The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-12-02
EXPLAINS CUBAN AUTONOMY
rhR DE LONE EXPLAINS
WHEREIN THE NEW PLANS
A MOST LIBERAL ONE.
MORE LIBERTY Than CANADAEN OyS
Hetween Canadian Act
u cuban Plan-ErpIain. the
n Is Autonomous Only
= Few Specific Cases.

LONE washington, Nov. 29.-Senor Dunuv do
disna fcb ,ne spanish minister, has long
t tail tbo q, from Madrid. showing in das'
a sdal the plan of autonomy which Snain uG e
a. do'ut 10 apply to Cuba. While thas 10
tbev ~, give the text of the new law
cleoyr u1pialn all important features and
nn"R Up uoubt which had arisen from Tho
M odn;d reports which have come from
said today: 'ne minister
.,;do regret that much apprehension bas
" "anm over the new law, owing TO the
conoo nneasre reports heretofore received
Gohcernlng it. | must admit oiSo thot
nave been astonished at the disnoS;t;n,.
IN some quarters to criticise small techi
hlcai features without looking at tho
form law. VI the 1T" re-
III IS a measure which will stand the
.iosest scrutiny and l am very desrous
mat the American people should look
rm.o II win care, studying it and COM
Daring IL with other constitutional meth
gus Oh governing colonies. Such study.
an sure, Will fully vindicate the law
ana commend it to the people of this
country, outside of those irreconclliables
VINO are always to be met with. One of
the recent criticisms is that this plan is
the same as the old plan, with some
change of detail. AS matter of fact
the new pan is a complete realization of
the policy and platforms of the autono-
mist party during the past twenty years
Inc OLD plan of autonomy gave to Cuba
an advisory board. 1t did not have final
authority in making laws, but merely adj
yised as to those laws. Now, however,
the new law proposes to give Cuba
parliamentary body of full lawmaking
power. The completeness of this legis-
iatlVe power is as great if not greater
than that enjoyed by Canada or any
state of the United States. This isl
readily demonstrated by comparing the
plan of the new law with that of the
British North American act of 1867,
which established the present parlia-
mentary system of Canada. According
to the Canadian law the Canadian par
upper house is made up of members ap-
pointed by the crown, each member hold
ing life tenure, with qualification that
no member is eligible unless he has an
income of $4,000. The provision for the
new Cuban upper house is along the same
general line but is far less stringent In
stead of the crown appointing all of
the upper house. as in the case of Can
ada, 'the Spanish crown is to appoint only
one-half of the members of the upper
house of Cuba: the other half are to be
elected by the people of Cuba every five
years. There is $4,000 property quail
fication for membership of the upper
house of Cuba. which is the same as that
in Canada. The same comparison holds
good between the proposed lower house
in Cuba and the lower house in Canada.
There is $4,000 property qualification
for members of the lower house in Canada
and also a qualification as to those who
may vote for such members. But in the
qualification as to the electors. 1t is
one man. one vote; the same be he black
or white.
eff the new home rule law is COM
pared with the system prevailing in the
several states of the United States it
will be found that Cuba is to have
a far greater measure of control of her /
own affairs than do the several states in |
this country. For instance. she is !
given control of her postal affairs, con-
troll of her banking and currency, con-
troll of her customs. This last feature
is the most important. and according to
I have received from Madrid
is as follows: ;,
"'The insular parliament will form its
own tariff. fixing both import and export
duties The home government. together
with the insular government, will make
a schedule of such peninsular and insnlar
products az. by common agreement. shall
enjoy a preferential duty over similar
foreign product, which in no case shall
exceed 35 per cent. In case of disagree
ment in the preparation of said schedule
the point in dispute shall be submitted
to committee of members of the
cortes. consisting of an equal number OF
peninsulars and Cubans.
"It will be observed that this gives to
the Cuban parliament entire control OF
the tariff. with the condition that there
shall he preferential duties for Spain not
exceeding 81 per cent. 1t should be
understood that these preferential dutles
IRE not an unusual feature. Even under
The last reciprocity treaty between the
United States and Cuba, which is con-
ceded to have been the most satisfactory
treaty. made by the United States there
was preferential duty of so per cent to
Snain. Under the new law this is cut
down TO 35 per cent. Moreover, 1t should
be understood the preferential duties 40
not cover all the tariff schedules, as tney
Hid when the United States ana CuDa
had reciprocity treaty. but covers only
limited number of articles. Inese artl-
rlos doubtless will be so chosen as no! 10
fleet the trade between the, United
States and Cuba so that while SPAN en-.
lows the preference from her colony IT.
Iii NOT he preference as against the t
United States"
When It was suggested to the minister t
that among certain classes no plan Tor
autonomy was acceptable, he said:
"Certainly: there are irreconcilables on =
both aidesESpanish irreconcilables and Il
lvrhon ;rroconcilahlps. But they are not q