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 coIored' are in
Guided the blacks. mixed, and Chinese. 1t
| Is to be observed that there are Isl. S26
white males twenty-one years OF age and
over, born in Cuba, as against sc. OSs born
in Spain, 6,T9i born in other countries.
and 12t 800 colored. that of the whites
born in Cuba and who are Cuban citizens
there are 455 qualified to vote on the
1 ground OF education, as against So, 767
I white males over twenty -on5 years of age
/ born in Spain, whose citizenship is in
suspense. From this 80. 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 CONF Jared with the number OF white
Cuban voters on the ground of education.
The comparison shows a much greater
preponderance of Cuban voters than had
been SUI posed the census would show.
There appear to be %, 692 colored Cuban
ri who nd
this to the literate white Cubans there are
los. "A. 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 neighborhood of 2SGo0 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 a considerable num-
Der of Cubans will also be added upon prop
erty qualification; that is 10 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 55.767 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 twenty-one years of age
and over amount to only II ,426. 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
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 4
trife in excess. OF the native whites. the
females are in excess of males in the ISL
and and in each province except rinar 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 trifling, being less than l 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. 1t is to be
noted that. while 80 per cent of the inhab-
itants were over eighteen years of age, yet
only 1871 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 niue-tenths oil the inhabitants
were born in Cuba. OF those born in
other countries, three quarters were born
in Spain and more than one-quarter of
those born in Spain are found in 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
80 per cent are literate. II 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
litaracy is high the illiterates constitut-
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-'