Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-16
CUBAN LIBERAL PARTY WINS
Indications Are that General Gomez
and His Ticket VIII Have
Big Majority.

HAVANA, Nov. 15.-At the close OF an
election conducted with great enthusiasm
and complete absence of disorder 1t APP
peared practically certain last night that
General Jose Miguel Gomez and Alfred
Zayas have been chosen president and vice
president, respectively, of the Cuban repuo-
lie, with strong, liberal majorlties In senate
and house.
1t is improbable that the result will be
officially established tonight, as the re-
turns doubtless will be very slow in coming
In, but sufficient returns have already been
received to indicate that the liberals have
won a victory which has been hard fought.
General Gomez, just before the closing
of the polls, announced that he had received
advices showing that he had carried every
province In the island, which is not improb-
able.
Havana and Oriente provinces, with forty
eight electoral votes, which lacks only eight
of a majority, are surely liberal.
Governor Magoon said tonight:
81 cannot express too mighty my appre-
citation of the enthusiasm and prudent re-
gard for order with which the Cuban peo-
pie have conducted this most important
contest. I am absolutely certain that they
will loyalty abide by the result, establish
ing to my complete satisfaction their
fitness to be entrusted with the govern
ment of the republic"
Governor Magoon, accompanied by Cap
tain Ryan, made a tour in an automobile
of all the polling places in the city of
Havana He was received everywhere with
acclamations and cries of viva Magoon,"
and frequently viva Magoon Y Taft"
Through the day, numerous reports were
received at the palace stating that there
had bnpn mn infractioO Of tba 1a- ond
order. The only exception was Cardenas,
where a slight affray took place in which
two men were injured.
Throughout the island. according to the
reports, an extraordinarily heavy vote was
cast. Some complaints Of obstruction at
the polls in Havana by liberals were re-
ceived in the morning by Colonel Z. II.
Crowder, chief of the bureau of elections,
who detailed five American officers TO
make an inspection throughout the day Of
all polling places. They reported that
there was no sign of obstruction or disorder
anywhere.
General Gomez received the returns at
his residence. where this afternoon he ex-
pressed absolute confidence in the result.
Later he was the recipient of hundreds of
kilograms of congratulatlon, when his vic
tory became apparent.
General Mario Menocal, the conservative
nominee, received the returns at the Hotel
Sevilla. He said this evening that he con-
coded Havana to be liberal, but still was
confident that he had polled sufficient
votes in the other provinces to secure his
election. DR.. Rafael Montoro, the conserva-
tive candidate for vice president, was
equally confident that the conservatives
would win.
The slow incOminp Of tho ra4,rr. l. -
tributed partly TO the heavy vote and
partly to scratched ballots on representa-
tives. No considerable returns are ex-
pected before midnight and complete re-
turns will not be received before SUNDAY
night or Monday.
General Jose Miguel Gomez. the liberal
candidate for president of Cuba. who, ac-
cording to late dispatches is believed to
have been elected to that office, is So years
Of age and a native of Santa Clara prov
ince. where he has always enjoyed extra
ordinary popularity and influence. He mar
ticipated in two great revolutions, i'm the
first of which he reached the rank Of
major and in the second that OF major
general. He was one of the commissioner
sent to Washington to advise as to a prac.
tical method for dissolving the revolution
airy army. General Gomez was selected as
BoNtluOl VI odnNd NldId province by the
government of intervention and when his
term expired he was elected governor as
a republican, or conservative.
In May, 1905, the general was nominated
for the presidency by the national liberal
convention, but resigned his candidacy four
months later, giving as his reason that It
was impossible TO continue within the
bounds Of the law and laying part of the
blame on the United States, owing to the
Plat amendment, An uprising In Cuba
followed, which ended with the deposition
Of President Palma and the Intervention
OF the United States.
In August, 1906, Gel eral Gomez was ar
rested, charged with conspiring against the
administration Of the late President Palma.
but he denied the allegation and was re-
leased from custody after a months i'm
prisonment. In December of the same year
Governor Magoon appointed him secretary
of a commission to revise the laws Ct Cuba