Evening star., 1933-08-10
Cuban Showdown Approaches
A-B-C Pressure Forcing Machado Out as United
States Tries to Avoid Necessity
of Intervention.

We include all the youth Of Importance.
I'VE were being murdered by the
porra (strong-arm sluggers) and our
families were being inSulted and dis
graced You heard of the treatment
accorded some of the ladies of Havana
who marched to the presidential palace
In protest?"
1 nodded. That story is not denied
by the government. Prostitutes were
set against the women as they reached
the palace and attacked them.
The lawyers face was set. Happen
ings such as those have put iron into
the souls Of those fighting the Machado
government.
I'VE knew the only way to halt this
terror was to terrify them" he said.
I'VE did" he concluded. grimly
And they had. Terror stalked terror
in Havana and in other cities of Cuba.
Dr. Juan Andres F1iteraS, who was
head of the A. B. c. while an exile in
New York, is now in Havana. He, too,
is a brilliant attorney and a student of
government. I talked with him at
length.
From him one may learn what the
A. B. C. proposes in its determined ef-
forts to bring a new deal to Cuba. The
Cuban government merely represents
special interests instead of the people
Of Cuba
Cuba" he said. "is primarily an
agricultural country. Yet since the
Spanish War, and especially since the
collapse of the sugar markets, the
Cuban has been slowly losing his land.
There are vast, landed estates. Most
of the land of Cuba is owned by foreign
corporations They do not have any
interests in Cuba beyond their profits.
Foreign Owned Lands.
Foreign banks control most of our
sugar mills. About 60 per cent of
Cuba's farm lands are foreign owned.
And sugar is 80 per cent of Cuba's agri-
culture We would buy those lands
back, issuing bonds Of low interest and
long terms. Cuba can never be q ma
tion of free men until Cuba owns her
the arabic land in the United States was
owned by English or French companies?
You can see what we are up against.
We want to buy it back"
Other items in the A. B. C.'s new
DEAL would prohibit the importation Of
contract labor from the British West
Indies, municipalization of the sugar
mill towns which are now merely COM
pany towns" exemption of homesteads
from debts and foreclosures; tax on
incomes, naturalization of public util-
tiles, establishment of a bank Of issue
and of savings banks; preference to
Cuban nationals in industry, insurance
against old age, disability and unem-
ploymet, the eight-hour day and many
other social and economic measures OF
a similar nature.
The A. B. c. would permanently limit
the Presidents poweA
1T is not well for us to have q
President with the power which your
President has and which ours has
under the constitution copied from
that of your country. We would
change the government to parliament
ary form The President would have
q position similar to that of the King
Of England or the President Of France.
The real power would be vested in q
premier and a cabinet" said Fliteras.
The A. B. c. leaders believe this
would enable the Latin people to
change their government without rev.
olution.
The A. B. c. rejects Communism and
Fascism, but does not believe that
democracy automatically produces ad-
vantages.
Communism, was told. is present in
SuUd DuI, Soy OllC a. D. ~. ACoNCA o.
Communism is eager for Machado to
remain in power.
AS long as he Is in Office the Com
munists can point to him and his gov
ernment as an example of the evils OF
the capitalistic form Of government.
The army is Machado's. The school
teachers and other employees of the
state have not been paid. But the
army has never missed pay day.
The strike draws the issue. It forces
q showdown. It Is either the Marines