The Politics of Intervention

The Politics of Occupation 163

yet been formed officially), Taft found them willing to accept
an indefinite postponement. The Havana bankers, seconded by
the Chamber of Commerce, stated that they needed at least
one year's notice of the withdrawal in order to stave off a
financial collapse.^55
Governor Magoon had believed as early as January that
the weakness of the political parties made it unwise to hold
elections until 1908.
56
His position on the timing of elections
was shared by Colonel Crowder, adviser to the Departments
of State and Justice and president of the Advisory Law Com­
mission. As a result of the Commission's review of the Cuban
constitutional system, Crowder already had reported to Taft
that the whole electoral system needed drastic revision and
that a national census was essential.^57 Crowder was no advo­
cate of hasty reform of the law; indeed he recognized that
Cuba needed its entire criminal and civil codes revised as
well as its political legislation modified.
58
Magoon and Crow­
der, lawyers both, were concerned that the Provisional Gov­
ernment should have enough time to draft new laws, which
they hoped would lessen the chance of election injustices and
unrestrained spoils politics.
For a number of reasons, then, Taft drew up a plan outlining
the preconditions for American withdrawal. They were (1) the
drafting and declaration of a new electoral law, (2) the com­
pletion of an accurate census, (3) the holding of municipal
and provincial elections after a voter registration based on the
census, and (4) six months later, the holding of national elec­
tions. The elections would be closely supervised by the Pro­
visional Government. The American withdrawal would come
some three months later when the new president was inaugu­
rated. The Provisional Government, however, would follow
this loose timetable only if the country remained peaceful.^59
Taft cabled Roosevelt for his decision and the President replied
simply, "I approve."^60 By the time Taft left Havana the under­
standing was that the census would take a year and that the
first elections would follow in the tiempo muerto of 1908.^61

Taft's Havana visit was a major event in the conduct of the

occupation, for it reassured the Cubans that the United States