The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-01
4 Little Cloud In Cuba's Sky.

the possession OF comfortable CTeull
balance in the bank, such balance will
neither relieve a toothache nor cure a
cancer. This holds good in national
as we'll as in individual affairs. Cuba
has u snug little balance of cash on hand,
but it is not panacea for the cure OF
national troubles. OF such troubles she
has fair stock on hand, and some of
them are displaying no little activity.
One of the most annoying, though not
the most serious, has been persistently
irritating for two or three months.
Under the Spanish regime there ex-
isted in Cuba certain subordinate gov
ernmental bodies known as the Diputa-
clones Provnciales, corresponding to
similar bodies in the provinces of Spain
and to the Departments of France.
In certain way they bore resemblance
to our own State governments, inasmuch
as they We're definitely organized bodies
having authority in specified areas, and
subject to limitations, in their powers
and functions, prescribed by the central
Government Gen. BROOKE abolished
these Provincial Deputations by an
order issued on Feb "A, 1890, as super
nuous and burdensome institutions, rs
they really were in land like Cuba.
Their needlessness in Cuba's body polite
is generally recognized. A local paper,
La LIchn said in a recent editorial:
The Government of Intervention be-
gan by suppressing the Diputaciones
Provinciales, recognizing their useless
ness. And so they were, in effect. The
old Depu,ations served for nothing
(serridn para naddJ. They We're deco
rative body without any attributes.
Another paper, FL Arisador. states that
only one periodical comedies to these
organizations any political or admins
trative importance.
But the Constitutional Convention,
fearing governmental Capitalization, res
directed them and made provision for
them as part of the Cuban system of
government. This determination was
not reached however without a pro-
longed and energetic contest. Article
XCII. of their Constitution provides
that Each province [of which there
are sikh shall have one Governor and
a Provincial Council elected by the
direct vote of the people in the manner
prescribed bv law. The number of
Conncimen in each province shall not
he less than eight nor more than twenty"
Other articles define in general terms
the powers and the duties of the Gov
ernor and the Council. Section Of
Article XCITI provides that they shall
" prepare their budgets, providing the
necessary incomes to meet them, with
out any other limitations thereto than
that consistent with the tax system
of the Government.
Pursuant to these provisions, and SEEM
ingly entirely within their Consttu-
tional rights, the Councils have levied
taxes for the purpose of providing funds
for the payment of their provincial ex-
penses, including their official salaries.
Among the taxes thus imposed the fol-
lowing may be enumerated: In Puerto
Principe, $500 per month for business
agencies; 10 cents for every tree cut from
the woods of the province and used or
sold; cents for every round pole
known as bolo)3 per cent. on all sal
aries paid by the State, the province, or
the municipality; cent on every kilo
(2.2 pounds) of meat, whether native
or imported In Matanzas province,
IL cents for every half kilo Of imported
meat. with or without packing cases;
8 cents for every kilo of ham, bacon and
all kinds of sausages; 3 cents for every
kilo of fresh beef slaughtered in the
province; 3 cents for every klo of foreign
tdsdjo dried beef; cent on patent
medicines not exceeding so cents in value,
and cents when they exceed that sum.
In Santa Clara, 10 cents for every pair
of foreign-made shoes sold; 10 cents on
every hat sold whose value exceeds go
cents in Spanish silver cents for every
article Of perfumery and patent medi-
cine the value of which is between 10
and so cents, cents when the value is
between 80 cents and 81 90, and 10 cents
when it's value exceeds 500; cents
upon every toy or jewel whose value
exceeds so cents in Spanish silver. Ha-
vana imposed tax on theatres, and the
theatres closed their doors. 1t imposed
a tax on perfumeries and medicines,
and the druggists closed their shops.
the taxes met with pro-
test and obstruction. President Es-
TRADA PALMA suspended many of these
taxes upon the ground of illegality or of
injustice. This was done under authority
vested in him by the Constitution
To some, all this may seem to he only
s. a tempest in teapot" 1t really has
marked significance. 1t is one of those
crises. more or less serious, through
which infant republics must pass on their
way to a sturdy maturity Such crises
produce fatal results. This
is not likely to be the outcome of Cubas
difficulty, but ii is quite
certain that the outcome must be
changes, more or less radical, in her
governmental system. Part of the pres
cnt trouble i9inherent in her laws and