The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-12-02
LIBERAL TO CUBANS.
De Lone Explains the Auton-
omy Scheme.
CANADA Is NOT so BLESSED.
Property Qualifications Not Necessary
For Voters, as In the British Domin-
ion-Given the Absolute Right of Tar
iTmaking and other Privileges.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3O-Senor Dupuy
de LONE, the Spanish minister has re-
ceived long dispatches from Madrid
showing in detail the plan of autonomy
which Spain is about to apply to Cuba
While these do OF give the text Of the
new law, they explain all important
features and clear up doubts which had
arisen from the unofficial reports which
have come from Maurid. Speaking OF
the new laws the minister said:
The new law proposes TO give Cuba
a parliamentary body of full law.
making power. The completeness of
this legislative power is as great, If not
greater, than that enjoyed by Canada
or by any state OF the United States
This is readily demonstrated by COM
pairing the plan of the new law with
the present parliamentary system of
Canada. According TO the Canadian
law the Canadian parliament consists
of two bodies. The upper house is
made up of members appointed by the
crown, each member holding life
tenure, with a qualification that no
member IS eligible unless he has an in.
come Of $1,000.
"Instead of the crown appointing all
OF the upper house, as in the case of
Canada, the Spanish crown is to ap-
point only one. half 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 qualification 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 i'll Canada. There is q
$500 property qualification for mem.
bers of the lower house in Canada and
also q qualification as to those who may
vote for such members. But in the new
plan for Cuba there is no property
qualification as to the electors. 1t is
one man, one vote, the same be he
black or white.
"lf the new home rule law is com.
pared with the systems 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, control of
her banking and currency and control
of her tariff with the condition that
there shall be preferential duties Tor
Spain not exceeding 30 per cent. Under
the last reciprocity treaty between the
United States and Cuba, which Is Cou.
ceded TO have been the most satisfac.
tory reciprocity treaty made by the
United States, there was preferen.
tial duty of so per cent to spain. Under
the new law this is cut down to 80 per
cent. Moreover, il should be under
stood, the preferential duties do not
cover all the tariff schedules, as they
did when the United States and Cuba
had a reciprocity treaty. but cover only
a limited number of articles. These
articles doubtless will be so chosen as
not to effect the trade between the
United States and Cuba, so that, while
Spain enjoys the preference from her
colony, it will not be preference as
against the United States.
There is another feature which
should be noted. For the first time the
government has said officially that
Spain will assume part of the debt of
Cuba. The payment of this debt is to
be arranged by the cOrtes, but it is to
be on basis satisfactory to both
parties"