The Reconstruction of the Cuban Armed Forces 227succeeded in Americanizing and increasing the Rural Guard,
the Guard would stand even more firmly against the person
alismo of the Liberal politicians and support the interests of
the alien and conservative sectors. In reality, the reform of
the Rural Guard marked the beginning of Liberal pressure
to create a regular army. The subsequent political controversy
ended with a Liberal victory over Washington, Governor
Magoon, and the United States Army and the creation of the
Permanent Army of Cuba.
The Permanent Army IssueDespite all the improvements that were wrought in Cuba's
armed forces as they existed in 1906, the Provincial Govern
ment concluded that Cuba needed more armed men to keep
internal order. The military lesson of the August Revolution
was clear, as Tomas Estrada Palma pointed out in his letter
of October 10, 1906: Cuba needed "a competent force to
suppress insurrection and disperse rebel bands." He had found
in August that no force existed "to immediately undertake an
active campaign."
Roosevelt, Taft, and Magoon clearly recognized that more
Cuban soldiers were needed if the Americans were to pull
out; Taft feared that it might be necessary to keep American
troops in Cuba even after the government was restored.^18
Magoon's first thought was simply to enlarge the Rural Guard
and Artillery Corps to ten thousand men, thus giving General
Rodriguez and Major Slocum plenty of provincial reserves.
"Of course," Magoon reported, "this... will cost more.
Liberals should not object because the Rural Guard will keep
them in power after election."^19
In October, 1906, General Bell convened a board of officers
of the General Staff Corps serving in Cuba to study the pos
sibility of increasing the Rural Guard. The board first con
sidered the Rural Guard's proposals for a manpower increase.
The Rodriguez-Slocum plan was simply to increase each
Guard regiment by two troops of cavalry, add a machine gun
company, and flesh out the Artillery Corps, in all an increase