Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-26
PALMA IS DONE
AND CUBA DRIFTS
WITHOUT RUDDER
President Refuses All Present
Terms of Peace.
LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS
Temporary Military Occupation Not
Regarded as Desirable Solution.
ZAYAS EXPRESSES HIS OPINION
United States Forces Are Being Daily
Observation-Disclosures May Make
War on Americans.
LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS
Temporary Military Occupation Not
Regarded as Desirable Solution.
ZAYAS EXPRESSES HIS OPINION

Cuba is today practically without
a government. Palma and his cab
met will step down and out, &C
cording to late dispatches, and the
situation is one of great serious
ness. The question of temporary
military occupation is being dis
cussed. The force of American
arms at Cuba is being daily in
creased. In the event of the gov
eminent being turned over to the
liberals there is prospect of grave
trouble with the rural guards. The
whole condition is chaotic.
Special Cablegram to The Star.
HAVANA, September 26.-President Pal
mas letter to Commissioners Taft and
Bacon of yesterdays date, as made public
this morning, is a final announcement that
he will resign the presidency and will refuse
all present terms of peace with his enemies.
The text of the reply is as follows:
"Honora BILE Sirs: have the honor to &C.
knowledge the receipt of your note of yes
terday, the nth, In which you express In u
general way your opinions and points of
view. according to your own personal in
vestigation, of the cause of the present re-
bellon in Cuba its state and the means to
finish it. in order to re-establish peace and
order and public quiet in the country.
II could raise some objections, and prove
them, to your estimate of the numbers of
the armed insurgents, and the sympathy to
which you consider them entitled. But 1t
ia useless now to enter upon discussion of
this kind. in view of the course you have
adopted and your resolution to make peace
by all means
1T is therefore my only purpose, in courte-
ously replying to your note, to repeat here,
in brief, what l expressed in the conference
you kindly had with me last night, namely
that l consider the conditions you Under
stand to be necessary for the rebels to lay
down their arms contrary to my personal
dignity and the prestige of the government:
over which l preside. and that l have ac-
cordingly taken the irrevocable decision to
present to congress my resignation OF the
Office to which l was appointed by the will
of the Cuban people at the last presidential
elections"
Moderates Convinced.
The moderates are convinced that after
Palma's letter and the resolution passed by
their party that Secretary Taft will back
down today. If not, when congress meets
on Friday next it will be impossible to
elect a new president according to article .
OF the law OF June "a, 1903, which provides
that two thirds of the members OF congress
are necessary to an election, viz: Sixteen
senators and forty-two representatives. No
such number are now here.
At the same time that Palma announce.
his own resignation lie viii announce that
of his cabinet, thus making impossible the
fulillment of the constitutional provision
that the secretary OF state or the govern
ment shall replace the president. BY the
execution of such wild plan they believe
that President Roosevelt viii be compelled
to withdraw the American commissioners
or 70 decide upon the military occupation,
the republic of Cuba ending with the Palma
clique They say that no provisional gov
ernucnt can be constituted, for Gen. Memo
CAL whom they believe to be Tafts candi-
date, has not the age qualification required
by the constitution, IS he is under the age
OF forty.
Secretary Taft asked Senator Zayas yes
terday what the liberals would think of a
temporary military occupation. The SEN
ator answered that that was not n desira bic
solution OF the difficulty; but in case there
should prove to be no other, the liberals
would help the Americans In the re-estab-
lishment of peace Mr.. Taft was yester-
day putting on paper Zayas' answer as tc
the Willingness of the liberals to submit to
his final decision when the above letter
from Palma arrived and changed the WHOLE
titua ton.
Zayas' Favorable Reply.
Senator Zayas brought 4 favorable reply
from the liberals who are In prison anC
from the representatives. of the rebel army
and Mr. TAFT asked Zayas TO put his answer
In writing, which VIII be done today, "
spite of the Situation: created by President
Palma.
At the palace last night Secretary Font.
Stirling sroko bitterly against the Ameri
can commissioners. lie said lie was think
Ing when lie took Palma's letter to Sccre
tary Taft OF letting him know that Cuban.
would not stand - be insulted
Secretary Lamar said the Americans hat
behaved unjus,ly toward y government tina
Hdu Nttli IL A-l' ~ aSNE1tN ~ iiItibfS Ley
should. he said. support Palma instead o
upsetting him.
! Secretary FIeyre Re Andfade said tha
probably the mnterates. wAen they saw
Cuba's flag come DOM, would make wal
I against the Americans. .sEGrade anticipate e.
( trouble with the rural rds in case III,
| government should be turned over to TIL
| liberals.
| \ long dispatch last night in cipher from
| Oyster Bay kept Secretary TAFT worEin:
J into the small! hours.