Evening star., 1901-08-24
Plan for Them Worked Out in the
New Law.
INTEREST BY The POLITICIANS
Estrada Palma Will Probably Be
the President.
XIMO GOMEZ'S POWER
Written for The Evening Star.

| the surface 1t hardly would be understood
| from the news which comes out of Ha-
| vana regarding the leisurely work of the
| constitutional convention but the real ten
| dencies are to be seen in the discussion of
| candidates and the attempt to formulate
| platforms. One more letter from General
| Gcmez and second manifesto from Es-
trada Palma are expected. Then the ac-
tive measures will begin for establishing
the Cuban government by next March.
Confusion has been caused in the minds
of the people of the United States by the
time that has been taken in drafting the
electoral law. Yet all means work to the
same end. After the unqualified accept
ance Of the Platt amendment two courses
were open. One was to adopt q very SIM
pie election law and proceed with the cleo
tions in accordance with the original pro-
vision of the constitution, which required
an interval of ninety days after the pro-
mitigation of the electoral law before the
voters should go to the polls, or the urns,
they call it.
The other course was to formulate an
elaborate electoral machinery, which would
have to be nodded to the constt ution in all
it's details. This being the slower method
1t is not surprising that, after the Latin
manner, it has been followed. The impa-
tient partisans of free Cuba criticise the
convention and charge that it's purpose was
to enable some of the young politicians In
it to grow old enough to become eligible for
the high offices of the republic, which have
an age limit Of thirty-five years.
Weakness of the Radicals.
One good result came from the lesurely
course followed. This was the exposure of
the weakness Of the radicals. In the be-
ginning a committee was appointed to
draft an electoral law, majority Of which
consisted Of the intransigeants, or radical
members Of the convention. They were
given full leeway. When they tried their
hand the result was unsatisfactory even
to their own partisans. The convention
rejected this draft of the law and appoint
ed new committee, which reported more
satisfactory formula. This was one OF
the methods of the conservatives for Sc
curing what they wanted without an open
breach 1t was not a bad method. So far
on every occasion when the responsibility
Of action has been forced on the radicals
they have failed to meet It, Their natural
attitude is that Of fault-finding.
Another characteristic Latin way Of doing
the second draft Of the electoral law as
whole and then to set about modifying the
parts which composed the whole 1t was In
effect approving the substance and spirit or
the proposed law without accepting 1t lit.
orally. The process followed has been
something like that taken in Congress or
in state legislature in amending bill
reported from committee, but the dlIer-
and then amend 1t.
AS it now stands, the electoral law Is
substantially supplementary constitu-
ton 1t Is almost as long as the constitu-
ton proper and some of its provisions ap-
pear quite complicated. This Is partly due
to the minuteness and exactness with which
details are made a part of the general law.
Everything is set down specifically with the
purpose of limiting the exercise of author
tty by election boards. One result of this
minuteness has been to place check on
the independence of the individual voter.
Important Part of Electoral Law.
The most important part of the electoral
law does not appear in set terms. The con-
stitutional convention has prolonged Its life
until the new government which is to take
over the power from the American military
authority is actually established. By this
action the convention makes of itself an In
termediary power which exercises an over
sight Of all the intermediate steps leading
up to the inauguration Of the new govern
ment. 1t also helps to perpetuate the in
fluence Of some of its ambitious Inembers.
In the electoral lIw as it now stands most
Of the fantastic schemes for plural voting
are lacking. 1t might be said that under
the form of minority representation there Is
in reality proportionate representation, yet
universal suffrage is not modified. The un-
restricted right to the ballot Is the basis of
the franchise.
In view Of the exercise Of universal suf-
ban department Of state are Of unusual in
terest. They show that the total electoral
capacity Of the island consists Of 10000
individuals. OF this number. 177,OO0 do not
illiterates $1,000 are whites and $4,000 are
Of the black race.
The statistics also show that there are
5000 Spaniards more than twenty-one
years of age who elected to remain Span
lsh subjects, while there are $4,000 for
eigners without electoral rights These are
mostly Spaniards also. The majority Of
them can acquire Cuban citizenship under
the naturalization clauses of the constitu-
tion, but they will not be in position to
take part In the first elections. Under the
provisions Of the constitution there are
10000 persons born in other countries who
are vested with full electoral rights, while
the number Of Cuban-born electors Is
10000. OF the latter 1SS 600 are white and
100000 are of the race of color. This diff
ference of $4,000 between the white Cubans
and the blacks should settle the fears Of
negro supremacy in Cuba.
1t also appears that of the native whites
not quite $1,000 know how to read and
write, and $1,000 are illIterate, while among
the electors of the colored race 26OOO are
able to read and write and so 600 are what
the Cubans call "analfabeticos," or ignor-
ant of the alphabet. The hope for the fu-
ture under universal suffrage lies in the
fact that heretofore the ignorant classes
have shown themselves more conservative
than their educated and reckless leaders
Men and Issues In First CamDaien
With the provisions of the electoral law
substantially settled the people of the is
land are turning to the men and the is
sues which are likely to control In the first
elections. 1t might be said better that the
men are the issues. There will be no di-
vision over annexation in the first elec-
tion. No Cuban leader will advocate it.
and no wise American will advise the
Cuban leaders to advocate 1t now. That
Issue will work Itself out under the first
government that is established. Probably
Estrada Palma, In his next letter will be
more specific in making clear that he is
not an annexationist, at least in this tran
sition period. The efforts Of the radicals
to destroy the movement In behalf of
Palma by charging him with being the
candidate of the American government
and by sneering at his American citizen-
ship have failed
SO long as Maxine Gomez is back OF
Palma there is no power in Cuba which
can destroy his support. One Of the mem
pers or the convention who came to the
United States this week told me that Ave
or the six provinces would support Palma
for the presidency. Naturally, his Amerf-
can citizenship will cease when he becomes
the head of the Cuban government, but not
his knowledge of the dependence of Cuba
on the United States