Evening star., 1933-09-21
GRAU SAN MARTINS
FALL IS HELD NEAR
Reports Indicate Cuban
Presidents Days as Ruler
Are Numbered.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

The days of DR.. Grau San Martin as
ruler of Cuba are numbered, according
to reliable reports received in the course
of the day from Havana.
The new Cuban dictator, appointed
by handful Of students and personal
followers, is ready to yield his Office,
probably before the end of the week.
In the meantime, a state of complete
chaos is rapidly developing in the
up in small local governments. where
no authority except that of the local
leader is recognized. And even these
leaders do not last generally more than
"a or 43 hours. Students, the generic
name applied to the young political
agitators who can read and write, form
a government to be superseded the next
day by some corporal, assisted by q
handful of soldiers.
Business Stands Stin.
The entire economic life of the once
prosperous country is at a standstill
Factories are taken over by the work.
ers, who are melted to do so by these
alleged students. Expensive machinery
is being wrecked by the lack Of knowl-
edge OF the new foremen to handle
them. Disease, due to the lack of
sanitation, is spreading through the
island and nothing Is being done to
check it. The municipalities, run by
ignorant men, cannot take the neces-
Sary measures to combat disease,
neither have they the necessary means
to restore the sanitation damaged by
the last storms.
The population, without leaders, with
the morale broken down, has COM
pletely ceased to work and has only
one way of finding their daily liveli-
hood, by looting whatever food can
still be found in stores
The old politicians like Gen. Menocal
and Mendieta are poWerleSs in Havana.
They look at the situation without be-
ing able to do anything for their coun-
try. The germ of civil war and Com
munism is now too deeply rooted in the
Cuban masses to enable these men rep
resenting the old order, to find a sub
stantial following. Among the high
classes and the business men in Havana
and Santiago there Is only one hope
to save their country. and that is i'm
mediate and effective American inter-
vention. And this, Ambassador Sumner
Welles has informed them. is highly
improbable unless the disturbances
cause loss of life among American citi-
ZenS.
Protection Of Americans.
President Roosevelt is today more
determined than ever to let the Cubans
work out their own salvation.
Naturally. every possible measure to
protect the lives Of American citizens
residing in Cuba Is being taken.
Destroyers are dispatched hastily
from one point to another. in accord
ance with the developments in the
island. The Americans have been told
by the ccnsuls that they must gather
near points where the destroyers can
be reached easely and quickly. They
must abandon, if necessary all their
belongings and property and get on
board the vessels as soon as their lives
appear menaced.
And it is up to them, on shore, to
determine when that moment has come.
The commander of the American forces
in Cuban waters is being kept informed
as to the danger points and Is taking
the necessary measures to have his
ships ready to take the Americans on
board.
OF colrse the possibility Of landing
of Marines is still in the background.
Nobody can say whether or when it
will happen. 1t is impossible to make
any forecast as long as irresponsible
elements are in control in Cuba.