The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-09-15
PALMA'S HAND
 IS UPHELD Cuban Congress is in
 Session. ARMY PRACTICALLY DOUBLED President Sends Hot Message Scor- ing Political Opponents. Declares that rn"Fsents are Preparing to Prove that People of Island
 are Incapable of Self
 Gov ernment.

I ma, completed at ono sitting this af- I ternoon the business for which 1t was summoned, namely. the granting to | President Palma of the fullest powers Tot already constitutionally possessed 1 by the Executive for carrying on the
 war, including the right to appropri-
 ate any public funds for war purposes.
 revoking appropriations at the pre- | ceding session of Congress. in order l to permit the diversion of the moneys i involved to prosecution of the war. and 1 authorizing increasing of the rural l guards to 10000, and the artillery to 2,o00.
 | This triples the former force of rural guards and doubles the artillery. These measures, which were combined In enc blanket. were passed by party
 votes. the Liberals and Independents refratning from voting and the Liberal
 Nationalists voting with the Moder- I ates.
 President Palma submitted a brief l message deploring the conduct of the opposition. whom he charged with the responsibility of causing the rebellion. The message contained no recommenda- 1 tions beyond suggestions that Congress | approve all recent executive decrees | and take such steps as may be deemed advisable for ending the war. l The President regretted that the first I extra session of the Congress should | have been necessitated by a disturb ance of public order and said that mo- body would have expected that four years after the inauguration of the re- public 1t would have been in the midst of rebellion threatening the stability | of the government, causing the sheer l ity of Cuban professions to be dis turbed by the world and endangering the independence and sovereignty which had been purchased so dearly with the blood of thousands of Cubans after long l years of cruel sacrifices.
 | Who asked the President. would have supposed that with the prosperity of the country and the well being of the peo- pie so advancing with millions In the
 treasury after paying s1s.0o0,0o0 to the army of liberation. and investing sl1,- l 100000 in public Improvements, and I with such splendid credit abroad. there would be Cubans who would conspire | to change the constitutional order, by | placing armed force violence and anar-
 chy, before law, order and peace to the l country's shame and sorrowG I Charges Political Opponents. President Palma charged his politi- | cal opponents with having ever since l the opening of the last election cam paign plotted to use violence and in support of this he instanced the at- | tack upon the rural guards in the l 1 said the opposition had seemed to de- vote themselves to such efforts rather | than to organize effectively for the con test for votes at the next election, as
 was done among people who were &C., customed to the exercise of the boons of liberty.
 He added that those who at the last election used violent methods to At- tain power at all cost are the same who without mercy to their country organized dark and interruptions con- spiracies, using assassination and seek ing to seduce the army of the republic from It's loyalty as a means of reach | ing their despicable ambitions. The executive said President Palma had
 knowledge of these conspiracies and could have adopted preventive meas ures, but 1t wished to proceed only in acordance with the democratic princi- ples in a strictly fair, lawful and clear ly justIfable maner, never imagining, in view of the prosperous and pro-
 gressive condition of the country, that any excepting adventurers would have done such things.
 The message sketched the events of the revolution in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Havana. and Santa Clara, the
 imprisonment of alleged conspirators and the inadequacy of the military forces and said 1t would not be discreet
 
 der the existing threatening conditions
 The President had been engaged in devepoling the temporal conditions of the country and had not imagined that 1t would be necessary to prepare against and internecene war. The revolution had | found the government without suffi- cient arms. ammunition, or horses and the administration had done the best 1t could in providing these, enlisting vol unteers, organizing militia. etc.
 The message continued:
 "The growth of the rebellion has been such that we cannot. without large forces. prevent rebel forces scattered over an extensive area from entring towns and destroying property
 Senate Hadnt Quorum.
 When the Senate assembled, 1t was enc short of the two-thirds necessary tO constitute quorum. After the message and blanket bill had beer read. Senator Recio QiberaD. and Senator Sanguily UndependenD called attention to the lack of a quorum, dis claiming any intention of taking the re possibility of ob3tructing Congress ia tho midst of a grave situation. but that the discrepancy be made a mat ter Of record. Senator Correoso. (Mod- erate) asserted that an extraordinary session, q quorum was not necessary, ard this view was affirmed by a party vote
 During the discussion, Senator sam gully made an impass'oned appeal for peace. rather than war prepara Lions. begging the Senate to forego partisan ship and personal considerations and show instead it's patriotism by seeking q method of securing peace. Senator Sanguily pictured in dark hours the possibilities in connection with Amert- can interventions, and said the con tinuanee of the strife would mean the loss to the country Of It's language ard racial history. He characterized the bill as useless and senseless. and predicted the only result in embitter- iEg the rebels, since neither the Gov ernment nor the rebels could win. Compromise was the only reasonable course. and this. when the country's in- dependence was endangered. would be the highest proof of patriotism Ills tory would hold the members of the Government responsible for Cuba's fu-