THE CUBA R E \' I E W 



John B. Jackson, the United 

 Would Use States minister to Cuba, has 

 Cuban dehvered a note to Secre- 

 Tclcgra{>h tary Sanguily, of the State 

 Department, in which the 

 Washington government requests permis- 

 sion for two naval experts to use the island's 

 telegraph lines. 



The experts desire to make certain coast 

 observations in Cuba, and will find it neces- 

 sary to use the wires. 



The Department of Posts and Tele- 

 graphs to which the request had been re- 

 ferred by the State Department, requested 

 more data on the subject before yielding 

 permission. 



President Gomez, according 



No to a recent letter to Con- 



Candidate gressmen Carlos ^lendieta 



Favored and Sr. Juan Gualberto. will 



not mix in presidential pol- 

 itics. He savs that the constitution and 

 laws of the countr}- do not limit his rights, 

 as a private citizen, to sympathize or vote 

 for a candidate, but that in view of the 

 fact that his attitude may be construed that 

 he is favoring General Asbert as the can- 

 didate of the administration, he will in the 

 future abstain from showing any favor to 

 any of the several candidates to the nomi- 

 nation. 



Upon reading this letter. La Lucha was 

 moved to sa^" : 



"General Gomez is proverbial in the way 

 be changes his opinion. It is a matter of 

 little importance to him when dealing in 

 politics to write a letter now saying one 

 thing, then to come back at the end of a 

 few minutes and say : "Gentlemen you have 

 not understood me." Meanwhile he goes 

 ahead and does what he pleases.'' 



The members of the Vet- 

 Veterans erans' Association of Cuba 

 Threaten held a massmeeting on Oc- 

 Lyuching tober 19th. to protest against 

 the holding of government 

 positions bj- former Spanish sympathizers 

 and afterward the number of 1.000 

 marched to the palace to lay their griev- 

 ance before the president, who said that 

 he had always sought to govern justly. 

 patriotically and efficiently and preferred 

 to appoint veterans, but it was necessary 

 to choose the fittest men for positions re- 

 quiring special aptitude and among these 

 were some former Spanish guerrillas. 



Col. Aranda of the veterans' committee 

 said the organization was determined not 

 to endure the appointment to office of 

 former enemies of Cuba while patriots 

 were excluded, and he added that unless 

 the protest was heeded, "days of mourning 

 would visit Cuba, " beginning the following 



Saturday. This threat made the president 

 angry and he replied, "I cannot submit to 

 arrogant dictation. If days of mourning 

 await Cuba, let them come. I shall be found 

 ready." 



It might be mentioned that nothing espe- 

 cial occurred on the day designated. 



The association includes leaders of all 

 parties, national, police and army officers 

 and has great power, being able, it is be- 

 lieved, to enforce its desires either by vote 

 or revolution. 



The veterans have 127 encampments on 

 the island and their program, according to 

 Col. Aranda. is to traverse Cuba from end 

 to end lynching Spanish s^-mpathizers 

 wherever found, and that if any judges 

 permitted indictments to be filled against 

 the h-nchers. the judges in turn would be 

 killed. Much animosity was exhibited 

 among veterans against Secretaries Chalons 

 and Martinez-Ortiz of the president's 

 cabinet, Seiior Rivero, editor of the Diario 

 de la Marina, of Havana, and Senor Pasa- 

 lodas, ex-presidential secretary. Lynching 

 of these last two was very generally ad- 

 vocated. 



On October 22d Secretary Chalons, who 

 was a colonel in the Soanish army, follow- 

 ing the meeting of the veterans, sent in 

 his resignation, which President Gomez re- 

 fused to accept. sa}-ing that the countn,- 

 could not afford to lose the services of so 

 valuable an official. 



A further manifesto on October 29th 

 from the veterans was much more mod- 

 erate in terms, but still insisted upon the 

 dismissal of all office holders who were 

 traitors to Cuba's independence. 



The agitation increased instead of de- 

 creased as the days passed, for on Xo- 

 A'ember 10th demands for the removal of 

 the objectionable ones were being made 

 throughout the entire island. Local offi- 

 cials in interior towns were ordered to 

 resign or to prepare for death, and appeals 

 have been made to the government by those 

 threatened, for protection. 



A bill was introduced Xovember 10th in 

 both houses of the Legislature amending 

 the civil service laws so as to exclude 

 guerrillas. President Gomez takes a 

 strong stand and says that all Cuban citi- 

 zens are equal before the law. regardless 

 of their political antecedents. He depre- 

 cates as unpatriotic the efforts to revive 

 past animosities. He is anxious, however, 

 to conciliate the veterans as far as possible. 



Farson. Son & Co. received advices on 

 October 25th from Havana that the Cuban 

 government had called for payment on 

 Xovember 2Sth. at 100 and interest, $50,000 

 bonds of the internal loan due 1913, 

 optional. 



