Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-04-23
CUBA TO HAVE HOME RULE
A Comprehensive System of Autonomy
to Be InauSurat0d Soon.
MAY Be PROMULGATED IN MAY
The United States and Spain
to Be Friendly.
SOME OF THE REFORMS CONTEMPLATED

Provincial Chamber OF Deputies and Coun-
Gil of Administration to BE Estabiished--
Governor General to Continue as sPain'a
Supreme Representative on the Island.
Washington, April 20 The Spanish
government, within the next four
weeks, will put into execution a com
prehensive system of home rule or
autonomy for Cuba. There is good
reason to believe that the State De-
partment has received from Madrid
information TO this effect. In any event
it is beyond question that this i'm
portant move is assured. 1t promises
to bring to a sudden termination the
irritation and friction which has
existed for many months between the
United States and Spain and replace
this feeling with one of friendly and
amicable nature.
Tho law which will be put into effect
was signed by the Queen Regent of
Spain, March 18th, 1895, and will be
followed by rules and regulations de-
veloping the present scheme of reforms.
BY the time the Queen Regent of Spain
makes her address to the Spanish
Cortes, which assemblies in one month,
the law will be promulgated through
out Cuba and the long expected policy
of home rule for Cuba will b, realized.
The law is very elaborate in its pro-
Visions The element OF home rule is
secured by the establishment of two
local bodies, drawn largely, if not en-
tirely, from residents of Cuba. One of
these is to be known as the provincial
chamber of deputies and the other as
the council of administration. The
latter has appellate jurisdiction over
the former. Large powers are granted
to the council of administration in the
international management of public
affairs, but the governor general will
continue as the supreme representative
OF Spain OF the island and will have
direct charge of military, naval and
International questions.
The details of the reform project were
published at the time of their adoption
by the Spanish Cortes in 1885,
AFFAIRS IN CUBA.
Havana, April 20.--During recent
engagements between the Spanish
troops under General Fort and the
insurgents the latter admit having lost
50 killed and having 157 wounded.
Reports received here from Lacret's
band of insurgents show a very de-
moralized condition OF things. 1t is
sdiu tudG lIHCreJ Is frequently llLOXl-
Gated and that of 20 American members
Of an expedition from the United States
which recently joined him five have
been killed and the rest are disgusted.
They say they have been deceived. that
this is no war, that there is no fighting
and that they are living in swamp3
without clothing, compelled to eat bad
food, that the agreements entered'into
with them have not been carried out
and that they are without leaders to
lead them to victory.
Persistent rumors are circulated here
that Antonio Maceo is desirous of sur
rendering: but no unprejudiced OBJ
server places any belief in the reports.
A dispatch from Matanzas says that
the prominent autonomist leader. Artiz,
was arrested and imprisoned on politi-
cal charge, but after being some time
in confinement he was released by order
of the Captain. General.
The splendid machinery house of the
plantation of San Narclsco. near Guira
Meliua, this province, has been de-
stroyed by fire and the cane plantations
of Loteria, Carmen and their colonies
have been destroyed with %, 600 tons
of cane.
1t is now positively asserted that
Perico del Gado, the widely known in
surgont leader, was recently killed in
an engagement in the Province of
Pinar dol Rio