Birmingham state herald., 1897-01-02
CUBA PROMISED THE SAME
After Appealing to the Combined Powers and
 Being Refused
SHE HAS NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE
Report that Fifty-one Filibusters on the Three Friends Had Drowned Denied Weyler Says Pinar del Rio Is Pac-
 flied, but Bassing Troops There.

Washington, Jan. 1.--Senor De LoIne, the Spanish minister resident here. fur nished the Southern Associated Press the following copy of a telegram from For eign Minister Tetuan:
 In the council of war presided over to- day by her majesty, the queen regent, a royal decree was signed which applies to the island of Porto Rico, the laws of re- forms voted in the cortes on the 18th of March, 1885,
 The preamble to this decree is of the greatest importance because of the state ments it contains regarding Cuba. It begins by explaining the reasons why the reforms are applied today and where fore this has not been done before; amongst other paragraphs 1t contains the following, which owing to their import ance, copy in their entirety:
 Tn the actual circumstances the gov ernment considers that the proper time has arrived for giving to the world am- pie proof of it's firm resolve to fulfill the engagements voluntarily contracted by the nation, by implanting and carrying into effect in Porto Rico the reform of the system of government and civil ad- ministration, voted by the cortes and sanctioned by her majesty, and which. conveniently enlarged and extended, will be applied in due time to Cuba.
 Tn unfolding the bases of the reforms with that scrupulous care which the com pleX nature of the case and It's many and varied problems demand, the undersigned minister has been inspired with a sense of the necessity of ample administrative decentralization, and has proceeded to the utmost limit which the actual law allows. without dminution of the inner. ent sovereignty of the nation. At the same time, true to the solemn promise made before parliament by It's president, the government proposes to give more ample scope to the reforms when, as a herald of peace, the happy moment ar- rives for the definite application of the re- forms to both the Antilles. As soon as possible, her majeSty'S government will hasten to apply to Cuba, not only the re- forms which from the ground work of the law applied today to Porto Rico but also will extend to both provinces the reforms which have been offered with the view of conferring upon both Antilles an ad- ministrative and economic personality of a local character; which shall facilitate the complete intervention of the country in it's own affairs, maintaining at the same time intact the right of sovereignty and the condition necessary to the main- tenance of that right, as was stated in the words her majesty deigned to address to the cortes, by the advice of her respon- sible government, upon the opening of parliament.
 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 government is conf1- dent that it will not encounter insupera- ble obstacles to its rapid action in this sense, looking to the patriotic uniformi- ty of opinion respecting the fundament- al ideas which underlie the application of the reforms.
 Iorio ho Ia If uofad the cortez and sanctioned by the crown; which is today to be applied to Porto Rico, will form the foundation stone of the new regime; but decree, an &C., count of which will be given to the cor tez, will amplify to such an extent these reforms that genuine home administra- tion will be constituted in our Antilles, in the first instance for Cuba, but to be extended to Porto Rico as soon and at the same time as it may be possible to apply it to the former island.
 (Signed) "TETUAN,
 Minister of Foreign Affairs"