uestions relating to law and political economy, etc. He is a member of
the Academy of History and for eleven years was President of the
Sociedad Economica.

The armed forces of the American government were of course withdrawn
from Cuba on January 28, 1909, at the same time with the retirement of
Governor Magoon and the second Government of Intervention, and the
maintenance of order was left for a time entirely with the Rural Guard.
That body of men had been very efficient during the American
intervention and was considered by many to be quite ample for all the
military purposes of the island. During 1909, however, President Gomez
decided to organize a permanent Cuban army. To the chief command of this
he appointed his friend Pino Guerra. The organization consisted of a
general staff, a brigade of two regiments of infantry of three
battalions each, amounting to about 2,500 officers and men; two
batteries of light field artillery and four batteries of mounted
artillery, amounting to about 800 officers and men; a machine gun corps
of four companies comprising 500 officers and men; and a corps of coast
artillery comprising 1,000 officers and men. This force was trained and
equipped under the direction of officers of the United States army who
were borrowed for the purpose by the Cuban government.

The administration of President Gomez was marked with the enactment of
many new laws, and of the undertaking of a number of enterprises. One
law granted amnesty to all persons excepting those who had been
convicted of certain peculiarly odious offenses. Another suspended the
duty on the export of sugar, tobacco and liquors which had been imposed
by the former Palma administration. On the other hand an additional tax
was imposed upon all imports. Early in the administration a perpetual
franchise was granted for telephone service throughout the entire
Island, an act which was severely criticized on the ground that the
President himself was believed to derive pecuniary profit from it. Laws
were also enacted in 1909, legalizing cock fighting and establishing the
national lottery.

In 1910, the second year of this administration, President Gomez began
to manifest marked sensitiveness toward the criticisms which were made
of his administration, and on February 3, two editors were convicted of
libelling him, because they had accused him of deriving profit from
governmental activities, and they were sentenced to terms of
imprisonment.