Page:Under Dewey at Manila.djvu/109

Rh the great cruelty, and took upon themselves the task of setting matters right. The least interference enraged the Spaniards, and numerous fights followed, and in the end, as I have stated, Spain was stripped of nearly everything. And she has lost more than I spoke of before, too, for she once controlled Mexico, Texas, and what is now New Mexico, California, and Nevada."

"But what has brought about this present trouble?"

"I am coming to that. As years went by, the colonists in Cuba and other islands increased, until the home government had a new element to deal with, for slavery was now a thing of the past. These colonists became tired of paying their heavy taxes to the mother country, especially as they derived no benefits, and so other rebellions broke out, until Cuba was in a state of perpetual war. The hand of Spain was an iron one, however, and could not be shaken off. The colonists were allowed nothing, not even to run their own internal affairs, for every office was filled from Spain, and the taxes became heavier and heavier.

"At last, about three years ago, the Cubans, or a large portion of them, resolved to stand it no longer.