The record-union., 1897-10-28

NEW YORK, Oct. 27.-A dispatch to
the Herald" from Madrid says:
Senor Moret Y Prendergast the new
Colonial Minister, has outlined for the
Herald" his plan for Cuban reform as
follows:
The autonomy which the Cabinet Of
Senor Sagasta purposes to bestow upon
the island Of Cuba and Porto Rico in
fulhllment Of the engagement contract
ed in the manifesto Of June 24th, is a
special autonomy founded on the aspira-
tions adopted in the platform of the
Antillian autonomists and not Identical
with the other colonial constitutions It
iE clear that, in its essential principles,
the future constitutions Of Cuba and
Porto Rico are to agree with those colo
nial constitutions that start from self
government as the capital idea, self
legislation, responsible to the Govern
ment and the supremacy of the Cover
Ior, who, either under that name or
that of Viceroy. shall represent the
mother country, and who shall choose
the Ministers who shall be the execu-
tive in that colony.
Starting from the above basis. the
project of the Spanish Government con-
and concerns that belong to the Colonial
Parliament and to the Imperial Parlia-
ment-that is, to the National Cortes.
The partition is founded upon careful
discrimination between what interests
the islands themselves in Il local sense
and what is Of national Importance. The
project in operation win interpret in the
most generous maner the phrase, 90
cal interests" since it will not only
grant to the colonists complete control
Of what relates to education, charity,
public works interinsular navigation,
agriculture, industry, mines, etc, but it
also intrusts to representatives of the
local government the right of draw
ing up their customs tariff without any
limitations beyond those mutually ar
ranged.
With the metropolis to coordinate in
their respective mercantile and COM
mercial interests, the above functions
viii be performed by an insular cham
her, totally electoral in nature, without
restriction as to subsequent sub-divi-
sions into two similar chambers-that
is, the House of Representative and
the Senate.
Members of this Parliament shall be
elected by the same suffrage system as
that which regulates the election in the
peninsula. The same electoral body
shall elect deputies to the Spanish
Cortes, who are to represent Cuba in
the Imperial Parliament. Over this AS
sembly has been constituted the Cover
or-General, as the representative of
the central power; he shall choose the
Ministers who are to be the executive
bodies responsible to the Insular Par
lament thus completing the reorgan-
izatiOn Of Parliamentary Government
and endowing it with that degree of re-
sponsibility characteristic of every col
Cny administered on the principles Of
government.
The Ministers shall be responsible to
the Colonial Parliament, and every en-
actment of the Governor General, as the
representative of the executive power,
in all that touches the local govern
ment. shall be treated in the council
OF these ministerial functions re-
served TO the metropolis are, first, those
that concern international relations;
second. military and naval matters;
third, organization of the law courts in
conformity with the laws regulating the
Offices of the Ministers, and, fourth,
those depOsitions that under the name
Of patronate, really regulate relations
between the church and State.
At the same time the new constitution
shall grant to the Cuban people the use
Of and the protection afforded by the
civil and political rights sanctioned by
the Spanish constitution in such man
ner that this shall obtain in all its in
tegrity in the colonies while. besides,
there shall be established, such as in the
United States. necessary business po-