Arizona republican., 1900-12-11
U NDER DISCUSSION
The Views of Delegates to the Con stitutional Oonvention-Gualberto Gomez Wants the French System Adopted - Municipal Autonomy One of the Serious Questions Con fronting Cuba.

Havana, Dec. 10.-Some of the dele gates to the constitutional convention have had several informal meetings to discuss the bases of the proposed con- stitution which will be presented at the next meeting of the convention. Most of those at the conferences belonged to the various so-called republican par ties. majority of them were inclined to favor a constitution similar to that of the United States, in which the gov eminent is elected for a fixed number of years. The fear was expressed that if the parliamentary system was adopt ed. as advocated by Gualberto Gomez, Cuba would probably be in an almost chronic state of governmental crisis. Gomez, who was educated in France, upholds the French system, but he has failed to gain many supporters.
 The people of Havana say that Hava- na province would gain by strongly marked federal system, but that the poorer provinces, such as Puerto Prin- cipe and Santiago, would lose by being made to support separate legislatures. The municipalities of the island are be-
 
 grant the fullest municipal autonomy. One has asked the government not only to pay its deficit of last year. but to grant it the fullest autonomy in the matter of taxation. This petition is styled by one of the Havana newspa- pers a request to be allowed to grind the taxpayers to and unlimited extent.
 Some of the more conservative Gu bn lof tonomy and say it is the greatest dan ger the island has to face. Not only have the smaller municipalities proved incompetent and eMtravagant, but those of Matanzas and Havana also. The mayor of Matanzas recently unlawful ly stopped voting by the city council because one of the councilmen had rel signed on account of the extravagance of the budget.
 Regarding the proposal made by an American newspaper that a clause should be introduced in the constitu- tion allowing Spaniards to become Gu ban citizens the Diaro de la Marina says it will be many years before the Spaniards will do this. The only object the Spaniards would have in becoming Cuban citizens would be to play the
 
 the anneXatfonost vote in Cuba. Span iards, however, would only lose by meddling in Cuban politics. They would earn the hatred of the Cubans and would be too few to have any in- fuence. The Lucha warns the convention to be careful and remember that Spain might perhaps have saved Porto Rico and the Philippines, but she refused to recognize the facts in the case. Santa Clara papers are suggesting that Santa Clara be declared the capi- | tai of the islnd. Messrs. Rubens and Lamar have been named as official prosecutors of the postoffice cases. MT. Lamar says it will be some time before the cases are ready for the courts. Advices have been received from Gu | ban agents in Kentucky that 5000 head | of cattle are offered for sale there on good terms. Governor Wood has au- thorized an appropriation of $110,000 to purchase the cattle, which will be dis tributed among the poor farmers of Puerto Principe and Santiago. There are thirty-seven cases of vel | low fever in Havana.