The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-30
Much Contention Among Delegates
Over the Presidency and the Prop
ositiOn to Restrict Suffrage.
NEGRO DOMINATION FEARED
IF THE FRANCHISE Is GRANTED TO
EVERY CITIZEN.
Holiday Adjournment of the Porto
Rican ssembIy-Proceeding
Marked by TrreSularity.
of the Associated Press.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
HAVANA, Cuba, Dec. 26.-The constitu-
tional convention has not been in session
for several weeks, but the different Sec
tons thereof busily at work consider
ing various clauses of the plans which
have been offered to Seniors Rivera, Que
sada and Maura, from which il is hoped
and expected constitution will be
wrought.
The chief bones of contention are those of
suffrage and the presidency For the for
iner there are various propositions, al
though it is not possible from the outside
to gather all the phases OF the topic. In
the main it is boiled down to decision
whether suffrage shall be universal or not
Strong contention is being made by the
more conservative element to base II or an
educational and property qualification.
but the more rabid element in the conven-
ton. led by Juan Gualberto Gomez,
negro supported by General Aleman, Cen
eral Lacret, Jose Monteguedo and two or
three of the delegates from the eastern
part of the island. is pressing hard for uni
versal citizenship. The radical Republican
element fayors this provision while
strange as 1t may appear the Cuban
Nationals. heretofore the extremely
radical element, rather lean toward re-
stricted suffrage. The blacks of the island
are SO nearly one-half of the entire popu-
lation that when the Spaniards who re-
served citizenship with the mother country,
the Americans, the English the Germans
and the French, none of whom are &C
counted 'Cubans'' in the political or gov
ernmental sense. are counted out. they, Che
negroes) will have a majority of the votes,
should universal suffrage carry.
III. Inc proposi.ion TO form government
Matanzas, Santa Clara. Puerto Principe
and Santiago, is really a fight for uni
versal citizenship. 1t is conceded by the
federalfsts that 1t is not possible for these
sections to sustain separate governments,
consequently the proposition has been Of
fered to make their central governments a
part OF the general system that is to re-
ceive support from the insular revenues or
TO make 1t distinct but still sustained out
of these funds. There is small faction
who really want a federal system This
faction is hopelessly in the minority ap-
parently, and contention is being made TO
force western delegations to agree that the
large black population of the eastern part
OF the island shall have the right to vote.
What the outcome viii be seems not diff
ficult to determine. The United States, it
Is claimed in certain quarters here. can
hardly accept universal suffrage clause.
consequently, as Ii would be particularly
hazardous to grant this island govern
ment which might at some time be domi-
mated by the blacks and thus make Haiti
or San Domingo of it, it is hardly thought
Of That there is a danger in this relation
Is made certain from the fact that the DOM
mating spirit Of the convention which is
making the constitution is a three-uuarter
negro, and a man who is more than a dem
agogue.
He is willy, shrewd able He was the
dominating spirit of the old "assemblea'
which deposed General Gomez from COM
mand of the Cuban army almost before it
had made its triumphal entry into Havana.
and, having broken into the convention
from the province of Puerto Principe he
has gradually got hold of the reins and is
now recognized as one of the strongest if
not absolutely the strongest spirit in It
The other fight is the presidential
question. The two Gcmezes have kissed and
made. up. They embraced each other
heartily In public three weeks ago, the
doughty old general affirming that from
now on he is heart and soul with his old
enemy, Juan Gualberto, Of the same sur
name, in his determination to have an alb
solutely independent government for Cuba
He would not have done this had not it
been required in order to secure the acuui-
essence Of Juan Gualberto to the clause
that admits of the election of any one to
the presidency who served In the revolution
General Rivera's plan followed the United
States Constitution in this matter provid-
ing that no one not to the manor born
should be eligible to the presidency. This
would have ruled Maxine Gomez out, he
being native Of San Domingo. Juan
Gualberto had to be pacfied and in order
to open the way there had to be radical
public declaration which would give oppor-
tunity for the old general TO hug his coll
ored enemy. not because he loved him more
than formerly, but because he could not
afford to be outdone in display and pro-
nunciamento OF patriotism. Maxine will
question, while Juan Gualberto may carry
his equal suffrage proposition in the trade,
and the United States will be confronted
with delicate and dangerous problem.