The Fragile Republic 51radical, Estrada Palma reluctantly decided to run for re
election at the head of the Moderate ticket. He also believed
the Moderate leaders were more sympathetic to his legislative
goals and economic policy than the Liberals. He was paired
with Mendez Capote, the party president. Estrada Palma's
decision, motivated by a sincere desire to continue the pro
grams he believed best for Cuba's development, immediately
cast the two political alliances as a government party and an
opposition.
Estrada Palma's first move which bound him to the
Moderates was to reorganize his cabinet. The new secretaries,
called the "Fighting Cabinet" for their war records and, said
the Liberals, for their intention to use force to win the
elections, were led by Generals Fernando Freyre de Andrade
and Rafael Montalvo. The former, as Secretary of Govern
ment, commanded the Rural Guard and the election machin
ery. He immediately went to work to insure a Moderate
victory by removing unfriendly provincial and municipal
officials. Theoretically the Constitution protected these officials,
but the congress had failed to pass a law providing for their
election. In the absence of such a law the President had the
power (under the Spanish codes) to remove appointees. The
same situation held true for the judiciary. Since the Constitu
tional provisions for bipartisan election boards had not been
implemented either, the election could be controlled simply
by changing the local officials. This was what Freyre de
Andrade did, and he did so with enthusiasm. In the Liberal
strongholds in Pinar del Rio, Havana and Santa Clara, the
purge was widespread. The outraged Liberals replied with
riots, counter-intimidation and arson, but much of the local
protest was not party-inspired.^54
The government also increased its following by the liberal
granting of pardons and by filling the bureaucracy with
partisans. Policemen, teachers, and public health officers were
among those replaced with Moderates. The degree of Estrada
Palma's complicity in these acts is uncertain, but it is unlikely
that he was simply the ignorant tool of his Moderate secre