Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-02

sick at heart when the message came
from the palace that for reasons Of per-
sonal dignity Mr. Palma could not ac-
cept the proposition. Thus Estrada Pal
ma, who detained Secretary Taft for one
hour at the palace the other day in an
photographed sketch of his services
for Cuba, has in the dark hour Of his
country attempted to deliver 1t into the
hands of foreign nation rather thar
to yield one point to his political oppo-
hents. Senior Zayas, the head Of the lib
eral party, has played rather more fairly
than the moderates, but the liberals I'M
hesitatingly plunged their country into
government. Take your choice between
these two schools of patriotism.
Frauds in Election.
Although convinced almost at the out
set of their Investigations that the general
elections last December were accompanied
by the grossest kind Of frauds when assured
that President Palma would have been
elected without resort to force or illegal
manipulation, Mr.. Taft and Mr. Bacon de-
termined that many reasons demanded the
continuance of Don Tomas at the hem. In
the first place it would be to the best in
terests Of Cuba to save her face before
the outside world and preserve at least IN
be the choice of her people To overthrow
PRESIDENT Palma and replace him with a
man who had begun a revolution because
OF the improper conduct Of the election.
would call the worlds attention to the
weaknesses of the infant republic frJpbtan
foreign capital from the island and estab-
isn dangerous precedent which would en-
courage every disgruntled Cuban to start a
revolution and appeal to the United States
for Intervention whenever he tired of work
and ionged for excitement This was only
one OF many arguments presented by the
commission to the rebels in the strong ap-
peal made to them to render a real service
to their home land and avert, IL possible.
the necessity Of American Intervention.
Important as the retention of Palma the
president, not the man. was to the Cuban
people such a policy was even more i'm
portant to the United States. Her every
interest demands patience in the handling
of this complicated situation. Fortunately
the mission sent by the Washington gov
eminent appears to be possessed Of an in
exhaustible supply. The cablegram which
came from Oyster Bay requesting Secre-
tary Taft to exhaust every possible means
OF effecting a peaceful settlement of the
difficulty without Intervention was not nee
essary. To any one on the ground who has
seen the patience he and Mr.. Bacon have
shown in the face Of falsehood. treachery.
deliberate bad faith on the part of certain
men of both factions, it Is evident that the
commissioners are determined to settle the
quarrel by diplomatic means II that be hui
manly possible.
The Pa6nArSgovernment, 1t now appears.
has intended all along to force American
intervention. At best 1t Is a mere skeleton.
Possessed of the proof Of the frauds re-
sorted to by the government. Secretary
Taft could tomorrow turn the Palma gov
eminent into the streets and clearly justify
such course. What he was trying to do
was to place Cuba in as favorable light
before the world as possible by keeping
Palma at the helm. kicking out the rascals
who have been .feathering their nests under
the shelter Of his administration and sur
rounding the aged Don Tomas with cab
met of strong. able. and, above all, honest
ministers OF such is Fonts Sterling. the
secretary of finance, than whom 1t were
difficuIt to find better Cuban. OF course,
officially, President Palma will select his
new cabinet but liberals and moderates
alike will know that Palma is so much
putty In the hands Of the committee He
is merely the trembling reed about which
would be gathered body of honest men to
whom the administration of the government
could be intrusted.
Desired Protection.
Before consenting to the retention Of
Palma the liberals desired some guarantee
Of protection against him. who they seem to
Nthink is Of vindictiye nature. They fear
that once the Americans had sailed away
Palma would set about to vent his spleen
in one way or another upon the leaders of
the revolution. On this point the liberals
were treasured by the knowledge that the
American government intended to hold Mr..
Palma strictly to the spirit and the letter
OF any arrangement that was effected be-
tween him and the rebel leaders.
In the future we shall not shut our eyes