Evening journal., 1897-12-08


a settlement between the combatants
upon the basis OF so called autonomy
lately put forth by the Sagasta minis
try.
Il believe congress should firmly and
scornfully reject such a policy of irreso-
luton and nonaction, because the as
sumption upon which it is founded is
an empty illusion. The vital question
at issue has not been touched by the
revolutionary effort of Sagasta TO end
the war
"All who are familiar with Spanish
legislation know that a valid grant of
an autonomous colonial system that in
wolves not only the repeal Of all existing
laws upon that subject. but also the
transfer of the control of a large part
of the national revenues of Spain to
colonial legislature cannot be made eX-
cept by an act passed by both houses
of the cortes and approved by the
queen regent. The effort just made TO
secure that result by a mere royal de-
cree, unsupported by parliamentary ac-
tion, has, therefore, been justly defined
by Romero Robledo, late minister of
justice, as a purely revolutionary pro-
ceeding in defiance Of the legislature.
"Only one law looking TO home rule in
"a law Of 1895. which passed both houses
Of the cortes unanimously because it
was utterly worthless. Two years later,
when Canovas was forced to put forth
a scheme of home rule, he resolved TO
make it apparently genuine upon its
face, and for that reason he well knew
the cortes would never enact II into
law Under such circumstances he in
vented an expedient for circumventing
the legislature by assuming that the
entire legislative power Of the Spanish
kingdom is vested in the crown alone.
"Sagasta confronted by the same diff
Guilty, has in like manner resorted to
the unconstitutional attempt TO legis-
late by royal decree.
knowing the nation Is against him,
he does not dare to state his proposals
clearly upon the main question and It
is certain that if he should assert even
his incomplete scheme to the present
cortes II would be either rejected en-,
tirely or so amended as to deprive it OF
all vitality. Until the Sagasta plan has
first been enacted into law by the cortes
it cannot rise to the dignity of a pro-
posal, from a legal constitutional point
of view. 1t is only so much waste pa
per.
IN one particular the cabinets at
Washington and Madrid are in iden-
tically the same situation. Both are
striving with all their might either to
defy or circumvent the national viii as
embodied in their respective legisla-
lures.
It have attempted TO demonstrate
elsewhere that the primary cause OF the
endless conflict is economic and that
the difficulty can never be removed un-
til Cuba is independent or possessed OF
an insular parliament that can regulate
absolutely her own tariffs. Nothing
could be more disingenuous than the de-
vice employed to obscure the fact that
no such concession is contemplated.
"a Cuban parliament is TO be given
the power to form it's own tariff, fixing
both import and export duties, provided
the assent Of the home government can
be obtained thereto. In case of a dis
agreement the point in dispute shall
be submitted to a commission Of mem
bers of the cortes. consisting of an
equal number of peninsulars and Gu
bans Everybody knows the Cuban
deputies in the cortes at Madrid are
mere men of straw. returned by the
governor general. Even If they were
Independent, no change could ever be
made in existing tariffs without the
consent of the peninsular Spaniards.
who would never listen TO such a thing.
at the end of three years Of whole
sale destruction, provoked by Spain
through unprecedented political and
economic oppression that has brought
death and famine to hundreds Of thou
sands. the Spanish crown at last con-
fesses the Cubans are right and their
wrongs should now be redressed by a
generous and genuine grant of home
rule. When the proffered scheme is ex-
amined. it is found to be not only in
definite and illegal, but absolutely want
ing in sincerity upon the two vital
points"