Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-13
BY WILLIAM HARD.

With the arrival in Washington of
another emissary of the great and good
deeds of President Machado of Cuba,
and with the continued presence here
OF a considerable number of Cuban
exiles who have fled from the impact
OF his deeds, the Cuban question has
stopped being a foreign question and
issues in the National Capital.
Machado and the New Workers who
have got into sugar planting in Cuba
ana the propagandiStS whom he and
they accelerate upon their missions in
the United States maintain in COM
municationS to journalists and in COM
munications to our Government that
the Machado administration Is the
noblest and most righteous that free
Cuba has ever had. The counter
propagandists. who usually seem to
leave Cuba between meals with a pencil
and collar button for spare parts,
maintain that they are not permitted to
hold even ordinary peaceful political
meetings in criticism of the policies of
Machado and that the Island of Cuba
Is stepped in corruption, Swamped by
unconstitutionality and drenched in
aSsassinations.
This contest concerning a foreign
country Is getting fought out on our
soil, and. If all diplomatic pretenses are
dismissed from a consideration of the
matter, there is not the slightest doubt
that the outcome of the struggle will be
determined in very large degree, If
not wholly, by the Government at
Washington.
The Government at Washington, in
accordance with the principle that
Cuba Is free and totally independent
country, is saying nothing. In accord
ance, however, with the principle of our
Cuban treaty of 1904, which speaks of
our responsibility for the maintenance
in Cuba of "a government adequate for
the protection of life, property and in
dividual liberty" it seems to be en-
gag1ng in considerable quiet activity.
Il X X X
It has become known here that our
Ambassador in Cuba, Mr.. Harry F..
Guggenheim, has been busying himself
at Havana, not only as an Ambassador
to President Machado, but as a volun-
teer reconciler and pacifier of the
Cuban elements opposed to President
Machado. Those elements, headed by
Carlos Mendieta y Montefur, maintain
that they represent an overwhelming
majority of the Cuban people and they
assert that If the United States Govern
ment will only announce that it will
keep its hands of Cuba and not inter-
vene there on Machado's behalf, they
can strenuously but easily persuade the
President in not much more than half
an hour to get on a boat and go to
London.
A few months ago our Government
seemed to be pretty well standing by
Machado. Today, Ambassador Gug-
genheim Is reliably reported to be offer
ing concessions to Carlos Mendieta Y
Montefur to induce him to consent to
Machado's continuance in presidential
power, along with q new opportunity
to Mendieta's party to get actually on
the ballot and actually to cast its votes
in the approaching November election
for members of Congress.
Mendieta is said to have spurned
this offer. He seems to be all out for
complete constitutionality and legality
in its full purity. He demands the
restoration Of the unabridged constitu-
ton of Cuba as delivered to the Cuban
people by our Gen. Leonard Wood dur
ing our first Cuban occupation. He
demands equally the restoration Of the
unamended and unsullied election law
of Cuba as delivered to the Cuban
people more recently by our Gen. Enoch
Crowder. He wants Machado to retire
and to give way to the results Of alto
ton and under an election law I'M
changed by Machado's edicts.
X " X
The embarrassing feature Of the sit
Guardianship to us-iS that
Mendieta Montefur is supported in his
views and in his obstinacieS by such
Cuban celebrities as Cosme de la Tor
riente, who has been president of the
Cuban Conservative party, member OF
the Cuban Senate, Cuban Minister to
Spain, Cuban Ambassador to the United
States, Cuban delegate to the League of
Nations and world president OF the
League Of Nations Assembly. Cosme
de Ia Torriente, who is a distinguished
jurist, is reputed to be preparing
memorandum to the League calling
lIpon IL to do something about tyranny"
in Cuba In default of action by the
United States.
Cosme de Ia Torriente and Carlos
Mendieta Montefur and Roberto
Mendes Penate and Juan Gualberto
Gomez and Aurelio Alvarez y-de La
Vega, all high Cuban political grandees,
brought a suit the other day in the
Cuban supreme court against the chief
of staff of the Cuban Army for violently
breaking up an attempted meeting OF
their nationalist" political organiza-
ton at the town Of Artemisa. Thou
sands of citizens were in attendance
for the meeting, but were at once
dispersed by cavalrymen, who rode their
horses at them and discouraged them
with strokes Of their swords and shots
of their guns. The "Nationalistas"
sought redress in the court against the
chief of staff and certain other Cuban
Army officers. Thereupon President
Machado, who never yet has evidenced
any sign Of nerve trouble, addressed the
court as follows:
4 y
GAS I am aware that there has been
filed In this tribunal complaint
against the chief Of STAFF, accusing him
Of having dictated an order to suspend