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1898réf. 3455New York: Published at the Office of "Cuba" 1123 Broadway 1898. First edition. In original printed wrappers. Wrappers creased and dented; spine missing at bottom. Corners dog-eared. A few pages with wormholes not affecting text. Otherwise in very good condition. First edition. In original printed wrappers. 74 2 pp. Rare first edition of Spain's 1897 grant of autonomy to Cuba and Puerto Rico-its last failed attempt to retain the islands through reform and the first constitutional success for the Cuban and Puerto Rican autonomist movements. Issued by Cuban autonomist exiles in New York this publication presents the full English translation of the Royal Decree of November 25 1897 signed by Queen Regent María Cristina which established broad local self-government for Cuba and Puerto Rico. It is accompanied by political commentary from Eliseo Giberga a leader of the Cuban Autonomist Party and editorials from El País the party's principal newspaper in Havana. The decree promised legislative authority to elected insular parliaments universal male suffrage civil and political equality with mainland Spaniards and control over finance commerce education public works and internal justice while reserving military naval and foreign affairs to the Spanish central government. A unique provision among colonial constitutions preserved the islands' representation in the Spanish Cortes. Although hailed at the time as realizing "the dream of three generations of Cubans" the new constitutional system was overtaken by events. After the sinking of the USS Maine and the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898 Spain was forced to cede Puerto Rico to the United States and withdraw from Cuba rendering the newly granted autonomy largely theoretical. The political structure outlined in this decree was never fully implemented. The publication also offers comparative analysis asserting that the rights granted exceeded those enjoyed by Canadian provinces under the British North America Act of 1867 and in some respects by U.S. states. It preserves the vision of peaceful constitutional reform promoted by the Cuban Autonomist Party soon eclipsed by military occupation and the shift toward independence under American influence. This volume captures Spain's last liberal attempt to modernize its empire-a transitional political vision for Cuba and Puerto Rico that was quickly overtaken by war U.S. intervention and the collapse of Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and Pacific. It is also a key document in the history of Cuban constitutionalism and Puerto Rican political status. Rare particularly in original wrappers; only a handful of institutional holdings recorded. RBH lists only one copy sold in the past fifty years Sotheby's 2021. . Published at the Office of "Cuba," 1123 Broadway unknown