Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-03-30
RACE PROBLEM BIG FACTOR
IN CUBAN TROUBLE

home of General Gomez and Of Gen
eral Guzman, the Liberal leader who
has been clamoring for American su-
pervision of the new elections.
stirs Washington.
Oriente occupies the extreme east
ern end of the island. 1t has been a |
hotbed of disturbance for years. The |
population is about half negro.
In this eastern part of Cuba the re-
bellion scored its greatest initial sue
cess, when Maj. RigObertO Fernandez,
military commander of an insurgent
force, seized Santiago and notified the
United States he had mined the har-
Dor.
1t was this notable blow In the
insurgent cause which stirred Wash
ingtOn into action.
Twice the American army has in
tervened in Cuba since the war of
1898. Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood COM
manded our forces in the occupation
of 19OO-19O2, while Maj. Gen. Thomas
W. Barry was the leader of the 1906
1907 expedition. In the latter case
General Barry had 1000 troops, but
was never compelled to do any fight
ing.
The Cuban regular army is now
considered an efficient force. 1t con-
sists Of 1900 men, CARRIED almost ex-
actly like American troops. A United
States army officer has been detailed
by request to train the Cuban forces.
They are we'll equipped and make
good showing. But President MenOcal
has not all the army behind him. This
is q compliment to his honor in a way
which seems curious to Americans.
The preceding president, Gomez. now
a leader in the revolt, had promoted
military men of his party wholesale,
without regard to merit. When Memo
cal was elected, conservative army
officers, brought up in Cuban ideas,
expected their turn for promotion at
the expense of their rivals had come.
But Menocal decided that for the good
of Cuba the merit system must be up
held. This had the effect of alternating
conservative army officers without at
taching to him any large part Of the
liberals. A good share Of the army
: became disaffected, claiming that the
I president had not played fair with
them.
: Immensely Prosperous.
} Like President MaderO of Mexico
E who refused to execute Felix Dia,
! when he caught him, and later wa!
e unseated and slain by Diaz ant
Huerta, Menocal did not pursue thu
business of politics in traditional Span
Y ish-American style and now he suffer-
e for it.
" Cubans, too, are ready for a revo
: luton because they are immensel!
t prosperous. They have been rolling
f In wealth since sugar almost doubles
n this prosperity a cause for keepin
d the peace and letting the prOsperit
J. continue. But good fortune, unfor
tunately has reacted on the Cuban ten
It permanent differently. In plain Ems
n lish, the Cuban thinks 1t is about tim
Is not the attitude of the planters an
lie merchants, who are mostly COnserv,
ID tives, but 1t Is the point of view q
the Liberal masses.
If The Liberals think they have goo
T. cause in the undoubted corruption {
ot the recent elections. Not only did tn
Of registry lists, or rather the census list
te which serve as a record Of the person
ID entitled to exercise the right Of su
DR. frage, contain no less than 100000 q
IN titious names, or nearly half the nun
in Der of the voting population, but r
We peating was practiced openly and {
It. an enormous scale, cases of men VIC
Of ing eight or ten times being cOmmo
Id Neutral observers agree these frau'
were committed by both sides. II
it Liberals accuse the administration
an the bulk of the frauds and the Co
tn servatives retort with like charge.
en- The Liberals further say the admi
ms istration used the army to drive Ii
d. erals away from the polls, manip
ot lated the votes after they were ca
and falsified the returns.
rs Raise Standard Of Revolt.
In 1t is a fact that when the libera
he seemed to be winning, the admin
tu- tration suddenly seized telephone Al
he telegraph lines and the returns beg
coming in very slowly. There 4
,v- lowed court contests, and finally
raj was decided to hold elections in G.
he tain districts over again.
he Either believing that these elecdo