The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-21

dential elections, yet have in the field several thousand men, perhaps 5000 or 900O and possibly more. but there is one command that comprises more than 20O0 or 5000. The government forces crowded them backward until now the only or ganized units, of which the liberals here know, are in the provinces of Camaguey and Oriente. Possessed of money and ammunition and numbers of men, the gov ernment forces had made it apparent even to the liberal leaders that for the pres ent it was useless to continue an organ ized military movement and the orders for guerrilla warfare had been sent out by General Rigoberto Fernandez, com mander-in-chief.
 FERNANDEZ'S VIEW
 General Fernandez assured his followers that the desired American intervention was almost at hand, and that If de- he intimated American colonists would be killed-that would force Washington to act. In Santiago, where there re- mained liberals who had not entirely joined the revolution, arguments for in tervention were made by them to Consul Griffith, to American naval officers and to any other American who would lis- ten.
 No attempt was made to conceal their desires. The conversations took place in hotels, in the street, in cafes and clubs regardless of those who might overhear them. Foreigners with interests in Cuba loudly insisted upon intervention as the only solution, but what afforded Amer jeans officially ordered here the great liberals pleas by we'll known Cubans of the conservative party.
 The arguments offered were based on a widespread conviction that any ascend aLcy the government forces might gain now would be but temporary. The net result of the rebellion has been the de- struction of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of railroad property, and the loss, direct and indirect, of perhaps millions of dollars caused by the opera tions of rebels in the cane field districts, several skirmishes in which the loss of life was light, and the danger that the unprepared liberal army would inaugu- rate a state of anarchy. It is this possi- bility that has stimulated the propaganda for intervention.
 ARGUMENTS OFFERED
 It has been pointed out that President Menocal, even though he succeeds in re- oonquering all the rebellious territory and in running down all the guerrilla bands, will have to face a serious situation when it comes to strengthening out the political tangle. He has issued a procla- nation promising that special elections in certain points in this province will be held in 10 days after the qualification of serve to clear the record but the liberals laugh at the suggestion that they will be given the opportunity for an unintimi- dated vote.
 As a cause for the rebellion they as- sert wholesale election frauds and the use of the military to intimidate voters in the provinces of Santa Clara, Camaguey and Oriente, which in the past have been strongly liberal. When General Fernan- dez, major in the regular army in duced the local garrison to follow him he explained to the troops that he was adopting such course not because he was liberal or member of any other party, but because the government was using the army as an instrument in po- litical work.