THE CUBA REVIEW 



Statistics compiled by the 



Half a Election Bureau of the De- 



MUlio)i partment of the Interior 



J'oters show that there are 511,519 



electors in Cuba entitled to 



vote at the coming elections. Of these, 



336,900 are whites and 171,610 negroes. 



La Lucha of Havana says these figures 

 "are either the result of concocted frauds 

 or unpardonable errors." It says that a 

 half million of electors in a country, the 

 population of which is barely over 2,000,000, 

 "appears to us to be somewhat exagge- 

 rated." Reasoning it out, it says further: 

 "511,519 votes mean in round figures 25 

 per cent of the total population of Cuba, 

 foreigners included. According to the 

 latest data published, the number of for- 

 eigners domiciled in Cuba numbered more 

 than 260,000, which leaves a total Cuban 

 population of much less than 1,800,000. 



"This moves us to ask. whether or not, 

 it is not a bit adventurous to say that 

 the women, children and adults under 21 

 years of age residing in Culia, should sum 

 up on sixty-five per cent of the 1,800.000 

 of natives or naturalized citizens?" 



Dr. Pedro Merrera Soto- 

 Opposes longo, the well-known Ha- 



.Irbif ration vana lawyer, opposes the 

 idea of a court of arbitra- 

 tion to decide on the war claims of Eng- 

 land, Germany and France, claiming that 

 they cannot be submitted to arbitration, 

 as seems to be the plan, or at least as 

 Secretary of State Sanguily announced 

 was to be done, following his conference 

 with Secretary Knox during the latter's 

 visit to Cuba. 



He says that Article I of the transitory 

 dispositions of the Cuban constitution de- 

 clares that the republic of Cuba does net 

 recognize any other debts or compromises 

 than those legally contracted Iiy the com- 

 manders of the Liberating Army, since 

 February 25, 1895, and prior to September 

 19th, of the same year, date on which the 

 Jimaguayu Constitution was promulgated, 

 and those which were contracted abroad 

 afterwards by non-members of the revolu- 

 tion or their agents. These claims are to 

 be adjudicated by Congress, which will 

 decide as to the payment of those declared 

 legal. 



To submit the matter to arbitration, 

 which implies that after a verdict the 

 president and his Cabinet will order what- 

 ever payment may be declared, in the 

 opinion of Dr. Herrera Sotolongo, will be 

 illegal on the ground that the president 

 has no power to "adjusticate or order the 

 payment of those claims. 



Frederico Mejer, the noted sugar expert, 

 died in Havana April 14th. 



Principal Senate business 

 .\''ore on April 16th was the 



Millions reading of a message from 

 JJ'aiited the president, asking for 

 the contracting of a new 

 loan of $11,000,000 to continue the con- 

 struction of the sewers and carrying out 

 the paving of the city of Havana. 



The Senate listened to this message as 

 well as to another, asking for the creation 

 of a new consular office abroad, without 

 comment of any kind, says La Lucha of 

 Havana. It says further : 



"In three years of the Liberal adminis- 

 tration they have had the handling of a 

 little over $40,000,000 per annum, which 

 sums up to about $125,000,000, and that 

 without counting the products of the 

 Magon loan of $16,500,000, which makes 

 it $140,000,000 for the lowest that they had 

 to pass through their hands. 



"Where are the colossal public works," 

 it says further, "or the great progress 

 made with the piles of gold that, like a 

 continuous stream, has run through the 

 hands of these people? 



"The country does not see them, l)ut 

 instead of that we know of some men 

 who are now carrying a check book in 

 their pockets who a few years ago did not 

 know what a bank check looked like." 



In an interview May 6th with the Xew 

 York Suit's representative. General Meno- 

 cal said the country needed a radical change 

 in methods and an honest goxernment. 

 The business men and producers, he said, 

 should be relieved of the present intoler- 

 able burdens, which have been imposed 

 on them by the squandering of money. 



He also declared that his party would 

 not submit as tamely this time as it did 

 four years ago to interference at the polls. 

 It will meet violence with violence if nec- 

 essary. 



General Caballero, governor of Cama- 

 guey Province, resigned his post April 

 29th, and also resigned as provincial head 

 of the Liberal Party. 



Xo other explanation than political pres- 

 sure is assigned for the resignation. 



Secretary of State Sanguily called a 

 conference on May 5th to consider ways 

 and means of continuing the reciprocity 

 treaty between Cuba and the United States. 

 The conferences included Martin Rivero, 

 Cuban minister to Washington, members of 

 the Planters' Leaj|ue, and cigar manu- 

 facturers. 



Sr. Rivero, who was calfed to Havana for 

 a confereflce with local interests, left for 

 Washington on May 9th to take up reci- 

 procity with the State Department. 



