The San Francisco call., 1906-10-08
CONDITIONS IN CUBA
ARE DESCRIBED
Cause Of the Revolutionary
Outbreak Due to Sudden
Action of the President

A few words on the situation from
Talcott Williams, well-known writer
in the New York Outlook, will be of in
terest President Palma, after hav-
ing led the revolution. and being, the
choice of its leaders for President. al
lied himself with the Moderates in jan
uary and February of 1905. He had
previously been considered the head of
the Liberals or the Nationalists. who had
carried on the revolution. His change
of association was so sudden and con-
sidered so radical that 1t was followed
by the resignation OF his Cabinet. by
the selection of a new body Of admin
istrators, and this in turn by the whole
sale removal over the entire island of
municipal officers who represented the
Liberal party in peace and the revolu-
tionary army in the period which sue
ceeded the rising Of 1895.
In Spanish countries the ballot Is but
a convenient means for exercising pow
er. When the register OF votes in
Cuba, prior to the September election
for President, rose to 49,. .000-over a
quarter OF the population. and fully
one-half larger than any possible num-
Der of voters-it was clear to every
one that the election in Cuba was set
tied before a single vote was cast. The
Liberal party recognized the situation
by withdrawing its candidate, Jose
Miguel Gomez, staying away from the
polls and organizing for revolution.
The Liberal party. which elected a
Speaker in the previous House, 29 to
26 chose no member in the new. A
rising in August. 1905. and another in
December failed The present upris-
ing is more serious
Under Palmas administration the
island has been prosperous, the condi-
tions of peace and internal order being
highly conducive to a better state of
affairs than had existed for long time,
while a large amount of American
money. estimated at $50. 100000. had
been taken into the country and in
vested in sugar and tobacco planta-
tions and in building railroads. All
this made prosperity for all who were
in business and would work in~some
established industry.
That President Palma was fraudu-
lently elected IS taken for granted, and
that he is supported by the Conserva-
tives or Moderates, who comprise all
the business classes and property own
ers, who want domestic peace and or
der, is a natural consequence. The Lib
erals, who are the revolutionists, are
all out of office and are deprived of all
possibility to enjoy government patron
age and all the opportunities for gov
ernment graft. They are not of the
business classes, and therefore, the
commercial and Industrial prosperity
which exists in the island brings no
substantial benefit to them, except that
it enables them to forage with greater
ease and to gather their supplies in
greater abundance. It is this prosper
ity, however, which makes a revolution
profitable.
OF course, all the substantial inter
ests in Cuba are on the side of the
Palma government and opposed to rev.
olution. disorder, the laying waste of
the plantations. the plundering of prop
erty holders and the destruction of the
railroads and other public and private
interests.
If President Palma would resign.
some settlement could be reached by
the plenipOtentiaries of the United
States. But he has no idea of resign
ing, and he represents stable and or
derly government. which the United
States must recognize. and which it can
not depose at the demand of the ire
sponsible revolutionists
So long as the Palma administration
remains in office. and. indeed, just as
long as any but the rsvoIutfonists
themselves remain in control, there will
be insurrection and civil war Even
If the chief OF the insurrectionists were
placed in power, that would not pre-
vent his dissatisfied underlings from
rising against him.
If the United States should support
Palma, the revolution goes on and
should the United States undertake
to put it down by force it will be com
mitted to long guerrilla warfare. in
which there viii never be a serious
battle, but only desultory skirmishes
while wholesale robbery and destruc-
tion of property go oh.-New Orleans
Picayune.