Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-11-30
On Proposed New Plan Of
Government for Cuba.
Defends the Provisions of the Meas
ure With Much Warmth.
Says Cuba Will Have More Privileges Than
Canada or Our States.

terview with Assistant Secretary Day
today, regarding the plan of Captain
General Blanco to take steps for the
immediate execution of the reform
schemes from Madrid, and to do this
legally a provisional arrangement viii
be made.
The captain general Will appoint di
rectly a full acting cabinet, composed
of the secretary of the interior and jus
tice, who will be the premier; a sec
retary of finance, secretary of pub
lie instruction. a secretary of agricul'
ture, industry and commerce.
With this cabinet the captain gen.
eral will have at hand the means for
fully equipped executive government
which will last only until the elections
shall have resulted in the choice of a
new government.
Senor De LONE, the Spanish minister
has received long dispatches from
Madrid showing in detail the plan OF
autonomy which Spain is about to APP
ply to Cuba. While these do not give
the text of the new law, they explain
all important features and clear up
doubts which have arisen from the un-
official reports which have come from
Madrid. Speaking of the new laws,
the minister said. today:
Il regret that much apprehension has
arisen over the new law, owing to the
very meagre reports heretofore received
concerning it. l must admit, also, that
| have been astonished at the DISPOSE
ton in some quarters to criticize small
technical features without looking at
the broad. general character of the
new reform law. 1t is a measure which
will stand the closest scrutiny and j
am very desrous that the American
people should look into it with care,
studying it and comparing it with
other constitutional methods of gov
erning colonies. Such study. am sure,
will fully vindicate the law and COM
mend it to the people of this country
outside of those irreconcilables 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 changes in de
tail AS matter of fact the new plan
is complete realization of the policy
and platforms of the Autonomist party
during the last 90 years. The old PLAZA
of autonomy gave Cuba an advisory
body. 1t did not have final authority
in making laws but merely advised as
to these laws. Now, however. the law
proposes to give Cuba a parliamentary
body of full lawmaking power. The
completeness of this legislative power
is as great. if not greater than that
enjoyed by Canada or by any of the
United States. This is readily demon
strated by comparing the plan of the
new law with that of the British North
American act of 1867, which establishes
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 a life tenure with a
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. Instead of
the crown appointing all of the upper
House as in the case of Canada, the
Spanish crown is to appoint 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 a $4,000 property
qualification for membership of the up
per House of Cuba which is the same
as that in Canada. The same compari
son holds good between the proposed
lower House in Cuba and the lower
80,
property qualification for members of
the lower House in Canada and also
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.
'1f 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, of
her banking and currency and her Gus
toms. This last feature is most i'm
pOTldHl anu dCCOTulIIS u ulSpdtcHeS 1
have received from Madrid it is as fol-
lows:
'"The consular Parliament will form its
own tariff. fixing both import and export
iutieS. The home government, together
with the insular government, will make
4 schedule of such peninsular and insular
products as by common agreement shall
enjoy preferential duty over similar
foreign products which in no case shall
exceed 35 per cent. In case of disagree
nent in the preparation of said schedule
he point in dispute shall be submitted to
1 committee of members of the Cortes,
consisting of an equal number of Penin-
sulars and Cubans.
"It will be observed that this gives to
he Cuban Parliament entire control of
he tariff, with the condition that there
shall be preferential duties for Spain not
exceeding 35 per cent. 1t should be un-
lerstood that this preferential duty is not
IN unusual feature. Even under the last
.eciprocity treaty between the United
States and Cuba, which is conceded to
rave been the most satisfactory recipro-
,ity treaty made by the United States, !
here was a preferential duty of 50 per
,ent to Spain. Under the new law this |
$ cut down to 50 per cent. Moreover, the |
duties do not cover all the |
ariff schedules as they did when the |
United States and Cuba had reciprocity |
reaty, but cover only limited number |