d, and must have lived in his municipality for at least thirty days
immediately preceding registration; and he must be able to read and
write; or own property worth $250 in American gold; or have served in
the Cuban army prior to July 18, 1898, and have been honorably
discharged therefrom. The ten consecutive days from May 6 to May 16 were
appointed as days of registration.

The total number of voters registered was 150,648, which was a little
more than fifty per cent, of the total number of men of voting age,
which had been shown by the census of 1899 to be 297,765. However, there
were some thousands of adult males in the island who had elected to
retain their allegiance to Spain, and therefore could not vote, so that
the number registered was considerably more than one half of the
possible voters. At the election on June 16 the total vote cast was
110,816. There were some protests and complaints of fraud and illegal
voting, and it is not improbable that there were some such abuses; as
there have been known to be in other lands, even in the United States of
America. On the whole the elections were probably reasonably fair and
honest; they were peacefully and quietly conducted; and they gave much
encouragement to the expectation that the people of Cuba would prove
themselves worthy of the opportunity of self-government which was being
placed before them.

At this election there were three parties. The Union Democratic was
composed of the more conservative element, including many of the old
Autonomist party, and it was largely inclined toward annexation to the
United States, or toward a permanent and efficient protectorate by that
country. Its numbers were few, and it took little part in the election.
The Nationals and the Republicans ranged from liberal to radical, and
between the two in principle there was no perceptible difference. These
parties did not long survive, but were transformed and merged into the
Conservative and Liberal parties of later years.

Political parties in Cuba had their origin about the time of American
intervention in the war. That was an assurance that Cuba was to have her
independence and become self-governing, and that made it seem worth
while to form into parties. The full development did not come, however,
until it was seen that the United States intended to keep its word by
leaving the government and control of Cuba to the people of the island,
and that conviction did not come to the gen