Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-04-03
GOMEZ TO MAKE TRY
ATSELF-GOVERNMENT
TAFT ADMINISTRATION WILL
STAY BACK OF THE CUBAN Gov
ERNMENT, ALTHOUGH skEP-
TICS LOOK FOR TROUBLE.
Washington Bureau of
The Ottumwa Courier


washington insists on regarding the
final and conclusive evacuation OF
Cuba, which took place April /, as the
Washington thinks the United States
to stay for all time, by the end of the
year. Nobody at all familiar with con-
ditions in the island believes that
April fool joke.
But meantime Cuba, under Presi-
dent Gomez, is going to make its last
try at self government, and it is going
to be given good-taith chance to
make good. This is the determined
purpose of the Taft administration
The people Of Cuba elected Gomez;
they started the rebellion of 1906 be-
cause they had been deprived of the
right to elect him. He represents the
liberal elements, which are also the
more ignorant and the less stable ele-
ments in the country.
"A Little Cuban History.
President Palma, the first executive
of free Cuba, was a candidate for a
second term, and was declared elected.
the Americans whom the occupation
took to the island, that he was not
honestly elected, but was counted in
as result of frauds. Gomez was the
candidate against him and was count
ed out. The liberals were themselves
divided between Miguel Gomez and
Alfredo Zayas, a senator; Zayas
heading the more moderate element
of the liberals, while Gomez was the
idol of the soldiers and the negroes.
After Palma had served short time
on his second term the Gomez peo-
pie took to the jungle and started a
rebellion. That was in August, 1906,
and the rebellion aimed at the i'm
mediate occupation Of Havana Presi-
dent Palma appealed to President
Roosevelt to send warship, and
Mr.. Roosevelt refused. Thereupon
Palma who knew his case was help
less if left alone, resigned, and the
country was left without president.
Shortly, the situation became SO SER
lous that Havana was in danger of
falling and being sacked, and then
Washington sent the Denver, which
landed a force of marines to protect
HE national treasury.
The American Occupation.
The American occupation was not
decided upon until after Secretary OF
War Taft and Assistant Secretary of
State Bacon had been sent to Havana
to investigate the whole situation
They found the inwardness of the diff
ficulty; talked to the leaders of both
sides; and reported to Washington
that occupation seemed unavoidable
Then President Roosevelt determined
4 to send troops; and the movement was
executed with a precision and effec
tiveness which presented striking
contrast to the clumsy, unwieldy
thumb-fingered awkwardness of the
same movement at the time of the
Spanish war. At the outside abou
1000 troops were maintained in Cuba
by the government. The maneuver, i
Is worth mentioning, did not cos
This country anything because Cubs
will pay all the expense from
plethoric treasury Whatever elst
may be said of Cuba, it is most com
fortably solvent.
80 Posts on the Island
The little American army of occupa
tion was distributed in camps in vari
ous parts of the island. The most i'm
portant OF these were Camp Columbia
six miles from Havana, with tn
Twenty-eighth infantry; Baracoa o.
the north coast, with q force 0
marines; Caribarien, with the Fifth il
fantry; Camaguey, the railroad cente
of the island, half way from Havan
to Santiago, with the Seventeenth ir
fantry and the headquarters of Co
Van Orsdel; Cardenas, with part c
the. Fifth infantry and headquarter
of Sol. Cowlek,s Ciego de Avila in tn
heart of the island, close to the oil
Spanish trocha between the province
of Santa Ceara and Matanzas. wher
battalion of the Seventeenth il
fantry was posted in probably th
most important strategic spot on th
island; Cienfuegos, where part of th
Fifteenth cavalry maintained the heat
quarters of Colonel Chase; Guanaja,
u