The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-24
FACTS AND FIGURES FROM THE GEN.
SUS RECENTLY TAKEN.
STATUS BETTER THAN EXPECTED
Total Population Over a Million and a
Half-Larger Percentage of Whites
than supposed-Only Thirty-Two Per
Cent. of N~egroes-The Proportion Of
nliterates Smaller than Estimated.
The Conditions Justify Establishing
Municipal Suffrage.

Washington, April 19.-General San
ger today made public h compendious
results of the Cuban census taken un-
der his direction The figures are very
instructive and in the opinion of the
war department officials fully justify
the administration to allow municipal
suffrage in Cuba at this early stage.
The officials are gratified to find that
the native Cubans constitute so large
a proportion Of the population; that
the whites so greatly outnumber the
blacks and that so large a proportion
of the native population can read and
write. In their opinion there seems to
be no room for the objection that the
proposed basis of suffrage would result
in turning the island owe TO the con-
troll of Spain.
The total population Of Cuba is
1,572, 1917, including SIS, 205 males and
ISL ,592 females. There are AT ,372 white
males and 49,, 926 white females Of ma
tive birth. The foreign whites num-
Der lis, 760 males n 26,45S females.
There are III, S98 male negroes and 122,-
740 female negroes. The mixed races
number 125, 500 males and 145, 305 fe-
males. There are 1894 male and 163
female Chinese.
The population of Havana city is
235, 9S1, and of the province of avana
424, SO4. The population of the province
of Matanzas is 202, 4A, of Pinar del Rio
173,064, of Puerto Principe, 1924, of
Santa Clara $50, $50, and of Santiago
327, us.
OF the total population of the island
1,10S, 708 persons are set down as sim
gle; 246, 351 as married; while 131, 1877
live together by mutual consent. There
are S5,112 widowed persons.
OF the total population, according to
citizenship, 20,47S are Spanish, 1885,
367 are Cuban, 1853 81 are in suspense,
1885 are of other citizenship and Gle
are unknown. The Spanish by birth
number 129, 240. OF the children 10 years
Did and over 1914 have attended
school. OF the total population 443, 426
can read and write, n 49, 5S have a
superior education.
The table on citizenship. literary and
education is specially important as
forming the basis of suffrage about to
be conferred. Because so many citi-
zens are still in suspense and for other
reasons, the returns are not quite COM
plete, but the conclusion is drawn that
there will be at least 140, 600 qualified
native Cuban voters under the pro-
posed basis of suffrage, n as against
this there will be 81, 1857 SpaniaTds,
whose citizenship was in suspense
when the census was taken, less the
number who ave since declared to
preserve their Spanish citizenship, n
plus i%lliterate Spaniards not declared
who are the owners of property. 1t is
not believed that there will be any
great number of the latter class, as the
total number Of illiterate Spanish
males owe u years is only Il, 426. The
comparison shows a much greater pre-
ponderance of Cuban voters a was
expected. There are 1S7, S26 white adult
males who were born in Cuba, az
against 1888 born in Spain; 6.194 born
in other countries, and 127, 800 colored.
Males are in excess in the total pop
u~latiOn, except in Santiago, though the
female whites the male
whites, except in Pinar del Rio. Among
the negroes and mixed races h fe-
males are in excess; while among the
foreign whites the males are largely
in excess.
The negroes are in the minority in
Cuba, constituting only 80 per cent. of
the population, being most numerous
in Santiago, where they constitute 43
per cent. The native whites conSti-
tute more han one-half h population
or SIS per cent The proportion OF chill
dren under 5 years is unusually small,
but the proportion under u years is
normal; about one-half the population
Only 1871 per cent. of the adults were
married. Nearly nine-tenthS of the
inhabitants were born in Cuba. Nine
tenths of the children less than 10
years of age, do not attend school; AZ
per cent. above 10 years are literate.