The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-06-06
SITUATION IN
CUBA BECOMING
RATHER GRAVE
Large Force of American
Marines on Their WAY
to the Island.
PRESIDENT GOMEZ R0sl|NC
ENLISTMENT OF VOLUNTEERS
Asks That His Order for Armies From
the United States BE Doubled
Large Reserve United States Force
Available for Emergencies.

Washington. June 6.-President
Gomez has informed the United
states through American Minister
oeaupre That he is forming a volunteer
suard 10 protect foreign property. and
asks that his recent order for krag
!orgensen rifles be increased from
1000 to 10000 and that 1000, 900 cart
ridges accompany them.
With four American battleships
steaming toward Guantanamo the
iorce of marines Immediately availa BILE
lcr the protection of foreign life and
property i'm Cuba is increased to more
.nan l.30O. Altogether the battleships
Minnesota, Missouri. A1ississippi and
Ohio-the fourth division of Atlantic
heet-which put out from Key West
late yesterday under command of Rear
Admiral Usher have on board nearly
500 marines. ''
These ships are due to arrive at
Guantanamo some time tomorrow.
Ihe cruiser Prairie. which already has
iah'd 400 marines under the COM
mand of Colonel Lucas. has about $50
on hoard. The four battleships of the
.Elrd division of the Atlantic feet still
AT Key West. with Rear Admiral Os-
terhaus on the flagship Washington,
nave nearly 1000 marines which could
ne moved to Cuba in little more than a
Gay II the situation should demand
Roughly. this places the number of
marines Immediately available at
about 1.50O and the reserve force at
Key West at 1000. The combined
forces of blue jackets on all the ships
which. however. would only he landed
IN the most pressing emergency. easily
would swell the total American forces
aNh1la bic to more than $500 men.
IT is estimated that marines arc
fully equivalent to five times that num-
Der of Cuban regular soldiers
Frank confession of President
Gomez that he was unable to meet the
demands of the large plantation own
ers in eastern Cuba for adequate
guards against the marauders and in
surrectos was the factor that led Cap
States naval station at Guantanamo,
to set in motion the body of United
States marines gathered there for lust
such purpose.
| Captain Clines action in 6iispatcf1ing
nearly half of his availa BILE force of
marines into the interior of Cuba gave
the signal for the departure from Key
West to Guantanamo of half of the
second squadron of the Atlantic feet.
Key West for the last week.
The facts. as disclosed at the state
department, are that several of the
large American. British. French and
Spanish companies operating planta- =
| tions and mines in eastern Cuba tele-
grap phed the Cuban government,
through the Alcalde of Guantanamo, a
demand for 100 regular troops for
each of their mills and fifty for each
of their cane fields. In reply Presi-
dent Gomez pointed out that q COM
pliance with their request would re-
quire the use of 1850 OF his best
troops for the protection of one group
| of foreign properties in single Sec
ton of disaffected district
| If he acceded to such demand. he
said, his whole regular army would
not suffice for police work alone and
he would have no forces left with
which to carry on the campaign
against the insurrectionists.
Meanwhile complaints multiplied.
the situation in Guantanamo was be-
coming more alarming and the Guant-
anamo Sugar company had definite in
formation that the rebels intended to
destroy one or more of the foreign es-
tates there. The manager of the
spanish-American Iron company, hav-
ing declined a meeting with rebel
leader with one hundred followers
near Cuero. was threatened with the
destruction of all property between
that place and Juaragua.
To add to all this the owners and
Representatives of several of the large
American properties near Guantana-
mo, having failed in their application