The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-09-27
TAFT TO MAKE PEACE
viii Settle Questions on Which
Cuban Political Parties
Cannot Agree.
PALMA NOT TO LEAVE OFFICE

Island Executive to Withhold Resisna-
tion Pending Negotiations Between
Moderates and LiberaIs-Taft Threat
ems Military Government - Leaders
Denounce United States.
Havana, Sept 27.-American occu-
patton of Cuba seems likely to be
ayerted Tor the present.
The Moderates (the party In power
have agreed to appoint committee
to negotiate terms of peace with a
committee of the rebels and Liberals,
leaving all points upon which no agree
ment is reached to the arbitration of
the American commissioners. The
Moderates have abandoned the condi-
ton that the rebels must lay down
their arms before negotiations can be-
gin.
Pending these negotiations Presi-
dent Palma will withhold his resigna-
ton.
After this agreement was reached
Secretary Taft said:
'We informed both the Moderates
and the Liberals that unless they We're
willing to listen to reason the United
States must enforce a settlement
told them that a proclamation would
be issued establishing a military gov
ernment in the island, but that this
would continue only so long as neces-
sary to restore order and insure the
holding of new and fair general cleo
tions. 1 made it plain that this mill
tary government would surrender the
conduct of affairs to the persons fair
ly elected as soon as they could fairly
establish themselves"
Moderates Denounoe Uuited States.
The agreement of the Moderates to
treat with the rebels was reached aft
er stormy meeting at which the
American government was denounced
in the most violent terms The meet
ing was held at the residence of Sena-
tor Dolz, president of the senate, and
Vice President Mendez Capote, nearly
all the members of the cabinet and
nearly all the leading senators and rep
resentatives were present, with many
officers of the rural guard in uniform.
Secretaries Taft and Bacon were
angrily accused of partiality for the
rebels, and some shouted that the Mod
crate party should appeal to the pow
ers for protection against the usurpa-
tion of the sovereignty of Cuba by the
United States; that the government
forces should fight to the death rather
than submit to the terms insisted up
on by the rebels. There was plenty of
dynamite In Havana, they said, to de-
stroy foreign property and thus bring
about Intervention by Germany or per
haps by Great Britain
Would Destroy European Property.
1t was suggested that the destruction
of the German bank and the damaging
of English railroad property would
soon result in European intervention
Certain American properties also were
specifically mentioned as convenient
for such attacks. Several speakers
even said that they would prefer Ger
many or Great Britain in Cuba to the
United States
III uSSCIiUluS Tie SltudtlOA OeCIStdTy
Taft said:
1.-THE Moderates determined to force
American Intervention by the resigna-
ton of government officers, thus leav-
ing affairs in our hands. President
Palma chose to regard our suggestions
as demand, and he rejected them en-
phatically. We acquainted Alfredo Ia
yas, the Liberal leader, with the situa-
ton, and he undertook to induce his
associates to consent to the original
proposition of the Moderates--namely
that the insurgents lay down their
arms and submit the entire contro-
versy to the American commission, but.
the rebel commanders and men in the
field suspected insincerity on the part
of the government and declined. The
negro insurgents especially insisted on
retaining their arms until peace was
assured Zayas' report is Indicative of
future trouble with the lawless ele-
ment of the rebels. / feel certain that
a settlement of the trouble is possible
only along the lines suggested by u.s.