Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23
BY CosME DE LA ToRRIENTE.

BY COSME DE Ia TORRIENTE.
CFormer President of the League OF Nations
and Cuban Ambassador to the U. 3D.
TIME present revolution in Cuba
is not a revolution of ambitious
politicians, nor of chief, nor
i of a single party, nor Of social
class against the government
for the purpose Of substituting 1t in
power This revolution Is the desper-
ate fight of a majority Of the Cuban
people who realize that they are desti-
tute of all their civil and political
rights and of all their personal liberties.
The people in Cuba would never have
entered upon the revolution into which
the government has forced them with
the purpose of being able to destroy
its principal opponents as Is being
done) IL it had not been with the abb
solute conviction that with Machado
or the oligarchy that backs him it is
not possible to enter into any terms OF
agreement.
Says Island Is Ruined.
Machado and his allies have ruined
Cuba economically and have destroyed
its liberties. They now have prepared
another project for q change in tssS
constitution even worse than the one
they carried through in 1928. This
project of change has no other view
except the indefinite maintenance in
power Of the present oligarchy, called
Machado Cits chief, or maybe Vaz-
quez Bello. or Viriato Gutierrez or
some other of Machado's political
friends of the alliance LIBERAL opu-
lar Conservadora" that backs him.
During the government Of Machado
four elections have been held. The first
one, in 1925, commenced the violations
and frauds; the other three-the
elections Of delegates for the conSti-
tutional assembly In 1923. the one OF
the same year for the reelection of
Machado, and the one of 1880 for
the renewal of part OF the Congress
and for filling new seats in the Senate
were all marked by an absolute disre-
spect for the electoral code. The NOM
nation of any candidate who did not
belong to the alliance backing the gov
eminent was not permitted in any one
of these elections, and, not satisfied with
this, they fradulently made 1t to APP
pear that the 80 per cent OF the cleo
tors had voted.
Will Not Accept Changes.
The opposition's absolute certainty
that a new and honest electoral census,
or decent elections for the reform of
the constitution and the renewal of
the elective public offices. will never be
held while Machado and his friends are
in power. must convince all the persons
who are interested in the affairs Of Cuba
that the opposition never will accept
the changes In the constitution that
Machado Is trying to bring about unless
they can be given guarantees to the
effect that all the public and private lib
cries will be re-established and respected;
a. uYifI "a l7o eaY N
organizing themselves politically and be
able to nominate their candidates. vote
and have the opportunity Of being
elected to public Offices
None of these guarantees can exist If
provisional government is not con-
stituted in Cuba composed of persons
whom all the country will consider as
neutral and capable of assuring the
present followers OF the government and
the opposition the exercise Of all their
rights.
The government may crush the pres
ent revolution, using for that purpose
the army and the other forces of the
nation, but it will not destroy its spirit.
Machado or his followers viii not ex-
pose for single moment their lives,
while the great opposition existing
against him in the nation-men, women
and children-must fight personally and
desperately, without weapons Of war,
for the defense of their lives, the pro-
lection of their personal liberty and
their honor.
Against Continued Power.
II the revolution succeeds a pro-
viSional government will Immediately
be formed, and if it is crushed it will
recover, never accepting any kind of
arrangement with President Machado
that may imply his continuance In
power.
1t has been pretended that Machado
and his associates will continue in power
for the purpose of carrying through a
program Of so-called reforms. But the
opposition knows from the bitter ex-
periences of the past that these win
never materialize In the re-establish-
ment of the liberties of the people or
the maintenance of honest elections.
At present, all the elective public
Offices are illegally occupied, due to the
extensions of their
terms in 1923 and fraudulent elections,
with the exception of the case of 10
Senators, who have the right to occupy
nnT TrE EVAAR