Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-10-27
PLAN OF CUBAN REFORM.


New York, oct 27.-A dispatch to the
y PrenderGast, the new colonial minis
ter, has outlined for the Herald his
plan for Cuban reform as follows:
The autonomy which the cabinet of
Senior Sagasta purposes to bestow
upon the islands of Cuba and Porto
Rico In fulfillment OF the manifesto OF
June IA is a special autonomy founded
on the asplratlnos adopted in the plat
form OF the Antillian Autonomists and
not Identical with the other colonial
constitutions. IT is clear that In its
essential principles the future constl-
tutions of Cuba and Porto Rico agree
with those colonial constitutions that
start from self government as the cap
ital Observation-Disclosures, responsible
to the government and the supremacy
of the governor who either under that
name or that Of viceroy, shall repre-
sent the mother country, and who
shall choose the ministers who shall
be the executive in that colony.
Starting from the above basis the
project Of the Spanish government con-
tains the first partition of those mat
ters and concerns that belong to the
colonial parliament and to the impe-
rial parliament, that is. to the national
corteZ The partition Is founded upor
II 'HTtlul discrimination netwnpn what
interests the Islands themselves in n
local sense and what Ia Of national
Importance. The project I'm operntion
Will internret In the most generous
manner the phrase local interests. :"
since II will not only grant to the colo
mics complete control Of all that relates
to education charity, buhlic works inter
insular navigation. agriculture. indus
try, mines. etc. hut II also fntrusts to
representatives OF the local govern
ment the right NJ drawing un their
customs tariff without any limitations
bevond those mutually arranged.
With the metropolis to co-ordinate in
their respective mercantile and COM
mercinl interests the above functions
will be performed by nm insular cham
Der totally electoral IN nature without
restrictions rs to subsequent suhdlvls-
tons into two similar chnmbers-thnt
Is, the house OF representatives and the
senate. Members Of this parliament
shall he elected by the same suffrage
system rs that which regulates the
elections In the peninsula.
The same electoral body shall elect
deputies to the Spanish cortez, who are
20 represent Cuhn In the innerInl mar
lament, Only this assembly hns been
constituted the governor general ms
the representative of the central pow
or; shall choose the ministers who nre
to he the executive body responsible
to the insular parliament, thus COM
pletlng the REORGANIZATION of tho mar
liamontarv government and endowIpf.
n with that derrae Of responsibility
characteristic OF every colony adminis-
tered on the principles of self govern
ment.
The ministers shall be responsible to
the colonial parliament and every en-
actment Of tho governor general Ms
the representative OF the executive
power in all that touches the local gov
errment shall he treated in the coun-
Gil
or these ministerial functions re-
served to the metropolis are. first those
thnt concern International relations,
socond. military and naval matters:
third, organization NJ the law courts
IN cou formitv with the laws rariilntirr
tho Offices Of the ministers. and fourth,
those dND0qitinur That under the nau7e
NJ rnt~nu0to reni'v ror,ilata rniations
b-twcon the church md state. A. tho
vaure N'1o tho now constitution shall
crant 20 the cuban nennie the use NJ
end the protection afforded nv the civil
avd political rights sanctioned hv the
Snani-h constitution IN euch manner
thnt this shall Obtain IN oil lte INTEGRITY
IN the colonies while. hasidos there
shail no este blshed such as in tho
United states necessarv business nosI-
tiorq 10 rrovent the colonial MARLIN
mont from lessenine closing or delirnit-
ing the rights ~ citizonshin that arc
.at forth In the national constitution.