The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-10-01
By A. L. BRADFORD


Washington, Sept 99-The state
department here Is awaiting the
Presidential elections next Novem-
ber in Cuba with an interest pro
hably second only to the Presiden'
tial elections in the l1ited states
the same month.
While the choosing OF an Ame1-
can President will decide the future
foreign policy Of the United States
the election in Cuba will determine
whether the Cuban electoral laws az
drafted by the United States Govern
ment are to prevent abuses ami
bloodshed in the selection of Chief
Executive OF Cuba.
Although requested to do so by
the Liberal Party, the American
Government has decided not actual
ly to supervise the elections IN
Cuba. 1t is stated Officially, how
ever, that the fact that "the United
states may again be called upon by
the Cuban people for decision re-
garding the fairness Of election.
makse it incumbent upon the Gov
ernment of the United States to use
all available means to observe the
conduct of the electoral procedure
in Cuba"
AS is usual Latin-American poll
tics, intriguing interest Of romance
and adventure attaches to the inn
pending selection of a President OF
Cuba
Tho two main candidates in tha
Cuban elections are General Jose
Miguel Gomez. of the Liberal Party.
ana Alfredo zayas, candidate of the
Coalition League while General RAJ
fael MontalYo is trying to establish
his candidacy as the selection OF
the Conservative Party.
j
on August 81, formed coalition
with followers of Zayas, who was
the candidate of the Liberal Party
for the Presidency in 1916. By ac-
cepting Zayas, the Conservative
Party threw over General Mcatalvo,
who already had been proclaimed as
the Conservative candidate for Presi
don't. General MontalvO now claims
that he was ousted from the candi
dacy through fraud and intrigue and
that he still considers himself thu
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 situa-
tica is made more bizarre by the fol
lowing lineup" PreMdeat Menocal
is supporting the candidacy of Ia
yas: in the election of 1916 zayas
as the Liberal candidate opposed the
present Cuban Executive the pres
ent Liberal candidate, General Go
mez, led the armed revolution
against President Menocal after the
1916 election in support of the can
didacy of zayas; General Gomez is
now opposing Zayas, at present the
candidate of the Coalition League.
The United States Government is
earnestly solicitous that there be nc
repition after the impending cleo
tion of the revolution .ollowing the
election cf 1916
The Cuban election laws drafted
by Major General Enceh H. Crcwder
Judge Advocate General Of the
United States Army, and who mcbi
lied Americas great draft army in
tho World War were brought into
use in the elections of 1912 ana
1916. In March Of last year, at the
invitation CT the Cuban Government
General Crowder again went tc
Cr1a to make final draft of the
electoral law. with view of pre-
venting a recurrence of certain |
abuses which had been practiced in
the previous elections. This work !
was completed and the completed |
electoral laws enacted by the Cuban |
Congress in August, 1919. The No I
vember elections constitute the
first real test Of the American-writ
ten electoral law for Cuba.