Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-12-01
CUBAN AUTONOMY.
Terms Of the Decree Which the
Spanish Cabinet Offered to
Colonies.

Madrid, Nov 27.-The Official Gazette
this morning publishes the royal DEGREES
granting autonomy for Cuba and Porto
Rico.
Article 1 explains the principles of the
future government of the two islands.
Article 2 DEGREES that the government
of each island shall be composed of an
insular Parliament, divided into two
chambers, while a encouragement, rep
resenting the home government, will eX-
ercise in it's name the supreme authority.
Article 3 declares that the faculty of
making laws on colonial affairs rests
with the insular chambers and the gov
ernor-general.
Article 4 declares that the insular rep
resentation shall be composed of two cor
porations, with equal powers, viz, a
chamber of representatives and a council
of administration.
Article 5 provides that the council of
adminiStra ton shall consist of thirty-five
members, Of whom eighteen shall be
elected and seventeen be nominated by
the home government.
Article 6 provides that the members of
the council of administration must be
Spaniards. at least 80 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
senators, presidents of courts, and OF
chambers of commerce, and other bodies
as eligible to election tc the council.
Articles to II inclusive deal with
nominations and the conditions of cleo
ton of councils.
Article Is empowers the throne or
the governor general to convene, suspend
or dissolve the chambers with an Obliga-
ton to reassemble them within three
months.
Articles 16 to % deal with the proceed
ure of the chambers and grant immunity
to members.
Article % empowers the insular parlia-
ment to receive the governors oath and
make effective the responsibility of the
secretaries forming the governors coun-
Gil. Secretaries may be impeached by the
members, 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
relations of the islands with the peninsula
and provides that 10 import or export
tax may differentiate to the prejudice of
the productions of either island or the
peninsula. A list will be formed of arti-
cles coming from Spain direct, which will
be granted favorable treatment in regard
to similar articles coming from abroad
and the same will be done for productions
OF the islands entering Spain, the differ
entail duty in no case to exceed 50 PEI
cent.
The remainder Of the decree explains
the governor-generaFs powers. He will
exercise supreme command, be responsible
for the preservation of orders. have free
power to nominate officials and his sec
retaries; he will publish and execute the
laws and DEGREES, international treaties
and conventions, etc, and will have the
power of pardoning, suspending consti-
tutional guarantees and ordering a state
of siege should circumstances require it.
The industrial delegates from Catalo-
MIA have returned home dissatisfied with
the manner in which the Spanish cabinet
received their protests against granting
autonomy to Cuba and Porto Rico.
The captain-general Of the Philippine
islands. Gen. Primo De Rivera, cables
from Manila that the insurgents of that
colony had a meeting. could not arrive at
an agreement and started for home, but.
the dispatch adds, "they were intercepted
by the Spanish troops, who killed many
of them -