THE CUBA REVIEW 



present time, when Cuba is mobilizinpr her 

 military resources to send a force of from 10 ,- 

 000 to 20,000 men to France, the policy of the 

 republic has been to subordinate other mat- 

 ters to those obligations of alliance which 

 her declaration of war entails. 



LOAN 



^(The Uai.el vSfcit33 has extended a credit of 

 $15,0)),0D) t3 th3 Cabin gw3rnm3nt/]to 

 assist it in war preparations. -% ^ ^ 



The loan was made at the rate of]5%. 



PARDON IFOR :ARMY OFFICERS 



A decree has been sanctioned by President 

 Menocal pardoning the former army officers, 

 Domingo Socorro Mendez, Aniceto Castro 

 Caraveo, Ramon Castellanos Baffi and Xor- 

 bert Lopez Baselo. The two first mentioned 

 Vere captains and the others were lieutenants. 



Y. M. C. A. 



"Havana Week," during which the West 

 Side Branch of the Y. M. C. A., New York, 

 made an effort to raise $4,000 to help build 

 up the association's wort in the Cuban capi- 

 tal, was held the second week in March at the 

 West Side Branch. Senor Placido M. Domin- 

 guez, Cuba's Vice Consul, greeted the mem- 

 bers in the name of President Menocal of 



T>r. Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, Cuban Minister to 

 the United States, whose services have been important 

 in arranging the co-operative defense measures of Cuba 

 and the United States in the war against Germany. 



Cuba and thanked them for the good work 

 the Y. M. C. A. had already accomplished in 

 the republic. 



HAVANA CORRESPONDENCE 



April 6, 1918. 



The Amnesty Bill, which has been under consideration in the Cuban Congress for several 

 months, was finally passed on March 18th after various amendments. It pardons all those 

 connected with the revolution of 1917 with the exception of active army officers and without 

 allowing disloyal officials to resume their former positions or freeing participants in this revo- 

 lution from civil responsibilities. However, the decree signed by the President also embraces 

 active army officers and enlisted men in this amnesty law, thereby holding no one for criminal 

 responsibility on account of taking part in the revolution. After publication of the presiden- 

 tial decree, those being held in this C3nnection were set free, among the principal ones being 

 the former President, General Jose Miguel Gomez, and his son, although they had been per- 

 mitted to live at home under guard for some time past on account of General Gomez's suffer- 

 ing from ill health while in prison. This law will also permit other prominent persons who 

 fled to the United States to escape arrest to now return to Cuba. 



The obhgatory military service measure is still under discussion and upon the reconvening 

 of Congress on April 1st after a Lenten vacation, the President in addressing the members 

 called their attention once more to the necessity of passing such a law. He stated that while 

 there has at no time in the past been a sufficient number of men enlisted to keep the army 

 ranks full, yet this fact was never more serious than at present, adding that due to the high 

 wages paid in the country for workmen, this was not only the cause of keeping men from joining 

 the army, but was also the reason for many failing to re-enlist. 



