Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-01-04
THE CUBAN REFORMS
IacIude Creation Of Three Admins
4 trative Bodies in the Island.
Limit of,4i3efaak1iH Not Be Enlarged
.dt Sc Accepted.
Aa:;-

| washius4tfiS Jan 3.--The effect of the
reforms PROPOSED by the Spanish govern
ment for Porto Rico, when extended TO
| Cuba, as proposed when the insurrection
| is brought under further control. will be
| to create three series of administrative
bodies in the island. independent of the
| representatives of Cuba in the Spanish
| Cortes.
| The voters. under a system OF limited
suffrage, are already permitted 10 choose
boards of aldermen of municipalities. and
| the mayors are TO be chosen from these
boards by a vote OF their members.
| The next body in rank is the provincial
| assembly. of which there is only one IN
Porto Rico, but one for each OF the SIN
provinces of Cuba. The functions of the
| with those of the proposed council OF ad-
ministration in the case Of Porto Rico,
| because there is but one body -,
| The council of administration viii pc
| an independent body in Cuba and VIII Tor
| the first time give the Cubans large
| share of control over their Internal do
| The home government will retain con-
| troll of the laws levying taxation. and the
| appropriations will be made by the coun-
| ell of administration subject to the ap-
prevail Of the ministry at Madrid
| The Spanish government does not pro-
pose at present to widen the limits of
geom Ta1sd tax Of S and
| learned professions. The reforms in con-
| temptation for Cuba are largely those
| embodied in the decree of March 10. 1885,
which have not been put in force because
| of the insurrectfOn.
The changes that have been proposed in
this law will require to be submitted to
the Cortes at it's meeting in the spring,
but it is not doubted that the plans pro-
posed by the ministry will be accepted.
Senior De LONE. Spanish minister. re-
r@1l@ Gale
| lister of Foreign Affairs Tetuan at Mad
rid: "In the council of ministers presided
over by the Queen Regent. royal decree
was signed which applies to the island of
Cortes, the 18th of March. 1895.
1.-THE preamble to this decree is of the
ment it contains regarding Cuba. 1t be-
gins by explaining the reasons why the
| reforms are applied. today, and where
| fore this has not been done before.
the following. which, owing to their i'm
portance. I copy in their entirety:
THE actual circumstances are that the
government considers the proper time
has arrived for giving the world ample
proof of its firm resolve to fulfill the en-
gagements voluntarily contracted by the
| effect in Porto Rico the reform of the
system of government and civil admins
tration voted by the Cortes and sane
y nf G
applied in due time to Cuba.
In unfolding the basis of the reforms
with that scrupulous care which the
| complex nature of the case and its many
and varied problems demand, the UNDER
signed minister has been inspired with a
| sense of the necessity Of ample admins
utmost limit the actual laws allow. with
out the diminuting of the inherent SOW
ereignty of the nation. At the same time.
Parliament 81 its president, the govern
ment proposes to give more ample scope
| to reforms, and when, as a herald of
peace, the happy moment arrives for the
definite application of reforms to both
Antilles. ~ ssi,sc, ~ .fiFa'ty
7 las soon as possible. Her Majesty's
| government will hasten to apply to
Cuba, not only the reforms which form
/ the ground work of the law applied to
Porto Rico. but will extend to both
provinces, the reforms offered. with a
view of comforting upon both Antilles
an administrative and economic per-
| sonality of local character; which shall
| facilitate the complete intervention of
the country in it's own affairs, main
| tanning. at the same time intact the
| right OF sovereignty and the conditions
| necessary to the maintenance of that
right, as stated in the words Her
Majesty deigned to address to the Cor
| ties by the advice of her responsible
government, upon the opening of Par
lament si4.s s.
These amplified reforms can be
partly put into practice by means of
the power possessed by the executive
| government and partly will require the
sanction of Parliament. The, govern
ment Is confident that it will not en-
Icounter insuperable obstacles to its
rapid action in this sense. looking to
the patriotic uniformity of opinion re-
specting the fundamental ideas which
underle the application of the reforms
Briefly. the law of reforms voted by
the Cortes and sanctioned by the
crown, which is, today. to be applied tc
Porto Rico. will form the foundation