Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-07

made cravat vet with n broad fore
head betokening more than usual IN
tellect, and 81 strong lower Jaw tnat
gave promise Of extraordinary ten
acousness: a gentleman farmer, not
unlike the hundreds of others scattered
throughout the countryside, cultlVat-
ing the twenty or more acres around
his old fashioned white painted home
stead: a typically rural citizen whose
only apparent distinctiVeness consisted
of marked urbanity and fluency of
speech. although, withal, he intruded
neither his politcness nor his conver-
sation upon ones attention.
In Central Valley, just before leaving
for Havana to govern cuba, Whllc
public attention was centered upon him,
President Palma seemed unchanged.
The nciShbors, now that they had dis :
covered a great man in their midst,
We'd with each other to do him honor,
but he received their ovations as he
might have accepted q fat turkey as
a THANKSGIVING day gift. Receptions
and professions and serenades were ar
ranged for his benefit, and he acted
in no wise different from the times
when his pupils had cheered him at
the commencement exercises of the in
stitute. When he made his farewell
speech, after a band of music" and
county militiamen i'm fine uniforms and
a torchlight brigade half mile long
had assembled for the ''send-off," he
spoke as "Schoolmaster Palma of
Central Valley" not as the departing
hero raised above his old friends.
Head Of the Junta
It was in 1895, while the school was
being conducted in it's usual quiet way,
that he was suddenly called upon to
become the head of the junta or group
of men watching over struggling
Cuba's interests in this country. He
let go his work in Central Valley and
came to New York City, establishing
himself in dingy office down in New
street. AS he explained afterward,
the junta did not derive its authority
from the Cuban provisional govern
ment. but was a sort of self-authorized
group, of which he was the head, with
self-awarded powers to act for Cuba
Libre in this or any other country in
any way the members saw fit
When the island was freed the
junta's work was done. Palma with
drew again to Central Valley-and
waited. Undoubtedly he would have
been happy enough if Cuba had never
called him out Of his retirement, but
when it did call he looked upon the
summons as right and proper. He had
spent most OF his life Tor CUBA, and
he was openly glad that Cuba recog-
nized his Services. But he announced
at the beginning that he would not
take the Office of president unless all
the elements of the island would assure
him of their cooperation in putting
the new republic on an honorable
foundation among the nations; that he
stood committed to all the financial
obligations of the revolutionists, and
that, although grateful to the United
states for its work of freeing the ISL
and, he was uAalterably opposed to an
rexation. On this platform he started
his administration as the most popular
man in Cuba. his only real opponents
being the radicals and the ignorant.
In Havana the president leads a life
that is as simple as that he led al
Central Valley, except for the COM
plications necessarily attendant upon
the conduct Of his duties Although
his official residence is the same palace
that was occupied by the Spanish cap
alns-general, he will endure none OF
their display or formalities. In this re-
spect he has been a disappointment to
certain classes of Cubans, who like
society" and remember sadly the gay
days of the old regime. 1t is In def
erence to this element, largely. that
President Palma consents TO have q
single aid accompany him on public
occasions, and to bedeck himself I'm q
military uniform on which practically
the only decorations are the gilded to-
bacco leaf and sugar cane adopted "a
the emblems Of the island. AT first the
president objected even to that mucl
display, but his advisers finally pre-