The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-10-28
Outlined for Publication by the COL
Onial Minister.
LOCAL INTERESTS" OF CUBA
Will Be Left TO the Islsnd to Legislate UpOa
TNO Houses Of Parliament Min
isters Responsible to IL.

New York, October IA dispatch to
the Herald from Madrid says:
Senior MoreIy 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 bes,ow on the
ISLAND OF Cuba and Porto Rico In full
hllmens Of the manlesto Of June "A, Is a
special autonomy founded on the asplra-
lions adopted in the platform OF the
Antillan autonomisus and not Identical
with the other colonial CONSTITUTIONS. II
Is clear that IN its essential principles
the future cons tituuons OF Cuba and
Porto Rico agree with those colonial
constitutions that start from self govern
menk as the capital bieaI-self Iegisla-
ton, responsible TO the government. su-
premacy OF the governor who either un-
der that name or that OF viceroy, shall
represent the mother country, and who
shall choose the ministers who shall be
execlIfive in that coionv
Starting from the above basis. the pro-
jecS Of the Spanish government coataIns
the first partition Of those matters and
concerns that belong to the colonial par
hament and b the imperial parliament
that rs to the national cortes The par
ution is founded on a careful discrimina-
ton between what interests the islands
themselves have in a local sense and
what is OF national Importance. The pro
ject in operation viii interpret the most
generous manner the phrase, local IN
rerests." since It will only grant to the
colonists complete control OF all that re-
lates to education, charity. etc, but it
also fntrusts 10 representatives OF the
local government the right of drawing
upon their customs tariff without any
limitations beyond those mutually ar
ranged.
With the metropolis to coordinate in
;heir respective merchantile and COM
mercial interests, the above functions
viii be performed by an lnsular chamber
totally electoral in nature without re-
strictions as 10 subsequent to subdivis-
ions into two similar chambere-that is,
the house Of representatives and the
members OF this parliament shall be
eleSted by the same suffrage system as
that which regulates the elections in the
peninsula. The same legislative body
shall represent Cuba in the imperial par
H'lhSAAt' O444S 'SAAS dSSSliulS ilstS pSSh
constituted The governor general as the
representative of the central power shall
choose the ministers who are to be the
executive body responsible to the insular
parliament thus completing the reorgani-
zatiou of the parliament as It's govern
ment and endowing It with that degree
of responsibility characteristic of every
colony administered on the principles of
self government. The ministers shall be
responsible to the colonial parliament
and every enactment of the governor
general, as representative of the execu-
tive power in all that touches the local
government shall be treated in the coun-
Gil. OF these ministerial functions re-
served 10 the metropolis are: First,
those that concern International rela-
tlons; second. military and naval matters;
third. organization of the law courts;
fourth, those dispositions that under the
name of patronage really regulate rela-
rions between 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 manner
as shall obtain in all its integrity in
the colonies, while besides there shall
be established such as in the United
States. necessary business positions to
prevent the colonial parliament from les
sening, closing or to delimitate the rights
of citizenship that are set forth in the
national constitution.