CUBA 



1660 



CUBA 



has to meet in most of its industries. The 

 abolition of slavery in 1883 reduced the supply 

 of black labor ; the Chinese government stopped 

 emigration of Chinese coolies to Cuba because 

 it was said they were inhumanly treated, and 

 the war of 1895 decreased the ranks of the 

 laboring class. The problem is more serious 

 to sugar planters than to manufacturers of 

 tobacco products, for in the latter industry 

 skilled white labor can be used. 



Mineral Resources. Southeastern Cuba, near 

 Santiago de Cuba, in the province of Oriente, 

 is the mining section of the island. Iron, cop- 

 per and manganese are the principal products. 

 Mining interests are chiefly in the hands of 

 American companies; most of the output is 

 sent to the United States, and on an average 

 50,000 tons of iron a month are exported to 

 that country. Gold deposits and rich beds of 

 asphalt are not largely worked as yet. 



Government. Cuba is governed in accord- 

 ance with the constitution adopted by a repre- 

 sentative convention, February 21, 1901. The 

 government is republican in form and differs 

 but slightly from that of the United States. 

 The head of the administration is the Pres- 

 ident, who must be a native Cuban or a 

 naturalized citizen who served ten years in 

 the Cuban army during the wars of independ- 

 ence. He is elected by popular vote for a 

 term of four 

 years, and cannot 

 serve more than 

 two consecutive 

 terms. Heap- 

 points and re- 

 moves members 

 of his Cabinet, 

 who are responsi- 

 ble to him for 

 the administra- 

 tion of their de- 

 partments. CUBAN COAT-OF-ARMS 



Legislative Background of upper half 



power is vested is blue ' lower half > .& reen ,- 



The horseman s coat is red. 



in a Congress, The horse, clouds and cheru- 



consisting of two bim are the color of silver ' 

 houses, a Senate and a House of Representa- 

 tives. Four Senators from each of the six 

 provinces form the Senate body. They are 

 elected by a board composed of the council- 

 men of the province and of electors, chosen by 

 the people, equal to twice the number of coun- 

 cilmen. One-half of the Senators retire every 

 four years. The House of Representatives 

 consists of one member for every 25,000 inhabi- 



tants or for a fraction thereof more than 

 12,500. They are elected for four years, one- 

 half retiring every two years. Congress holds 

 two annual sessions, controls the financial and 

 foreign affairs of the republic and makes gen- 

 eral laws for the administration of the national 

 government, and prepares electoral laws for 

 the provinces and municipalities. 



Every male Cuban over twenty-one years of 

 age who is mentally sound, who has not been 

 convicted of crime and who is not serving in 

 the army or navy, all Spanish male residents 

 who have been on the island since April 11, 

 1899, and all male foreigners who have re- 

 sided there since January 1, 1899, are entitled 

 to vote. Foreigners who have taken up their 

 residence there since January 1, 1899, are re- 

 quired to show five years' residence before 

 naturalization. 



History. Columbus discovered Cuba in 1492. 

 His son Diego (James) founded Santiago de 

 Cuba in 1514. Five years later Havana was 

 founded. The enslavement of the native pop- 

 ulation led to its extinction in less than two 

 generations, and negro slaves were imported 

 from Africa. Misgovernment was the rule 

 during nearly all of Cuba's colonial history, 

 heavy taxes being levied upon its produc- 

 tion and commerce for the benefit of Spain. 

 Havana was taken by the French in 1534, 

 and again in 1554, and in 1762 by the British 

 in the European Seven Years' War which 

 ended in 1763 (see SEVEN YEARS' WAR). But 

 all these occupations were temporary. 



The first insurrection of Cubans against Spain 

 was led in 1833 by Manuel Quesada, who de- 

 manded for the island representation in the 

 Spanish Cortes (Congress). Peace did not 

 come until 1842, when various reforms were 

 conceded, though representation in the Cortes 

 was still denied. In 1850 Narciso Lopez, with 

 600 American filibusters, landed at Cardenas, 

 to overthrow the colonial government; but the 

 movement was quickly suppressed. In the 

 next year Lopez repeated his attempt, but 

 was defeated and executed, though his Amer- 

 ican followers were pardoned. A third filibus- 

 ter in 1853 led England and France to ask from 

 the United States a disavowal forever of an 

 intention to take possession of Cuba, but this 

 request was declined. The Ostend Manifesto 

 of 1854 was not really a manifesto, but was an 

 expression of opinion and advice by the Amer- 

 ican ministers accredited to Great Britain, 

 France and Spain, addressed to the government 

 of the United States, recommending it to pur- 



