Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-23
LIVES OF OUR CITIZENS
SAID TO BE IN DANGER
Report Trouble Was Begun Merely
to Provoke Intervention.
GOMEZ AT ODDS WITH PARTY
Band Of Insurgent Negroes Sets
Fire to Cane Fields on Planta-
ton Owned by
Spaniards.

Following reports of danger to Ameri
can lives and property in Cuba the Navy
Department, at the request of the State
Department. has ordered the naval trans
port Prairie TO embark 700 marines and
proceed Immediately to the United States
naval station at Guantanamo and to join
the Paducah. Nashville and Eagle.
The Prairie is now at the navy yard.
Philadelphia The battalion of marines
to sail on that vessel will be made up
of detachments from the marine barracks
at Washington, Annapolis, Philadelphia
and Norfolk.
Several marine officers have been order
ed from various posts. including Col.
Lincoln Karmany. commandant of the
marine barracks at Norfolk. who will
command the marine battalion aboard
the Prairie and all the marine forces in
Cuba Officials of the Navy Department
are making efforts to have the vessel
get under way tonight. 1t Will take four
days TO make the trip.
Information reaching the Department
of State indicates serious state of dis
turbance in the easternmost province of
Cuba. especially in the neighboIhood of
Guantanamo and Santiago. where there
are important American interests. which
already have made representations to the
department to the effect that their prop
erty is being seized and the lives of their
employees endangered They requested
that the government of the United States
procure for them adequate protection.
Reason for Action.
Referring 10 the dispatch of marines to
Cuba. statement issued at the State De-
partment says:
taken simply in order that, in case of
necessity, protection may be accorded to
the Americans in that vicinity.
The Cuban gunboat Cuba left Havana
Tor Guantanamo yesterday morning, with
egA troops. The government has sent
other forces by train to Oriente province.
Apparently, the government has been
unable to estimate the strength, or the
purpose, or the present inSurrectionary
movement The Cuban military authori-
ties admit that the situation Is serious
but think they can control it. The gov
ernment is said TO be receiving from va
rious organizations and individuals offers
OF services.
"A party Of congressman left Havana
last night for their respective districts
in the disaffected regions to make an eff
fort toward conciliating the negroes. 1t
Is reliably reported to the department
that many intelligent people consider
that the entire movement is for the ex-
press purpose of provoking Intervention"
No explanation Is volunteered of the sig
nifcant remark about provoking inter-
vention. But Ii has been a matter Of dis
cussion for some time among the dplo-
matte corps here that the Cuban govern
ment itself might be tempted to encour-
age a rebellious movement in the des-
perate hope OF securing a continuance in
power by American backing. 1t has been
stated that President ~IomeZ has lost con-
troll OF his own liberal party through his
refusal To displace the Spanish element
he nfN hnfd dnro sy, Gov
veterans" large proportion of whom
are negroes, who participated in the war
OF Independence.
Conservatives Dissatisfied.
On the other hand. the conservative ele-
ment. including a considerable portion of
his own party. is deeply dissatisfied with
the fiscal administration of the island and
the distribution of concessions and spe-
cial privileges of great value. The party
conventions so far held hav served to ac-
centuate these differences and to indicate
the possibility of trouble at the approach
ing elections
While still confident that there will be
no occasion for military Intervention in
Cuba. the general staf is bringing its
plans up to date. and If these are sound
there is no reason why an adequate force
OF troops could not be thrown into the
fortnight. at the outside.
As a result of the painstaking work OF
American officers during the last period
OF occupation in Cuba, almost every
inch OF the island has been surveyed and
explored: every road and trail is known
and mapped and IL would be quite inn
possible for any guerrilla force to oper-
ate as successfully as did the Cuban
patriots against the Spaniards, because
the American soldiers would be well
Informed as the native Cubans of the by
0Fa6 and Cfr xEnld ldo
which the country affords.
Outside Of that special work the gen.
eraI sta1i has not found il necessary to
prepare any plans for the dispatch of a
military expedition to Cuba.
For Expeditionary Force.
Instead. the strategists have planned
for the organization on paper of an ex-
peditionary force of about five thou
sand soldiers. which might be dispatch
ed at short notice. not only TO Cuba.
but to any other American country.
The various organizations that go to
make up this paper army are all desig-
mated In advance, a proper amount of
transportation stock. of food and of
tentage and clothing is kept on hand
at certain depots and the masters of
the transports are advised as to the
number of men they are to handle.
President Roosevelt, when ordering
the American occupation OF the island
for the second time. in 1906. gave
warning that 1t would be dangerous
TO the existence of Cuba's independence
to require third movement of the
kind. In a letter to Cuban Minister
Quesada he wrote:
For there is just one way in which
Cuban independence can be jeopardized
and that Is for the Cuban people to show
their inability to continue in their path
Of peaceful and orderly progress. This
nation asks nothing Of Cuba. save that 1,
shall continue 10 develop as il has de-
veloped during these past seven years
Our Intervention in CUBAN affairs viii
only come IL Cuba herself shows thai
she has fallen into the insurrectionary