not; all gradually working together toward a
common end. A few public sessions were held, at which there was more
speechmaking than work, but after a few weeks private sessions and a
great deal of committee work became the rule. There was no division on
party lines, and there was a lack of dominant leadership; both favorable
circumstances. Much attention was given to studying and analyzing the
constitutions of all other republics in the world, in order to learn
their good features and to avoid their errors and weaknesses. The
constitution of the United States was of course among those studied, but
rather less regard was paid to it than to others, for two reasons. One
was, a desire to avoid even the appearance of making Cuba a mere
appanage to or imitation of its northern neighbor, and the other was the
very practical thought that the constitutions of Latin republics might
be better suited to the Latin republic of Cuba than that of an
Anglo-Saxon republic.

By January 21 the Constitution was drafted in form sufficiently complete
to permit it to be read to the whole convention in a public session,
and thereafter there were daily discussions of its various provisions.
Differences of opinion ranged from mere verbal form to the substance of
the most momentous principles. There was a characteristic passage of
verbal arms over a phrase in the preamble. That paragraph after stating
the purpose of the Convention and of the Constitution, closed by
"invoking the favor of God." When this was read the venerable Salvador
Cisneros, formerly President of the Republic, moved that the phrase be
stricken out. Manuel Sanguilly made a long and dramatic speech, arguing
with much passion that it really did not matter whether the phrase were
included or not, but that it would best be left in, because that might
please some and could hurt nobody. Then the dean of the convention,
Pedro Llorente, made an impassioned appeal for the retention of the
words, to prove to the world that the Cubans were not a nation of
infidels and atheists. In the end the phrase was retained.

Another animated debate arose over the question of religious freedom and
the relations of church and state, which was ended by the adoption of an
article guaranteeing freedom and equality for all forms of religion that
were in accord with "Christian morality and public order," and decreeing
separation of church and state and forbidding the subsidizing of any
church. The questio