Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-19
CUBA'S CONVENTION
Several Constitutions Proposed to the
General Committee.
GROWTH OF CONSERV ATIVBSENTIMENT
Discrimination in Favor Of the
United States.
SOME 9TH E r FEATU RES
GROWTH OF Observation-Disclosures
SOME 9TH E r FEATU RE S
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

in the steps taken toward the formation
of the Cuban commonwealth. The authors
of the various proposed constitutions are
getting together. All the work is now in
the hands of a central committee of five
delegates. though the conferences between
the members are not limited to this commit
tee.
An American, accustomed to the interest
manifested at home In such mat
ter, would be surprised at the lack
of public curiosity, but this Is not
to be taken as sign Of indiffer-
ence. The Latin idea is different from
the American notion. When it was an
nounced that the public session of the
convention would cease temporarily while
the work of the committees went on this
was accepted as sufficient. No Havana
newspaper, published in the Spanish Ian
guage would think of following up these
conferences They all await patiently the
time when the completed document will be
ready for discussion by the delegates and
for comment by the newspapers. Until
that time comes the members have not
much guidance in the way of determining
what public opinion demands Neverthe-
less, they seem to be pretty closely in
touch with what in the United States
would be called the average sentiment of
the Cuban people.
Steady Growth of Conservatism.
To my mind the most noticeable things
during the last ten days have been the
steady growth of the conservatism which
began to show itself soon after the prelimi-
nary wrangles in the convention. No out
burst of i'll feeling has occurred to destroy
this growth. Instead, the currents have
been flowing steadily the other way.
1t Is more manifest than ever that the
leading cause is the sense of responsibility
which has come to the members The more
they get into the provisions of the consti-
tuition the more they appreciate that it
means Cuban government in which
most of them expect to have share and
for which they will be held to account by
their own people instead of being able to
lay everything that goes wrong to the
American authorities, or as they call 1t,
the intervening government" They APP
pear to understand that the present tran
quillity of the public mind is not assured
if they go astray. They have found also
that with the setting up of a republic, with
congress and cabinet and other officials
almost everybody who is ambitious Will
have chance for the office TO which he
aspires AS to the time in which their
work will be concluded the statements they
make that the constitution will be ready for
open discussion and action carly in Janu-
airy, and will be adopted by the LIST of Feb
ruary, are supported by the results, though
so little of these are seen on the surface
Getting down to the constitution itself
the expected already has happened in the
throwing out Of large number of inmate
rial provisions with which it was proposed
to ncumber this chart Of Cuban free gov
eminent. There are preambles and decara-
tons of the rights of man, but the tendency
to make laws, rather than one organic law,
has been checked One member of the con-
vention naively told me that some of his
ideas to which his colleagues objected he
would embody in the form of amendments
The notion of amending'the constitution be-
fore it is adopted was somewhat novel.
Forming Political Lines.
While the central committee is working
on the various provisions which have been
submitted to it the delegates themselves are
doing considerable maneuvering In order
that political lines may be formed. 1t is not
OF much avail to argue with them that par
ties should be naturally the outsrowth Of
the constitution rather than to precede 1t.
They reply that the tendencies are clear
enough, and that the convention will not be
going outside Of it's functions in giving the
island parties well as a constitution.
The presen: movement is to combine the
various elements which fear that Maxine
Gomez will have too great power. 1t is a
combination Of the republicans and indepen-
dents against the nationals. The leaders
claim that they have two-thirds of the dele
gates, but they are timid over the discus
sion which must arise in public when it is
proposed to make eligible for president only
those who are Cuban-born. Maxine Co
mez himself gives no sign of his purposes
and he may surprise his opponents by in
dorsing their proposition, and thus showing
that he is not moved by ambition to be the
first president of Cuba. At this time he is
taking more interest in the fight which a
section of the Cuban Catholics making
against Bishop Sbarretti than in the work
of the convention. But when the test comes
his opponents believe that they will be
strong enough to carry their point, even
though opposed by the followers of the old
nsurgent chief.
This proposed combination Of the republic
cans and Independents includes Mandez Ca
pote Manuel Sanguilly Juan Gualberto
Gomez, the negro leader, and Marua Dele
gado and Gen. Aleman among it's chief spr-
its.
The two latter represent the province of
Santa cara and Aleman is one of the
Ultra ultra,radiGals. Some of their ideas are
based on French models, such as ministerial
respons. bility to the congress, and so forth.
They also include the notion of members of
the cabinet taking part in the debates Of
congress- This provision was in the au-
economist constitution which Spain offered
Cuba as Its final concession. The French
ideas are championed chiefly by Juan Quail
berto Gomez. but as the days pass and the
disposition to model closely after the United
States becomes more pronounced there Is
less probability Of their finding the support
OF majority of the delegates. They are
not in the draft Of the constitution which
Is understood to represent the plan of the
republicans and Independents.
Some OF the members of the central COM
nlttee complain that federalism in the sense
of federating the provinces as states, though
it has been rejected, still rears It's head.
They want the unitarian or one-headed sys-
tenn Of government to obtain without condl-
tons. 1t is true that the element which
seeks to dominate the convention has a
provision for treating the provinces as
states, but there Is politics In this. The
purpose is to secure a compromise on other
subjects. The question Is somewhat COM
plicated, because it must be determined
what relation the municipalities shall oc-
cupy toward the central government In
der the Spanish system they were COM
pletely the creatures of the central author
ity.. The federalists. so called, want to
make them the basis Of the provinces, and
as this Is in the line Of decentralization it
is probable 1t Will be done, but there is a
long step between provinces or depart
ments pcsed of municipalities and prov
inces creating artificial functions Of sepa-
rate states ~
Citizenship and Suffrage.
All the constitutions. submitted either
formally or informally, lay down the basis
of citizenship and suffrage Their authors
are not yet agreed regarding the conditions
OF suffrage but the majority of them do
seem to be agreed that such a provision
shall be in the constitution. The same ls
nj oit