Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-28
Politicians Surprised at the Election
Date Being Set.
BASIS OF SUFFRAGE TO Be FOLLOWED
Classes Of Delegates Likely to Be
Chosen.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Written for The Evening Star.

| OF so much greater Importance. After
| having occupied the center Of the stage
| during two years, when world history was
making, it is little difficult for the Gu
| bans to understand why they should be
put off in the wings. To them Cuba is
| bigger than China, and what may take
place in the Antilles they think is of great
| er consequence.
| While home politics and Chinese policy
may overshadow Cuba, the events there
during the next few months are not like
ly to be entirely forgotten in the United
States. Public officials who know what it
means in the future are certain to follow
| them with intelligent interest, and from
| time to time the American people are apt
| to want to know how the island is making
| out in setting up the fabric of independent
government.
| The statement that Governor General
| Wood was going back to Cuba to arrange
| the details for electing a national assem-
| bly, caused surprise among those who were
not keeping close watch on Cuban affairs.
| They had thought that the constitutional
| convention was two three years off.
| There need have been no surprise. Months
| ago II was the distinct promise of the
| American administration that if the munic-
| ipal elections passed off satisfactorily a
constitutional convention would be called
| within a reasonable time This promise
was frank recognition of the fact that,
| with the passion for independence becom-
| ing stronger, the wise policy was to carry
| out the joint resolution of Congress as
| speedily as practicable.
Cuban Politicians Surprised.
The Cuban politicians were surprised that
by October the elections are to be held for
| members of d constitutional convention
| They had professed to believe that the Nc
| kinley administration was dealing only in
aLacI
| pone indefinitely the actual setting up of
| the Independent government If some of
| these agitators would speak their minds
freely they would own that they are not
quite in such hurry for the Withdrawal,
| OF the American authority. 1t takes away
the basis of fault finding and puts the
burden of constructing the government on
them.
1t has not vet been fully determined how
the constitutional convention shall be
chosen. On his return General Wood will
consult with the Cuban leaders, and he will
try to get at the feelings of the mass of
the people as well. The plan which has
been most fully discussed and which has
met with the greatest favor has been to
eject the delegates from the municipalities
on the basis of population or of registered
electors. There are 300 municipalities but
many OF these are mere hamlets and prob
ably would be grouped into single election
district
There are six provinces in Cuba. all diff
fering In size and in population, but the
suggestion was that each province be ap-
por1oned the same number Of delegates-at-
large, something like the states in the
American Union, which have two United
States senators regardless of their size or
population. This suggestion was we'll re-
ceived for variety of reasons. 1t would
do away with sectional jealousy as between
the various provinces and would also pre-
vent the province of Havana from exercis-
ing too great an influence. A compromise is
reached in giving Santiago seven as against
eight for Havana The n1ap will 10 he
Cubans to get the services of their best
men. Local politicians may influence the
choice Of delegates from various municipal-
ties without regard to their fitness, but
delegates chosen at large from the prov
inces likely to be men of talent and Of
reputation. Pride in having the best men
has good deal to do with the choice.
The Basis of Suffrage.
The basis of suffrage In choosing mem
bers of the constitutional convention may
be the system followed in the municipal
elections. This requires ability to
read and write, property quail
| ification to the amount of $3.50. Those
who had served as insurgents and whose
names could be verified from the rolls used
by General Brook in paying off the $1,000
600 were also allowed to vote regardless of
their owning property or being able to read
or write. This was meant to satisfy the
revolutionary element and to prevent the
cry of race discrimination being raised.
Inc IedFS WHICH nau Deen 1eIt by both
Cubans and Americans about the danger of
ignorance triumphing were shown to be
groundless by the municipal elections. In
Santiago and other places where these
classes could have controlled, they yielded
to conservative influences, and the fears of
property owners were appeased. American
officials who watched this experiment in
suffrage carefully reached the conclusion
that wealth and education were not in dan
ger of being deprived of their proper inf1u-
ence through the ignorant masses. There
fore they have leaned to the idea of
broadening the basis of suffrage when II
came to choosing the members of the con-
stitutional convention, and thus making it
more truly representative of the Cuban
population. If the restrictions enforced In
the municipal elections are kept up, the
means of registering will be Increased so
that larger vote is likely to be cast The
Australian system is followed in voting
and no person can vote who has not been
registered.
Composition of the Convention.
The constitutional convention though it
is to draft the form of government and
establish organic law, will not be made
up entirely of lawyers. All the doctors in
Cuba, as in other Latin-American countries,
are politicians. AS rule they are more
active and more influential than the law
yers themselves. Many have taken de-
grees in both law and medicine. Some of
these degrees We're obtained at the Uniyer-
SHY EOl f1dDaHd unuST the Ola spanish Drac-
tees, which made it comparatively easy for
a man to have diploma in both law and
medicins. Many, however, took the double
degrees in Madrid and a few in Paris
In addition to the lawyers and doctors
there will be civil engineers as delegates to
the convention. for they, too, are active
in politics. Likewise there will be men
whose only profession for a third of a CEN
fury was revolution, for they were en-
gagged most of that time in plotting against
Spain, and, as one of them once told me,
they were too busy to take up any regular
calling. The insurrection is yet fresh
enough in the Cuban mind for its leaders
to be sure of election to any sort of a rep
resentative body that may be chosen.
There has been a good deal of discussion
| in the Havana newspapers and among the
Cuban officials as to the division into polit-
ical parties In the formation of an indie
pendent government. They have the parties
| already, but it is difficult for them to mark
out lines of division. Questions may arise
when the constitutional convention gets to
debating the subject of forming a stable
government which will afford the basis for
party divisions. They may exist in name.
| yet hardly in fact, at this period when
| there is substantially little division of sem
| timent regarding independence, though
fhnr &c. do