The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1897-10-28
How Spain Proposes to In
stitute Reforms.
THE SPANISH PLANS OUTLINED
Madrid Government Retains Executive
Power and Administers Ma
tiOnal Affairs.

New York, Oct. ga dispatch to
the Herald from Madrid says;
Senior Morel Prendergast, the new
colonial minister, has outlined for the
Herald his plans for Cuban reform as
follows:
The autonomy which the cabinet of
Senior Sagasta proposes to bestow on the
islands of Cuba and Porto Rico in full
fllment of the manifesto of June 14th,
is a special autonomy founded on the
aspirations adopted in the platform of
the Antillian autonomists and not ident-
ical with the other colonial constitu-
tions. 1t is clear that in their essential
principles. the future constitution of
Cuba and Porto Rico agree with those
colonial constitutions that start from
self-government as the capital ideal self
legislation, responsible to the govern
ment; supremacy of the governor Who,
either under that name or the name of
viceroy, shall represent the mother
country, and who shall choose the min
isters who shall be the executive in that
country.
Starting from the above basis the pro-
ject of the Spanish government contains
the first partition of those matters and
concerns that belong to the colonial par
lament and to the imperial parliament,
that is to the national cortes. The par
tition is founded on careful discrimi-
nation between what interests the
islands tn emselves have in a local sense
and what is of national Importance.
The project in operation will interpret
In the most generous manner the phrase
''local interests" since it will not only
grant to the co!onists complete control
of all that relates to education, charity,
etc., but it also 1ntrusts to representa-
tives of the local government the right
of drawing upon their customs tariff
without limitations beyond those mutu-
ally arranged.
With the metropolis to coordinate in
their respective mercantile and CONNER
cial interests, the above functions will
be performed by an insular chamber to-
tally electoral in nature without restric-
ton as to subsequent subdivisions into
two similar cham bers-that is,the house
of representatives and the members of
this parliament shall be elected by the
came suffrage system which regulates
the election on the peninsula. The same
legislative body shall represent Cuba in
the imperial parliament, only this as
sembly has been constituted with the
governor-generala as the representative
of the central power. 1t shall choose
the ministers who shall De the execu-
tive body responsible to the insular par
lament, thus completing the reorgaDi-
zation 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 en-
actment of the governor-genefal, as rep
resentative of the executive power in all
that touches the local government shall
be administered in the council.
OF these ministerial functions reserv'
ed to the metropolis are:
First, those that concern information.
al relations; second, military and nava
matters; third, organization of the Law
courts; fourth, those dispositions thai