Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-22
TAFT'S |RKSOME TASK
Inside History of the Peace
Commissions Trials.
GETTING THEM TOGETHER
Liberals and Moderates All Corrupt
and Vain.
OPEN ELECTION RASCALITY
Moderates Confessedly Registered
100000 More Voters Than Were
on the Island.
GETTING THEM TOGETHER
OPEN ELECTION RASCALITY

Special Cablegram to The Star.
HAVANA, Cuba October 22.-The depart
ure of the Taft mission closed another
chapter in the history of Cuba. Thousands
lined the waterfront from Machina wharf
to the Punta and far along the beautiful
Malecon to wave farewell to the peace COM
missoners and watch the mighty battle
ships with their distinguished cargo start
northward and disappear below the horizon
1t was an impressive and splendid picture
as the Louisiana passed the captain of the
ports wharf steaming at half speed. Every
man was at his post the captain. the eXecu-
tive officers on the bridge. the marine guard
was at attention on the quarter deck. and
Secretary Taft and Secretary Bacon stood
with their heads uncovered as the band
struck up the Cuban national air. AS the
last notes of the hymn died away the Cuban
flag was hoisted at the main and the guns
of the Louisiana In thunderous tones spoke
their farewell salute OF twenty-one guns
The great ship was escorted as far the
Moro by half dozen tugs, whose passen-
gers cheered themselves hoarse and kept
the two secretaries waving their hats in
response
AS the three men-of-war grew smaller and
smaller across the sea the crowd on the
Malecon noted their increase in speed. and
soon InSy pdSSeu lTOIN view Htdueu
ward
AS quickly as they had gathered the
crowds dispersed. and again Havana fell to
smoking and chatting as though no peace
commission had come to Its shores
and no revolution ever threatened its gates.
The American who waved farewell to the
mission that afternoon and who did not feel
moved at this combination. of war and d.
plomaCy in the interest of peace was not in
evidence. The Cubans on shore did not
cheer when their hymn was played; they
did not even doff their hats. None of them
showed real regard for the commissioners
whose patience and kindness have won
them as children are won. But with the
Cubans. out Of sight Is out of mind. and
the departure of the warships this after
noon was to them but a passing show,
pleasing spectacle with which to while their
time away. The significance Of it all, its
seriousness Its humor, so far as one
could judge from appearances, was entirely
lost upon Havana.
Within an hour after landing on Septem-
Der 10, Secretary Taft had made plain to
Palma the sole purpose of the President IN
sending him to assist the government OF
Cuba in effecting a peaceable arrangement
with It's enemies. prevent further hostilities
and save Cuba's fate before the world by
continuing its government without Amer1-
can intervention. To this end, Secretary
Taft informed Mr.. Palma, when he called
on him to pay his respects, that the pro-
posed to confer with the president of the
liberal party, Alfredo Zayas, and with
the opposition. Palma readily aSsented TO
this.
From the outset Secretary Taft took the
ground that he must accept the situation
as he found it. The United States had
taken nc part in the creation of the condi-
ton OF affairs which confronted the mission
on it's arrival. nor. had it up to that time
interviewed. And what did Secretary TAFT
find? The Palma government had obtained
its reelection last December by the gross
est kind of political frauds, and the mod
crate party, although In power, represented
a decreasing minority OF the GuDan people.
The liberals who had assisted in the franz
ing Of an electoral Law which would enable
them to run the election as they pleased
had received a dose of their own medicine.
lost control of the election machinery ana
were the victims Of the political fraud with
which they had planned to snow under the
moderates.
The enormous prosperity IN CUBA IN the
last year had filled the money bags OF the
treasury and whetted the desire of the
outs for Office. Thinking to cloak their
sordid motives under the disguise OF right
eous indignation" the Liberals enoeaVoIeo
to obtain redress in the courts. but the
judiciary was controlled by the executive,
and the outs knocked in vain at the
doors Of these supposed buiwarks OF ma
tons liberty.
Here and there a liberal who had been
cheated out of his election. or had caught
the revolutionary fever from another
province gathered about him small fol-
lowing and started d ToNoiutAoh uSciAot shS
government. Three of these outbreaks were
put down and their leaders thrown into
ian by the man whose ambition n was 10
make himself the Diaz Of Cuba. Freye An
drade at that time secretary or govern
rnent. But the thirst for office still ranked
in the breast of the outs" and finally, con-
WINGED that the courts would not help them,
the leading spirits of the opposition deter
mined the overthrow by force OF the Palma
government, and about the middle of Au-
gust the revolution began In Pinar Gel
Rio At first he Palma government at
tempted to belittle 1t. but the FEVER spread
TO the various provinces, and soon. with the
exception Of Matanzas, every province In
the island was the scene OF separate
revolution. the common bond being hostiilty
to the men in office; the common goal, the
wrestling of offices by fair means OF ioui
from the moderates.
The liberals demanded new elections all
around. and the reinstatement OF the
various alcaldes and other municipal or
fcers removed by Andrade
The Palma government, representing the
moderate party, at first informed Secretary
Taft that such a thing as new elections
was out of the question put intimate S tnat
they might be willing to discuss the ex-
pediency of passing a municipal autonomy
law. OF which the liberals were also de-
srous. Thus the opposing factions lined
ND with bulldog tenacity and assured Sec
Rotary Taft that their respective decisions
were ''irrevocable." This word. by the way,
has become favorite one in Cuba, but In
the Cuban dictionary the oeHnition OF an
irrevocable decision is "a decision fixed one
moment but which can and probably VIII
be changed the next" In their position
the liberals had the sympathy of the ma
Iority of the Cubans, who Favored any
party that promised change, In the hope
that they might profit by the change. Ha-
vana, itself, was a hotbed of liberal SYM
pathizers, and in the cafes one could hear
men openly denouncing the Palma govern
ment and expressing sympathy with the
revolution. But the business men, the
stable element in this island. few of
whom are Cubans. but most of whom are
foreigners denounced the revolutionists as
an armed rabble, and the moderates as
gang Of skillful thieves. They sided with
the latter because they reasoned that the
moderates stole from the government and
fattened of Of the offices which they held.
while the revolutionists piliaged the coun-
try and constituted the greater menace.
As president Of the liberal party, Zayas
was naturally the first man of the oppOs-
ton with whom the commissioners con-
ferred. Zayas Is an astute. clever. con-
scentious lawyer. He made out strong
case from a legal standpoint against the
modsrates. accusing them OF deliberately
stealing the elections Of last December. He
submitted proof that Andrade had dismiss
ed forty out OF eighty municipal officers.
and thereby obtained control Of almost all
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