The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-08-18
RESULTS Of
VOTE IN CUBA
Washington interested in the
Election in the New
Republic.
Mail Special to the Advertiser.)


WASHINGTON, D. c., August "A
very remarkable election has just been
'tpulled off, in these days of fervid
politics. It occurred Saturday, when
new Republic voted, with brand new
voting equipment, surpassed by none
of the advanced states or municipal
ties of the Union. President Roosevelt
and the War Department are Analysing
the vote and trying to make up their
minds whether it bodies well or BODIES
i'll for an Independent government of
Cuba.
For the Cuban election by which the
governors of six provinces and the
alcaldes and councillors of SO munich.
palities were chosen, is OF very great
significance. The outcome affects in
no small way the prospects for stable
rule for the Queen of the Antilles. It
has bearing on the presidential cleo
ton, which is scheduled for next De-
cember. Apparently the Conservatives.
which is another name for the Mod.
crates, who were turned out when this
government interviewed, have borne
away most of the honors at the ballot
boxes. The belated returns viii estab-
lish this more clearly. If that prove
true, the result will be in the nature of
a rebuke TO the United States for inter
venlng and putting out of Office pres
ldent of the Moderate party and for
recognizing largely, since Charles E.
Magoon took his place as provisional
governor, the leaders of the Liberal
party. For if, as now seems probable.
the Conservatives have won generally,
President and that the Liberals will be
1t means that the party will choose the
retired from influence in Cuban affairs.
The Liberals fomented the revolution
that brought intervention about
The administration here at Washing
ton hoped that the election would show
the Cuban parties pretty evenly balance
ed numerically. That would promise
an interesting campaign and, on the
whole, would make for the advantage
of Independent government
The energetic efforts toward equip
ping the island with up to date facili-
ties for voting and in securing an
honest registration have occupied the
provisional government ever since April
n. Over 5000 voting booths of modern
make were sent out from Havana to
the 1,069 barrios, or precincts in the
island. This in Itself was an enormous
task
1t is sincerely hoped by the War De-
partment and by President Roosevelt
that the presidential election In Cuba
will not be one party affair. 1t has.
become habit with parties down there
to withdraw, if their campaign appears
TO be hopeless or if the dominant party
conducts affairs so as to throw any
doubt on the honesty of the election.
Instead of voting the minority party
begins to stir up strife and rebellion.
The Liberals, now divided into Liberals
and Historic Liberals, seeded in 1905
and refused to vote at the presidential
election. Having withdrawn they
promptly busted themselves in organic
ing the revolution that broke forth the
following year. There were two cleo
tions under the Republic and in both
withdrew.
The three parties, that Gov. Magoon
recognized, the Conservatives, Liberals
and Historic Liberals, all put provincial
tickets afeld. Provision was made for
other candidates to get upon the official
ballot by petition The voters were APP
parently industrious in making the most
of that opportunity. For in the pro,
vincial elections of August l Pinar del
Rio, Mantanzas, and Oriente all had an
independent provincial ticket on the
ballot. Oriente had two. There were
Independent parties in Havana prov.
ince, which were active in advocating
the election of their favorite candi-
dates for alcalde Aand municipal coun.
cillors, but they put no men in the rum
ming for the provincial offices and filled
the upper portion of their column on
the official ballot with the sentence:
/" No tiene candidate" which means no
nominations.
There was equal zeal in the nomina-
tions for the posts of alcalde and coun
cillors in the 80 municipalities of the
island The Conservatives named can.
didates in all but two of these NUM-
cipalities; the Liberals in all but Is;
the Historic Liberals in all but Is.
There were combinations between the
two latter parties in certain munieipaIr-
ties, so that the Conservative candi.
dates were left unopposed in very few
municipalities. Twenty-one, or over
fourth of the municipalities, had indie
pendent tickets; the cities of Pinar del
Rio, Havana and Santiago de Cuba, had
two Independent tickets each. All this
was looked upon by Gov. Magoon as
exceedingly encouraging and as giving