his conspiracy and agitation Gomez was the organizer
and leader. The Palma Government having proved its inability to quench
the uprising, the American authorities intervened, and at the close of
that intervention, on January 28, 1909, Gomez was installed as President
of Cuba.

Of different type entirely, yet not unsuited to work with Jose Miguel
Gomez whenever their mutual interests made cooperation desirable, was
the new Vice-President, Dr. Alfredo Zayas. He too was a man of
conspicuous record, in the War of Independence and afterward, though it
had not been made on the field of battle.

Alfredo Zayas was born on February 21, 1861, and took his degree of
licentiate in administrative law in 1882 at the University of Havana,
and the following year in civil and canonic law. He soon acquired a
reputation as a lawyer and in the world of letters. During the War of
Independence he was the delegate in Havana of the revolutionary party.
His activities in this connection having been discovered, he was
imprisoned in September, 1896, and was sent to Spain and incarcerated at
several of the prisons of the Spanish Government in Africa. After the
War of Independence, Dr. Zayas led an active political life. He was the
founder and Secretary of the Patriotic Committee, was a prominent member
of the Constituent Convention, of which he acted as Secretary, and was
foremost in organizing and leading the activities of the National,
Liberal-National and Liberal parties. He served as Senator from the
Province of Havana. He was one of the jurists who formed the
Consultative Committee, appointed to draw up the organic laws of the
executive and judicial powers, as well as the laws relating to the
provincial and municipal institutions. At different times he occupied
the posts of prosecuting attorney, municipal judge, and sub-secretary of
Justice. During the revolutionary movement which took place in 1906
against the Estrada Palma administration, Dr. Zayas was president of the
revolutionary committee. After the provisional administration which
followed the fall of President Palma, he was elected to the
Vice-Presidency of the Republic.

[Illustration: DR. ALFREDO ZAYAS]

Dr. Zayas's life in the world of letters is no less interesting. From
1890-93 he published various periodicals and collaborated in others. He
has written several books on Cuban history and studies on the language
of the primitive inhabitants of the Island, on bibliography, on
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