General Mario G. Menocal became President and Senor Enrique Jose Varona
became Vice-President of Cuba on May 20, 1913, the tenth anniversary of
the establishment of the independent Cuban Government. The President
delivered his first message to Congress on the following day. It was an
eminently practical, statesman-like and businesslike document, in which
he modestly promised a wise and prudent administration of his office,
and especially an immediate reform of the finances of the Government,
which was notoriously much needed. As a small beginning of this reform,
he offered to do away with the usual appropriation of $25,000 for
Presidential secret service. Many debts had been left over by the former
administration and he purposed to address himself to the liquidation of
these, so far as they had been honestly contracted. The notorious
Dragado concession was repealed on August 4, and a commission was
appointed to investigate the methods of the company. As a result of this
and other investigations, the former Secretary of Public Works, and
Auditor were indicted for misappropriation of public funds, and various
other officers were prosecuted.

The President desired to obtain a loan of $15,000,000 with which to pay
off the debts which had been left to him by his predecessor, and also
for urgent road work, and the paving and sewering of the streets of
Havana. This was, however, refused him by Congress, and that body, under
the domination of the Liberals, refused to pass any budget whatever.
President Menocal was therefore compelled to declare the budget of the
preceding year still in force, pending the adoption of new financial
provisions. Hoping to persuade or to compel Congress to perform its
constitutional duty, he called that body together in special session in
July and again in October, but on both occasions the Liberals all
absented themselves and thus prevented the securing of a quorum. These,
it will be observed, were similar to the tactics which the same party in
Congress had employed against President Palma in their malignant
campaign for the overthrow of his administration. But President Menocal
was not thus to be overthrown. When the Liberals in October, a second
time, refused to perform their duty he issued a manifesto in which he
seriously criticized them and made it plain that no such methods would
be permitted to interfere with the legitimate work of Government. Rumors
were indeed current that he would resort