newspaper, June 26, 1953, Page 7

Ybor City Plans National Historic Shrine In Honoi Of Jose Marti; art Key West Played In Fight For Freedom Of Cuba Is Revealed Lovering Tells Of Bringing Foreigners To Key West To End Strikes In Cigar Factories Here BY FRANK W. LOVERING TAMPA, June — That famed House in Tampa’s Ybor City where the Cuban patriot, Jose Marti, did so much of the planning which brought about the freeing of Cuba from the yoke of Spain, may be- come a national historic shrine. Senator George Smathers of Florida has just informed Earl Mul- Jen of Tampa, executive director of the Pan-American Commission of this city, that he has found encouragement in Mullen’s plan to pre- serve the building. Senator Smathers said ‘‘we are making headway, but it will probably be months before we get a final answer from the authorities in Washington. We have not been turned down, but a great deal of painstaking and careful work must be done.” Assistant Secretary of the Inter- for Orme Lewis has written Mr. | national program of Historie Con- Mullen that Mullen’s proposal to | servation.” create the Marti shrine “is an in-! the Interior Secretary points out teresting ~~ and will be given that “these criteria are necessary careful consideration. | considerations as it frequently hap- Any proposition for a national) pens that an important historic historic shrine must undergo rigid | hyjlding has been marred by later examination. The Historic Sites | construction, its surroundings rend- Act (49 Statute 66: August 21,/ ered unsightly by commercial or 1935) provides “that the proposed | other developments, or it is so re- site must be recommended by the | motely situated that public access Advisory Board on National Parks, | Historic Sites, Buildings and Mon- uments.” Ordinarily this board convenes | but twice a year. Spring and Fall. The Interior Secretary advised | Mullen to put together an illustrat- ed report including the history of the Marti House, its location and present condition, upon receipt of which the National Park Service “will be happy to make whatever further investigations are neces- sary to determine whether the pro- | posal should be submitted to the Advisory Board for consideration.” In addition to the requirement that a building must have national significence, there are other sub- to it is extremely difficult.” The suggestion of a national | shrine in the Marti House is fur- ther complicated by its internation- al aspect which would involve the possible participation of Cuba. In view of this, Interior Secretary Lewis says, “I am asking the Na- tional Park Service to discuss this matter with representatives of the State Department iu order to ob- tain the.r views with regard to the propriety of the undertaking.” The inter - relationship of Key West and Tampa’s Ybor City where the Marti House is situated, is ap- parent to all who study the thril- ling story of what the young Cuban patriot did to free his island from the Spanish rule, Marti worked between Key West, Tampa and New York City in car- the site; another has to do with its|rying out-his daring plan. The “immediate surroundings,” and a|cigarmakers’ strike at the Seiden- third “‘its possible usefulness in a|berg factory in Key West, brought stantial requirements: One of these | is with regard to the “integrity” of Made by Williams yer, Horatio S. Rubens, for more than 30 years in touch with inter- national ‘and internal affairs hav- ing to do with Cuba and the Unit- ed States. In Cuba he was hailed as “El gran amigo de Cuba,” and was known as the island’s adopted son although an American citizen and sole survivor of the Cuban Revolutionary Junta. Until the Seidenberg strike there had been no Spanish cigarmakers in Key West, Authorities came to believe that importation of Spanish cigar workers to supplant the Cu- bans would quickly restore peace in Key West. But when the Spanish reached Key West they proved a two-fold menace, Such importation clearly violated the immigration laws of the United States, but local Feder- al Authorities seemed to pay no attention, presumably because feel- ing had been artfully aroused which was proof enough against the out- raged protest of Key West citiz- ens. Reprisals were to be expected | | but soon another group of Spanish | cigarmakers was landed at Key West from Havana. The Key West Cubans continued their bitter ob- jections but the local Federal auth- orities ignored them. Two Cubans | | were jailed but no facts could be! |learned as to why this was done. j The ‘Cubans knew they had com- mitted no unlawful acts but it soon became obvious that they were be- ing held to cow the ardor of their fellow Cubans, to the end that it) might be considered ‘just as well’ by the whole Cuban .population of the Island City not to hit back for | the replacement on Cuban by Span- ish labor. Cuban leaders believed the law must be invoked and word was hurried to New York to Jose Marti, leader of the Revolutionary Party. “Spain had representatives every- where and the Spanish Govern- ment was reeking with spies,” Horatio S. Rubens wrote in his dramatic book, “Liberty,” publish- | to that city in 1894 the young law-| ed by Brewer, Warren and Putnam Company, New York. Marti had no doubt but that “the invasion of Cuban rights in Key West would cripple the Re- volutionary Party organization.” Rubens told Marti he would be glad to go and take over. “When can you start?” asked eagerly. “Tonight!” Rupvens replied, And the young lawyer went. The dock at Key West was crowded with Cubans “‘to see the man Marti sent.” They sized him up as “‘too young for the business.” But a spokesman for the Cubans Marti said, ‘Well, Marti sent him and! the Master knows.” The Key West authorities believ- ed the Cubans could do nothing; that without counse! they were beaten, distraught by the force of the economic blow the Spanish im- Portees brought against their trade. Lynching was anticipated and a plan was hastily made to throw a cordon of Cuban ‘Shock troops” around the jail where the two countrymen were held, threats were made against Rubens but he persisted in his plan, demanded a} speedy trail for the prisoners. A time was set for the trial but neither complainant nor witnesses showed up. The two men freed and put. aboard a steamer that night for Tampa. Marti was happy over the out- come of this hostile procedure and bemoaned “these Americans meddling in our affairs.” He in- sisted on going to Key West, fear- ful he would be thought a coward if he did not go. The lawyer, Ru- bens, pleaded with him not leave New York, but he finally com- promised and seexing shelter of his revolutionary headquarters in | Ybor City, Marti agreed to meet Rubens at Port Tampa. Rubens was on his way to Washington. Rubens went on to Washington and was met there hy a committee of Key West men, Mayor Robert J. Perry, Hon. Geo:ge W. Allen, ind Jefferson B. Browne. Marti went with them and on the way were | Q. Gresham, Secretary of State. | This was immediately delivered, and contacts were made with At- ‘torney General Richard Olney and eo Secretary John G. Car- | lisle. | These efforts, based on the im- | migration laws, resulted in a Fed- jeral order for the deportation of the Spanish cigarmakers. In the work, Samuel Grompers, president | of the American Federation of La- |bor, took an important part. He had been “greatly aroused by the flagrant violation of the immigra- tion laws at Key West.” The Key West committee return- ed on the same ship that took the attorney, Rubens, back. It was met with a brass band. An open |air meeting followed. Over the |platform blazed a sign praising Jose Marti: ‘‘Hurrah for the young Napoleon!” In front of the Cuban _news- |Paper, “Yara,” was a_ retort | courteous: ‘‘Napoleon has Met His | Waterloo! Welcome the Duke of | Wellington!” | Attorney Rubens said, “I found the dual welcome most embarras- sing.” Upon arrival of the deportation warrants, they were served along with writs of Habeas Corpus to | cover each Spaniard. Attorney Ru- | bens appeared at the hearing, and the judge called him as a witness, | Rubens says in his book, ‘The | Baiting was on.” The judge said | the 24-year-old iaywer had “no business to take up the cause of {those Cubans.” Rubens replied that as an attorney with permis- sion to practice before the Sup- reme Court of the United States, he certainly had the right to de- fend a criminal in a Federal court. The judge launched into a tirade charging the Key West Cubans were criminals, raising funds to start a revolution in Cuba under |Marti or anybody else, against Spain. He shouted, “You should all be in jail!” Rubens said then that he realized the real aim of the All Colors BALLERINAS $299 CRISS CROSS STRAP MOCCASIN ‘ $10.95. Life Stride Sanda 8.9 $10.95 Values ... Life Stride MES H 8.95 All Colors | wrote a memorandum to Walter | court—“to break up, by intimida- | tion, the Marti organization.” The judge then suid Rubens ap- peared to know nothing of the ha- beas corpus case. Rubens said he had not volunteered either as witness or as counsel for the gov- ernment - simply that he had the | legal right to appear in a Federal Court. Rubens cabled Washington that the writs of‘ habeas corpus had been granted. The matter went be- |fore the Appellate Court where it was decided the judge had no right to grant the writs. Ultimate- ly the imported Spamards were re- | turned to Cuba. | But when that victory was won the Cubans decided to remove a number of important cigar fac- tories to Tampa -- to the great de- | triment of Key West - which the | Cubans were loath to leave. One. of them said to Attorney Rubens: “We practically founded | this city. We are proud of its growth. We cherished it because | we could almost see our native | | Cuba from its shores. Our children | were born here; our dead are bur- | ied here, but we have been so badly treated that we will now abandon the city of our hopes and sorrows, and move on as our self- | respect demands.” “This sentiment,” wrote Attor- | ney Rubens, “aroused in the local | Federal officials nervous qualms. | Before I left Key West some of | them asked what would happen to . After all, the com-; munity had been swayed as a! whole by a few hotheads and a, few venal politicians, and it would have been extremely difficult if not impossible for the officers to | stand out against such a situation. Marti’s work with his organiza. tion continued. Years later his ef- | forts were crowned with success. | | behind the wheel of j}two tons of metal Friday, June 26, 1953 By RELMAN MORIN (For Ha! Boyie) NEW YORK (P—if the | believe it would be fou traffic accidents ure not the r of speed, lack of judgment, d ing, or driving with one arm aroun a doll. Each of these undo tributes to the gran But, in my book, the top cause for tragedy on the highway is plain lack of courtesy. Something queer seems to hz pen to many people when thi an a bile. The same man who will litely hold the door for a lady struggle to get his hat off crowded elevator, takes a str the-hell-with-you-J ack attit he starts down the roa jalopy. Anybody know why? For one thing, I suppos jin a sense of power. To b red horses and engenders a direct a couple hun: sense of release. There are many who feel frustrated, inadequate for harsh worid For them, perhaps, an automobile is the great equalizer. The little man who takes a beat- ing in his office, and will be nagged and pushed around by the bride when he gets home, is on even terms with princes and_po- people today insecure, and | tentates once he starts down the road. ~All the inferiorities, suppressed emotions, and plain spite seem to THE KEY WEST CITIZEN Because so much of his planning | surface then. This, I think, is the was done in the little Tampan! house in Ybor City, it is proposed | to make of it a National Shrine. | Most of Greece can be seen from | the top of Mount Olympus. BE HERE EARLY — DOORS OPEN AT $ A.M. 510 FLEMING STREET. KEY WEST explanation for the commoner forms of highway nuisances, to wit: The road-runner—This is the guy who can’t stand having anybody in front of him. If yur start to pass Page 7 HAL BOYLE SAYS to his h is us’ let him stay in fr race you to the next curve front-oaly dird—He has above the wind- ey are He never , on a crowded at 56-plus, he will without a sec- mes he never lives to have another, either—but r does the driver beside him. corner-cutter — Center lines away mean nothing to curve. he is too lazy d ng across into ne of traffic going the other May he r in peace under at quiet headstone. Space does not permit listing all the menaces. CANBERRA, Australia “—For- eign Secretary Richard G. Casey told Korean President Syngman Rhee in a personal message Thurs- day, “Australians are greatly shocked by your actions in releas- ing prisoners held by the United Nations Command.” “Your action has jeopardized ne- gotiations in which we have been engaged for two years,” the mes- sage said. Casey urged Rhee to reconsider his action and desert from a re- ported intention of drafting re leased prisoners into the Scuth Ko- rean forces. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CITIZEN GLOBE SHOE STORE By Honey Debs and Williams