Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-12-02
AUTONOMY FOR CUBA.
Spain Publishes the Decree-Plans
UnfavOrably Received.

/
| Madrid, Nov. 29.--The Official Ca
zette publishes the royal DEGREES grant
ing autonomy for Cuba and Porto Rico.
An outline follows:
Article 1 explains the principles of the
future government Of the two islands.
Article DEGREES that the government of
| each island shall be composed Of an insular
parliament, divided into two chambers,
while encouragement, representing the
home government, Will exercise in its
name the supreme authority.
Article declares that the faculty of max
ing laws on colonial affairs rests with the
insular chambers and the governor-gen-
eral.
Article directs that the insular repre-
sentaton shall be composed of two cor
porations, with equal powers. viz: a cham
Der of representatives and council of adj
ministration.
Article provides that the council of adj
ministration shall consist of 35 members,
of whom IS shall be elected and II be nom
mated by the home government.
Article provides that the members of
the council of administration must be
Spaniards, at least IS years of age, who
were born in the island or who have re-
sided there continuously for four years.
1t specifies numerous officials such as sem
ators. presidents of courts and of cham
bers of commerce and other bodies $
eligible to election to the council.
Aticles to IA inclusive deal with nom
nations and the conditions of election to
councils.
Aticle Is empowers the throne, or the
governor-general, to convoke, suspend or
dissolve the chambers with an obligation
to reassemble them within three months.
Articles 16 to rs deal with the procedure
of the chambers and grant immunity to
members.
Article 90 empowers the insular parlia-
| ment to receive the governors oath and
make effective the responsibility of the
secretaries forming the governors council.
Secretaries may be impeached by the
chambers, in which case they are to be
Judged by the council of administration.
Negotiations for treaties of commerce
are to be made by the home government,
with the assistance Of the secretaries of
the island.
Article 80 confers upon parliament the
imposing of customs duties.
Article 40 deals with the commercial rela-
lions of the islands with the peninsula and
provides that no import or export tax may
differ to the prejudice Of the productions
of either island or the peninsula A list
will be formed of articles coming from
Spain direct which will be granted favor
able treatment in regard to similar articles
coming from abroad, and the same will be
done for productions of the Islands en-
| tering Spain, the differential duty in no case
| to exceed 35 per cent.
The remainder of the decree explains the
| governor generals powers. He will exer-
! else supreme command, be responsible for
| the preservation of order, have free power
| to nominate officials, and his secretaries;
| he will publish and execute the laws and
! DEGREES, International treaties and con-
! ventions ETC., and will have the power of
! pardoning, suspending constitutional guar
| antees and ordering state OF siege, should
| circumstances require 1t.
| Washington, Nov. 29.-Spain's latest
scheme for autonomy for Cuba is not
well received in Washington. The pub
! LEGATION made in the Official Gazette of
Madrid, containing a summary of the
royal DEGREES, has produced a most I'M
| favorable impression here. Careful eX-
animation of the scheme discloses that
u string is attached to every pretended
! concession to Cuba, and leads inevitably
to the conclusion that the Spanish
statesmen are at their old tricks of
throwing dust into the eyes of the
world in general and of the people of
| the United States in particular. 1t is
! already apparent that Spain is not able
, to deceive anyone with these DEGREES.
The Cubans say they will have none of
such autonomy, which is at best a mere
sham, leaving everything of impor-
lance subject to the control of Spain.
In administration circles here there is
keen disappointment at the details of
the plan as disclosed by the official pub
| LEGATION. The president had expected
something better. There was belief
that the Sagasta ministry, in Difference
to the opinion of the world and of the
United States more particularly, would
set up in Cuba something similar to
the home rule which Britain gives Cam
ada. But as a matter of fact the pub
lished plan is looked upon as a cunning
ly devised scheme to make mere pre-
| tense of concessions without actually
making any. The disappointment with
the autonomy scheme, of which so
much was expected, will not now
change the attitude of the administra-
ton, but it is going to make still more
difficult the task of restraining con-
!