Evening star., 1901-07-13
Commercial Glasses in Cuba Eager
for the New Government.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO Be MET
Spanish Planters Look for UIti-
mate Annexation.
VIEWS FRANKLY EXPRESSED


forming the new government. while the
politicians are disposed to take their own
time. 1t may be assumed safely that in
the future there will be no ground for
complaint that the Cubans are. too precipi-
tate in determining their own political ssf-
fairs This knowledge makes the business
men impatient. because they know that
until the framework of the government is
set up there can be no negotiations with
the United States for lower duties on
sugar, tobacco and fruits
One reason for the conventions backing
and filling is the desire to know the result
Of Gen. Maxine Gomez's mission to the
United States. Neither faction will avow
1t openly, but the convention Is not yet
ready to define its relation to the old In
surgent chief. When he gets back the men
who have his confidence will make their
position known. The ultra-radicals in the
national party who were proposing ticket
with Gomez for president and Estrada
Palma for vice president threatened to
withdraw their support after the published
interviews with Gen. Gomez in the United
States in which he manifested his acqui-
escence In the Platt amendment. Gomez
will treat all such threats with contempt.
because he knows that the radical nationals
VINO want to support him simply seek to
gain power under the cover of his name.
Education in the Ballot.
bans In ballot education than they them
selves know. This is due to the American
military authorities. They have gained a
very fair idea of the Australian balsst, and
even ignorant voters have come to handle
1t intellgently. They also understand
something of minority representation and
have made provision for that in their
constitution. Nominally, minority repre-
sentation existed under Spanish rule. but
was never made effective.
One of the new schemes is for proper
tionate rather than for minority repre-
sentation. DR.. Berriel who is the rector
of Havana University, has worked out a
very elaborate plan of plural voting. l
believe 1t has a counterpart in Belgium
and perhaps other European countries.
Naturally the Cubans who want undiluted
universal suffrage object to DR.. Berricl' 8
project, which proposes to give the heads
of families and property owners more than
one vote.
The Election Of President.
1t has been made evident that the friends
OF Gen. Gomez do not propose to have his
opponents or the opponents of Estrada
Palma given any advantage in the cleo
toral law. One reason why there has been
no hurry to adopt the law Is the omission
of provision for choosing the president and
vice president. The measure which is now
before the convention, and which has
proved so unsatisfactory, devised no ma
chinery for electing the president and vice
president and the senate. The latter omis-
sion was not so important because the
constitution itself substantially determines
the method Of electing the senate. But
with the chief executive it Is different.
The convention must define what consti-
tutes suffrage of the second grade" be-
cause it Is by that method that the presi-
dent Is to be chosen. Before the conven-
ton puts into operation the machinery for
choosing members of the house Of repre-
councillors the Cuban public undo btetly
will insist on knowing how the president
is to be elected or what sort of an cleo
toral college is intended. This need not
toral law. which goes into effect within
ninety days, but Its main provisions will
have to be determined before that law
receives the sanction Of the Cuban people.
Business Men Want q Government.
The question with which the business
men in Havana are now concerning them
selves Is how to get the Cuban congress
elected and the new government '1n func-
tion," as they call it, by January 1. Actually
there is no way by which this can be done.
Too much time now has passed for haste
to be taken in the elections. All that the
Cuban politicians expect is that they will
have the government sin function" by
March, though the house of representatives
may be organized some months earlier.
Much of the actual work OF installing the
new government will fall upon this lower
branch Of congress- and 1t is a serious prob
lem with the thoughtful Cubans how they
will be able to find sixty-nine legislators
with sufficient capacity for their work.
This is the number Of representatives who
will be chosen -on the basis Of % 600 inhab-
itants for each representative as the con-
stitution provides. = Possibly a few men,
bers of the constitutional convention who
how bod nort fA1,r4 ho
come representatives, but most Of them are
holding back in order to belong to the SEN
ate. That will be a much more select body,
as It's membership will be limited to twen-
ty-four. The tenure Of Office also will be
eight years, or twice the term of the repre-
sentative. AS some OF the delegates to the
constitutional convention are too young to
be eligible for the senate they will seek to
crafty their ambitions by becoming repre-
sentatives.
Familiar With American Methods.
There Is some significance In the fact that
most Of the young Cubans who are now
seeking to direct and control the republican
party have lived in the United States and
are familiar with American political meth
DDS.
Some Importance Is given the division of
sentiment regarding the electoral law be-
cause of the possible influence on the Cuban
negroes. It is claimed that their resent
ment will be aroused by whatever method
of voting Is determined. This Is an imag-
mary trouble. Universal suffrage is theirs,
and under it they are not likely to find
fault with the details Of the election ma
chinery, though probably some of the ad-
vocates Of the system of plural voting sup
port it because they think that this would
give the whites an undue proportion of
voting strength. So long as the blacks
themselves regard the proceedings with
composure nobody else need worry about
drawing the color line.
Spanish Obstructionists.
The feeling Of the Spanish business men
and sugar planters was explained to me by
a planter who was in Washington this
week. He told me quite frankly that he
and all his class, SO far as was within
their power, had sought to prevent any,
thing good coming out OF the Cuban consti-
tutional convention. They had not wanted
the island to have Its own government, and
until a few months ago had not believed
that the experiment would be given a trial.
When the Patt amendment was passed by
Congress they had done their best to keep
the convention from accepting 1t in the be-
lief that failure to do 80 would throw Cuba
into the arms of the United States
Again 1t was the Spanish planters tndi-