The weekly soliphone., 1917-03-22
GUERRILLA WAR
 ORDER IN CUBA
Liberals Hope to Force Interven tion by United States-For-
 eigners Further Idea.

erals formerly high i'll government rank have begun an insistent prop laganda for American intervention. Scrupulous care has been exer- cised by Capt. Belknap, command ing the American forces ashore here and at other points along the coast both on the north and south sides of the island, not to give the Gu bans the idea that the United States is interfering i'll their af- fairs.
 At every point the local authori- ties have been assured that the Americans are doing nothing more than affording protection and that the conduct of all civil affairs re- mains with the Cuban people. Gu ban police have continued their duties as usual, courts have con- tinued functioning and American naval officers have been punctilious in all their dealings with Cuban of ficials not to appear to be exceed ing their authority. In return they have been the recipients of appeals to induce the American government to authorize a more extended occu- patton of the island and a super vision of elections
 The Liberals who joined in the revolt against what they regarded a deliberate attempt to intimidate them at the presidential elections yet have i'll the field several thou lsand men, perhaps eight or nine thousand and possibly more, but prises more than two or three thou sand The government forces crowded them backward until how the only organized 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 govern ment forces had made it apparent even, to the Liberal leaders that for the present it was useless to con tinue an organized IF taev move ment and the orders: for guerrilla warfare had been sent out by Gen. Rigoberto Fernandez, commander in-chief.
 Gen. Fernandez assured his fol- lowers that the desired American intervention was almost at hand and that if delayed he would au- thorize such warfare-he intimat- ed American colonists would be killed-that would force Washing ton to act. In Santiago, where there remained Liberals who had not entirely joined the revolution, arguments for intervention were made by them to Consul Griffiht. to American naval officers and to any other American who would lis ten.
 7 FOREIGNERS TALKED INTER-
 MENTION.
 No attempt was made to conceal their desire. The conversation took place in hotels, in the street, in cafes and clubs, regardless of those who might overhear them. Foreign CTS with interests in Cuba loudly insisted upon intervention as the only solution, but what afforded Americans officially ordered here the greatest surprise was the sec onding of the Liberals pleas by well known Cubans of the Con- servative party.
 The arguments offered were l based on a widespread conviction 7 that any ascendency the govern be but temporary. The net result $ of the rebellion has been the de 9 lstruction of hundreds of thousand: S of dollars worth of railroad prop . erty and the loss. direct and indi rect, of perhaps millions of dollars caused by the operations of rebels G in the cane fields districts, severa q skirmishes in which the loss of lifi was light. and the danger that th' unprepared liberal army would in augurate state of anarchy. It il e this possibility that has stimulated V the propaganda for intervention. 6 It has been pointed put that Pres V ident Menocal, even though he sue
 ceeds in conquerng all the rebel
 lious territory and in running dowi all the guerilla bands, will have tt
 face a serious situation when i ', comes to strengthening out the DO . litical tangle. He has issued proc a lamation promising that certail
 special elections at certain point F in this province will be held with II in 10 days after the pacification o r Santiago Such promise, if kept }. might serve to clear the record, bu
 the Liberals laugh at the sugges
 tion that they will be given the op il portunity for an unintimidated vote 2 As cause for the rebellion, the