The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-20
CUBAN CENSUS REPORTS.
The First Five Tables Made Public
by Secretary Root.

by Secretary Root.
Secretary Root has made public the first
five tables Of the Cuban census. which
were published yesterday afternoon in the
Official Gazette" Of Havana. Cuba A
statement prepared by General Sanger,
director OF the Cuban census. explains that
one Of the tables is especially important
for consideration with reference to the
basis Of suffrage and gives. grouped in
separate classes, the whites born in Cuba.
the whites born in Spain. the whites born
IN other countries, and colored He says;
Under the head OF 'coloTed' are in
cluded the blacks. mixed, and Chinese. II
is TO be observed that there are ISL. S26
white males twenty-one years OF age and
over, born in Cuba, as against 90 .0SS born
in Spain. 6,I9i born in other countries.
and 125 800 colored that Of the whites
born in Cuba and who are Cuban citizens,
there are $3.50 qualified to vote on the
ground Of education, as against S. I67
white males over twenty-onC years Of age.
born in Spain. whose citizenship is in
suspense. From this 50. 76T there should
be deducted all the Spanish males twenty
one years of age and over, who can read
and write and who have registered for
the preservation Of their Spanish citizen
ship. The number left. after making this
deduction, will give the number Of STdn-
ish voters on the ground Of education 20
be compared with the number OF white
Cuban voters on the ground OF education.
The comparison shows a much greater
prepOndsrance Of Cuban voters than had
been SUI posed the census would show.
There appear to be % ,692 colored Cuban
citizens who can read and write. Adding
this to the literate white Cubans there are
1e5.141 Cubans who answer TO the educa-
tional qualification. II the proportion Of
illiteracy among the colored Cuban SOL
diers is the same as that shown by the
tables for the colored population. generally,
in the ueighborhOod OF Is. eco more voters
will be added by the inclusion Of the Gu
ban Army who could not vote on the edu-
cational qualification.
1T is supposed that considerable num-
Der Of Cubans will also be added upon prop
erty qualification; that is TO say, Cubans
who own property but cannot read or
write, and were not in the Cuban Army. so
there will be at least 100000 qualified ma
tive Cuban voters under the proposed basis
Of suffrage and as against this there will
be the So, 767 Spaniards whose citizenship
was in suspense when the census was
taken, less the number who have since de-
clared to preserve their Spanish citizen
ship. and plus such Spaniards as have not
declared and cannot read and write, but are
the owners Of property As the illiterate
Spanish males tweuty-one years Of age
and over amount to only II 1926. it is hardly
probable that there will be any great num-
Der OF Spaniards as voters upon the prop
erty qualification alone.
1T is gratifying 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. There seems to be no room
upon these figures for the objection that
the proposed basis of suffrage would re-
suit in turning the island over to the con-
troll Of Spain"
Regarding the census return as a whole,
the statement adds:
Males are in excess OF females IN the
total population and in each province. ex-
cept Santiago, where the females are a
trife in excess. OF the native whites. the
females are in excess Of males in the ISL
and and in each province except Tinar del
Rio. OF the foreign whites the males are
largely in excess in each province. as is
the case everywhere with immigrants. OF
the negroes and mixed races the females
are in excess in the total and in most Of
the provinces. Hence it appears that the
excess Of males in Cuba is due TO the for
eign born element.
Native whites constitute IS per cent Of
the total population, or much more than
one-half. The negroes and mixed cOnsti-
tute Only-32 per cent, or less than one
third, and they are less than One-half in
every province, being largest in Santiago.
where they constitute 43 per cent Of the
population. The average number Of Chinese
is triding being less than 1 per cent Of
the population of the island.
The proportion Of children under five
years of age is unusually small. The pro-
portion Of the Inhabitants under twenty
one years of age is normal. being about
one half Of the population. Il is to be
noted that, while 50 per cent Of the inhab-
itants were over eighteen years of age. yet
only 81 per cent were married and adding
together those living together without
marriage and the widowed. there are only
29.5 per cent that is only one-half of those
who are Of manageable age.
Nearly nine-tenths oil the inhabitants
were born in Cuba. OF those born in
other countries three-quarters were born
In Spain and more than ne-quarter Of
tHOSe uulu III 'palA dif LOuHA III havana
City. One hundred and four thousand Of
those born in Cuba are not reported as
being Cuban citizens. but claim other citi-
zenship or their citizenship Is in suspense.
"Of those less than ten years Of age,
nine-tenths did not attend school. OF
those above ten years Of age. 81 per cent
cannot read or write, and the remaining
40 per cent are literate. 1t is to be noted
that the children under ten years of age
constitute only 22.7 per cent Of the popula-
ton In the United States they constitute
nearly SO per cent. In Havana City the
literacy is high. the illiterates coustitut-
ing only % per cent Of the population over
ten years of age. while in Pinar del Rio
province they constitute rs per cent those
being the two extremes Of illiteracy.