THE CUBA REVIEW 



15 



PRESS COMMENTS ON CUBAN AFFAIRS 



MEN FROM WHOM CUBA WILL PICK NEXT PRESIDENT 



By Jorije Godorj 



Who will he Ciil^a's next President? It's 

 hard to tell. Who will be the next President 

 of the United States is a much easier question 

 to answer. Why? Simply beeause there are 

 about eight Cuban candidates at present and 

 fewer American political leaders who aspire 

 to the Presidency. 



Those eight Cuban candidates day after day 

 are striving, planning and dreaming of the 

 "Cuban White House chair." Their names 

 are Mario G. Menocal, President of Cuba, 

 who would unhesitatingly be reelected; En- 

 rique Jose Varona, Vice-President of Cuba, one 

 of the most erudite philosophers of the island, 

 whose numerous educational works have been 

 highly praised by both press and public; Jose 

 Miguel Gomez, ex-President of Culja, who 

 became Chief of State of that Latin Americ^an 

 republic when Gov. Magoon bade Cuba fare- 

 well and who is one of the greatest, if not the 

 greatest politician of all Spanish speaking 

 countries; Alfredo Zayas, "the Cuban Bryan" 

 as far as oratory is concerned ; Frey re Andrade, 

 Mayor of Havana and former member of the 

 Cabinet of the first Cuban President; Es- 

 trada Palma, a man gifted with an unusual 

 intellect; Gen. Emiho Nunez, Secretary of 

 Commerce and Labor, Dr. Eusebio Hernan- 

 dez, one of Havana's most noted physicians; 

 Ernesto Asbert, ex-Governor of Havana pro- 

 vince, who like Lincoln and other great 

 Americans, rose from "nothing" to "some- 

 thing," and a number of others. 



When the writer was last in Havana there 

 were several political parties, the most popu- 

 lar being the Conservative and Liberal. The 

 Liberals were divided into two branches, the 

 "Miguelistas," who favored ex-President 

 Jose Miguel Gomez, and the "Zayistas," 

 who advocated the election of ex-Vice-Presi- 

 dent Alfredo Zayas as Chief Magistrate of 

 the nation. 



The other party, the Conservative, desired 

 the re-election of President Mario C!. Meno- 

 cal. 



There were other jiolitical parties with 

 their respective candidates, but the Conserva- 

 tive and Liberal parties had the most popu- 

 lar candidates. 



Who then stands the liest chance of being 

 elected President and Vice-President of 

 Cuba? If the telegraphic despatches received 

 here stating that the alignment of political 

 parties has been completed by an alliance of 

 the "Miguelistas" and "Menocalistas" be 

 true, then it is likely that ex-President Jose 

 Miguel Gomez (one of the Liberal candidates), 

 who undoubtedly derives much strength from 

 President Menocal himself, will again l)ecome 

 Cuba's Chief Executive. 



The other Presidential candidates are also 

 iwpular with the masses. Some time ago I 

 witnessed one of the grandest and most 

 original political manifestations I have ever 

 seen in any country. This manifestation was 

 given in honor of Gen. Asbert. Picture a 

 beautiful tropical night. Imagine a parade 

 consisting of thousands of "guajiros,'' or 

 farmers mounted on prancing steeds and pedes- 

 trians carrying lighted torches, "nanigos," or 

 negroes, attired in amusingly strange African 

 costumes, dancing, singing, shouting, gesticu- 

 lating, making all sort of contortions, blowing 

 horns, beating drums, jumping on one foot 

 and then on the other, grinning, playing 

 weird music and wagons filled with palms and 

 tropical fruit. 



This parade passed through Havana's 

 principal thoroughfares, reaching the National 

 Palace, where thousands of enthusiastic spec- 

 tators vociferously applauded and yelled with 

 all their lung power to the rhythm of the 

 Cuban national anthem. "Viva Asbert!" 

 (Long live Asbert!) "Viva Cuba Lil)re!" 

 (Long live free Cuba !) 



Not long afterward another political mani- 

 festation delighted the gay people of Havana. 

 President Menocal (at that time Conserva- 

 tive candidate for the Presidency) had just 

 arrived from his country home. The Seville, 

 the leading hotel of the Cuban metropolis, 

 was ai'tistically embellished with attractive 

 silken banners and flags and lifelike pictures of 

 the idol of the people — President Menocal. 



The illumination of the entire spacious 

 avenue in front of the hotel referred to was 

 indescribably beautiful; it resembled a spark- 

 ling faii'vland. 



