Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-12-04
DE LONE ON AUTONOMY.
Iaabored Effort to Prove Its Just
ness to Cuba.
Its Broad, General Character Com
pleteness OF the Local Legislative
Pow or as Great as that OF Canaua
or the States of the Unioa.

pieteness OF the Local Legislative
Power as Great as that OF Canada a.,
or the States of the Unioa. -
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30.-Senor Dupuy nc
de LONE, the Spanish minister, has re- CT
ceived long dispatches from Madrid M
showing in detail the plan OF autonomy
which Spain is about to apply to Cuba. y,
While these do not give the text OF the - -
new law, they explain all important N
features and clear up doubts which had Il
arisen from the unofficial reports Il
which have come from Madrid. i
Speaking Of the new law, the min q
ister said yesterday:
II regret that much misapprehen- !.
| sion has arisen over the new law, ow-
| ing to the very meager reports hereto !
| fore received concerning it. l mus. :
admit also that have been aston'sheo
at the disposition iu some quarters ..
to criticise small, technical features
without looking at the broad, general
character of the new reform law. 1t
is a measure which will stand lhe
closest scrutiny, and | am very desirous
that the American people should looh
into it with care, studying 1T ana com
pairing it with other constitutional
methods of governing colonies Such
study, am sure, will fully vindlcate
the law and commend it to the people
of this country, outside Of those ire
concilables who are always to be met
with.
: One of the recent criticisms is that
. this plan of autonomy is the same as
/ the old plan, with some change OF de-
1 tail. AS matter of fact, the new plan
is a complete realization of the poiicy
: and platforms of the autonomlst party
b during The last 20 years. The Ola plan
n of autonomy gave to Cuba an advisory
e body. 1t did not have final authority
in making laws, but merely advised ia
e to those laws. Now, however, the new
:, law proposes to give Cuba parllalnen'
IS tary body OF full lawmaking power
If The completeness of this legislative
d power is us great, If not greater, than
s. that enjoyed byCanada or by any state
l. Of the United States. This Is reaa'ly
demonstrated by comparing the plan
n of the new law with that OF the Brit
A. ish North American act OF 1867, when
n. establishes the present parliamentary
,e system of Canada. According TO the
le Canadian law, the Canadian parll'l-
be ment consists of two bodies. The
A upper house is made up OF members
id APPOINTED by the crown, each member
OF holding q life tenure, with qualihca
On tion that no member is eligible
unless he has an income O
N, 81 600. The provision for th'
ell new Cuban upper house is along th'
r n same general line, but is far less strin
he gent. Instead of the crown appoin'
ks ing all of the upper house, as IN th
III ease of Canada, the Spanish crown
ire to appoint only one-half OK the men '.,,
nd bers of the upper house OF Cuba. In
led other half are to be elected by the pee
nile of Cuba every five years. There
'ed a 81, 900 property qualification Tor men
ON bership of the upper house OF Cnoi
ard which is the same as that in Canada
Der "rne same comparison holds goe
all. between the proposed lower house
ler- Cuba and the lower house IN Ct.hao
the There is a 81, 800 property qualihcauc
for members of the lower house
'res Canada, and also c qualification as
hth those who may vote for such member
by But in the new plan for Cuba there
'',- no property qualification as 10 =,
900 electors. 1t is one man vote' u
am same be he black or white.
cred .,If the new home rule law is col
pared with the systems prevailing
bills lhe several states Of the United state
,ol, it will b, found that Cuba is to have
o'o- far greater measure OF conlrol oi II
ist- own affairs than do the several stat
med in this country. For instance, sre
gro ciyen control of her postal affairs, &C
Inc. troll of her banking and currency &C
S OF troll of her customs This last 1eatu
ex- is most important, aud according
per- dispatches | have received from Mi
rid, it is as follows:
,The insular parliament will TO
J. IFS own tariff, fixing both import q
export duties. The home goVerhhe
ghes together with the insu!ar governme
ed in will make a schedule Of such PENN
aller lar and insular products as by CONN
paid agreement shall enjoy preferen'
duty over similar foreign produc
c;ve which in no case shall exceed 80
ed to cent. In case VI u's',S ',e A.. ,,o
inter preparation of such schedule the pc
Va in dispute shall be submitted u
u committee of members Of the cor
"o.h consisting OF an equal number OF P
e"i'' insulans and Cubans.
AT i'll be observed that this 6
od al to the Cuban parliament entire c
N the troll of the tariff with the cohui'
to get that there shall be preferential q"
f,, Spaiu, not exceeding 80 per G.
.,.,,a. II shoull be understood that u
ath in preIerehtia' o"''e' "'. ,aat ,a.;n
n;,, feature. Even under the last reclp
n' ;tv treaty between the United st
and Cuba, which is conceoeo W
Court been the most satisfactory reclpro
clined -, made bv the United Sti
ployes ,hera was II preferential duty
IN nor cent. to Spain. VI
Ith of The new law this is cut down TO ''
.ilroad cent Moreover, it should be un
on the stood the preferential duties 40
cover all the tariff schedules as
did when the United States anu
,'on had q reciprocity treaty, but cover
hoh'o limited number of articles.
ago OH When it was suggested to the II
'''h re- ter that among certain classes no
roo,'' Of autonomy was acceptaoie'
"''"s' De LONE said:
..Cerlainly; there are irreconci,
ourt on ., bolh sides, Spanish rreconc''
of the and Cuban irreconcilablcs. Bu
o,se If ar, not the ones TO be considerc'
dor If ;s ,he people at large and the ma
nroeass interests Of Cuba that are 10 y, :,
sidered. The Cuban irreconc''
,oy they will not accept th's new
naians' rhey do not point out It's de'es
IT, de- ~ ,r,st remedies. They simply "
nd emf 10 accept 1t. Such men are =
court. They are not open W
ment of n,nt or rsason.'
ers and n, will be found on examihl'