The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-09-22
DANGER IS, SEENM :.
= s' ELECTIONS. IN CUBA
Electoral Laws Drafted by u. s.
ii to Prevent Bloodshed Will
J. !. Have First Trial
By A. l.. Bradford

Washington, Sept. 22.-Ihe state
department here is awaiting the Pre-
sidential election next November In
Cuba with an interest probably Sec
ond only to the Presidential elections
in the United States the same month.
While the choosing of an American
president will decide the future for
eign policy of the United States; the
elections in Cuba will determine
whether the Cuban elecoral laws as
drafted by the United States govern
ment are to prevent abuse and blood
shed in the selection Of Chief Elk
ecutive of Cuba. T..
= Although requested to do So by the
Liberal Party the American govern
ment has decided not actually to SUI
pervise the elections in Cuba. 1t is
stated officially, however, that the
fact that "the United States may
again be called upon by the Cuban
people for a decision regarding the
fairness of the election, makes 1t In
cumbent upon the Government ofthe
United States to use all available
means to observe the conduct of the
electoral procedure in Cuba:
. AS is usual in Latin-American pol
itics, intriguing interest of romance
and adventure attaches to the am
pending selection Of Pr esident OF
Cuba. i.
Thel two main candidates. in the
Cuban elections are General Jose Mi
guel Gomez, of the Liberal Party,
and Alfredo Zayas,. candidate of the
Coalition League; while General Ra-
fael Montalvo is 'trying to establish
his candidacy as the selection of the
Conservative party.
The Conservative party in Cuba,
Oh August q, formed a coalition
with follower; of Zayas, who was the
candidate of the Liberal Party, for
the presidency in 1916. BY accept
ing Zayas, the Conservative Party
threw over General Montalvo, who
already had been proclaimed as the
Conservative candidate for President.
General Montalvo now claims that he
was ousted from the candidacy thru
fraud and intrigue and that he still
considers himself the Conservative
candidate. He has taken his case
before the Central Elections Board
and says that if necessary he will
bring it before the Supreme Court OF
Cuba.
This complicated political situation
is made more bizarre by the following
"line-up:" President Menocal is sup
porting the candidacy of Zayas; in
the election of 1915. Zayas as the
Liberal candidate opposed the present
Cuban executive; the present Liberal
candidate, General Gomez, led the
armed revolution against president
Menocal after the 1916 election in
support of the candidacy of Zayas;
General Gomez is now opposing "a
vas; at president candidate Of the
Coalition League.
% The United States government is
earnestly solicious that there be no
repition after the impending election
of the revolution following the cleo
tion Of 1916.
The Cuban election laws drafted
by Major General Enoch H. Crowder,
Judge Advocate General Of the Unit
ed States Army, and who modified
Americas great draft army in the
World War, were brought into use
in the elections of 1912 and 1916. In
March of last year, at the invitation
of the Cuban Government, General
Crowder again went to Cuba to make
a final draft of the electoral law, with
view to presenting a recurrence OF
Certain abuses which had been prac-
ticed in the previous elections. This
work was completed and the complet-
ed electoral laws enacted by the Gu
ban Congress in August, 1919. The
November elections constitute the
first real test of the American-writ-
ten electoral law for Cuba.