. The prefectura has a secretary
and assistants. Then follow the sub-prefecturas, of which there are
generally from four to eight in each prefectura.

The Lieutenant-Governor is the intermediary between the Governor and the
prefectura. Besides his executive functions the prefecto has judicial
power. He records all contracts between citizens, including marriages.
He has the power to form a jury and to try all cases, from the simplest
intrigues to those of spies guilty of treason, whenever the cases cannot
be submitted to court-martial.

Every portion of territory possessed by the Cubans is subject to civil
order. The minutest detail is so accurately and delicately balanced
that, though the thoroughness for which the civil officers are even now
adroitly working has not yet been attained, the whole governmental
machinery is in harmonic operation.

The facts which I have set down relative to the geographic distribution
of the government I have myself seen. I spent much time in the saddle on
the march with Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, who, as Governor of Oriente,
conducts the affairs of state in the saddle. With him I visited the
prefectural workshops and many well-managed prefecturas. I saw much
rearranging and readjusting of these functions by the Governor.

Almost the first thing the Governor said to me at our first meeting at
Baire Arriba, was: "I have been wishing for months that I could get hold
of an American newspaper man to show him the inside of the revolution.
The American people don't know how strong we are. They have no way of
finding out. Now I will show you our civil government as it is in
operation." We visited the medical posts--"drug-stores" as the Cubans
call them--the tanneries, workshops, and the various officials,
including the tax-collector.

Supplementary to the regular lines of civic routine are other branches
of organization necessitated by the war. The most important of these is
that of the tax-collector. The State tax-collector has as many
subordinate officers as the Governor. Taxes are levied on those engaged
in commercial pursuits. This commerce is, of course, only internal. The
levying of taxes and the subsequent shipment of Spanish money to the
United States for use by the Junta has created great scarcity of money
among the insurgents. The schedule in effect when I was with chief
tax-collector Tomas Pedro Grinan, in February, was as follows:

Coffee and cocoa 4 pesos per 100 pound