Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/749

* CUBA. 645 CUBA. miscellaneous, over 5 per cent. Thus the great bulk of taxation fell upon the consumer, while the expenditures took little account of the needs of the people. As the above table shows, the army absorbed almost 30 per cent, of the entire expenditure; nearly 50 per cent, went to pay the debt incurred by the Spanish Goveriunent, while onlj' about one-fourth of the total went for civil administration, of which the greater part was absorbed by salaries of Spanish officers. It will be observed that under the new regime the customs duties furnish over 90 per cent, of the entire revenue of the island. On the other hand, on the side of expenditures a radical change may be noted. The expenses of the mili- tary department have come down from nearly cne-half of the total expenditure to less than 10 per cent. The service of the debt naturally disappeared from the budget because it was not the business of the United States to pay the debts incurred by the Spanish Government, and the Cuban Convention, by repudiating that debt, by one stroke of the pen relieved the people of the island of a great burden. A detailed comparison of expenditures under the two regimes is im- possible owing to the different method of classi- fication : however, a comparison of the four lead- ing items common to both budgets shows 'the following changes : The expense for State and Government de- creased from .$3,034,439 to $1,756,089.53, or 52 per cent., although the latter sum includes the cost of the census. The expense for justice and instruction, on the other hand, increased from $90-2,449 to $1,605,488.30, or 78 per cent. The finance department shows also an increased ex- penditure of 255 per cent., and that of public Avorks increased from $880,085 to $1,735,231.38, or 99 per cent. An unusually large item, $8,220,- 748, almost one-half of the total budget, is formed by the supplementary grants to munici- palities. These subsidies were occasioned by the poverty-stricken condition of the people, who were unable to raise uie necessary local revenue, and the money Aas advanced largely to defray expenditures atfecting the most vital interests of the people, such as instruction, sanitation, hos- pitals and asylums, public buildings, etc. As stated, the tariff has not been reduced materially, owing to the impossibility of p'ro- viding other equally productive sources of reve- nue. At the same time, some reductions were made, especially in the case of imported food- stuffs, agricultural machinery, locomotives and rails, and the duties were made equal for all coimtries, the United States not excepted. This change has done away with some of the worst features of Spanish tariff, the chief purpose of which was to stifle Cuban industries and to favor the Spanish producer and merchant at the expense of the Cuban consumer even when the former could not furnish the goods demanded. As an illustration the following may be taken from the official report of the Hon. Robert P. Porter, Special Commissioner for the United States to Cuba and Porto Rico: "The Spanish exporter was able, by a discriminating duty of more than 100 per cent, against other countries, to import from ^linnesota to Barcelona American flour and reship it to Cuba at a price just below the price of the American article shipped direct to Cuba, upon which a duty nearly three times as great as that exacted from Spain had to be paid." CJovERNMENT. The Constitution of Cuba was adopted by the Constitutional Convention, on February 21, 1901. It provides for a republican form of government, and, in its main provisions, diflers but slightly from the Constitution of the United States. The President, who nuist be either a native Cuban or a naturalized citizen with at least ten years' service in the Cuban army during the wars for independence, is elected directly by an absolute majority for a term of four years and is disqualilicd for more than two consecutive terms. He has the right of appointment and removal in regard to the members of his Cabinet. The legislative power is vested in the Congress, which consists of a Senate and a House of Rep- resentatives. The former is composed of four Sena- tors from each province, elected liy an electoral board composed of the provincial councilmen and electors, the latter being twice the number of the former and chosen by popular vote. Provi- sion is made for the retirement of one-half of the Senators every four years. The House of Representatives consists of one member for every 25,000 inhabitants, or for a fraction of more than 12,500. They are elected directly for four years, one-half retiring every two years. Congress meets annually and is endowed with extensive powers, controlling besides the financial aft'airs and foreign relations of the ifepublic also the preparation of electoral laws for the provinces and municipalities. The approval of two-thirds of the members of both legislative bodies is neces- sary for a change in the Constitution. For administrative purposes the Republic is divided into six provinces. The provincial Gov- ernors and Assemblies are elected directly for a period of tlircc years. The provinces are inde- pendent in their internal administration, but the President has the right of interference in case of abuses of power on the part of the Governor or the Assembly. The municipalities are admin- istered by mayors and assemblies elected directly by popuhir vote. The judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate. The voting franchise is accorded to every male Cuban over twenty-one years of age, and not mentally incapacitated or convicted of crime', to all Spanish residents wlio have been on the island since April 11, 1899, and to all foreigners who have resided in Cuba since January 1, 1899. For foreigners who have ar- rived on the island after January I, 1899, a five years' residence is required for naturalization. EorcATiON. Primary education, according to the provisions of tlic Constitution, is free and compulsnrv. and the expensi^s are to be paid by the Central Government in case of inability on the part of a pi'ovince or a municipality to main- tain its primary schools. Secondary and ad- vanced education is under the control of the State. During the Spanish regime educatiim was controlled to a large extent by the Church, and the provisions for primary education were very inadequate. According to the census of 1899. the proportion of illiteracy among the voting popu- lation was: Cubans. 59 per cent.; and Sjianish. 12 per cent. Prior to the Spanisli War the total enrollment was slightly more than 36,000. With the American occupation the school system was entirely reorganized, and the facilities for teach-