New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-11
IDLE DREAMS OF STATEHOOD.

The Porto RlcIn ITcSbtHt Sl""N" "N"
There have been few better-informed OF more
| informing expositons of the status ana hecus
| of the Spanish Antilles than may be found I'D
| the extended interview with him winch we
published in yesterdays Tribune. lie speaks
ntclligently of the past. in conciiia'ory sPrit
| of the Spanish. and hopefully ana Loyalty OF
| the connection with the United States which Is
| now being perfected and which Is TO reVoiu'ioh-
| ize the whole status and destiny of the island.
| His words concerning Porto Rico are to be COM
| nendcd for perusal and study to every one
who wishes to form just estimate OF that III
| tcrestng new addition to the domain or TINS
| Republic.
That Senior Munez would show himself as
familiar with United States rs with Porto
| Rican affairs was not. however, to he expected,
and il Is therefore not at all surprising to find
| that when he touches upon the former he makes
ot least one capital mistake. That is his as
sumption that after short period Porto Rico
will be admitted to this Union as State His
error Is not unnatural. No doubt there Is IN
Porto Rico strong aspiration toward State
hood There may be some expectation that
Statehood will be granted, even an idea that
| it must be granted as n matter Of right. as
soon as the island formally requests it. That
deluson may have been created and encouraged
by inudcious uttcrances in this country IL
is nevertheless dclusion, and nothing more.
Note that in the first place the United States
is under not the slightest obligation, moral or
legal. to grant Statehood. 1t has never offered
the slightest promise nor given the slightest
ground for hope to that effect In its Constltu-
ton and in It's historic policy which it Is faith
fully maintaining there Is nothing that in the
| -
1t Is true that it has admitted many new States
which have been formed out Of lands acquired
by purchase or conquest in pursuance Of the
established National policy of territorial OK
pansiOn But it is equally true that 1t has re-
fused to admit as States various Territories
which it has long held, some of them for more
than half a century, apd also that the ConStl-
tuition specifically provides for and contem-
plates such holding of Territories perpetually
rs Territories. and not States. And that
such is tho fixed intention of the American peo-
pie is an unquestonable fact.
The people Of this Nation do not mean, at the
present time, or after short PERIOD" or in
any future near enough for practical considcra-
ton, to admit Porto Rico or Hawaii or any
such outlying Territory rs a State. That may
rs well be understood, distinctly and at once.
were strongly in favor of the annexation of
those lands as they were annexed They are
just as strongly opposed to the erection Of
either of them into State. And we are i'll
/, clined to think that had they been compelled to
choose between taking them in rs States and
not annexng them at all they would have
chosen the latter. We see no reason for suppos-
| ing that in the lifetime of the present genera
| ton that sentiment will he materially changed.
This may cause some disappointment to our
new countrymen in Hawaii and Porto Rico.
though there is really no reason why it should
They have had no cause to expect anything
else. Certainly they cannot complain of it as
in the least degree unjust. 1t Is not for them
TO set themselves up as more republican than
! the Republic They asked to he freed from
the evils of monarchical tyranny. They have
been thus freed. They ask, as Senior MuneZ
puts ii for Porto Rico system of government
not less autonomic and liberal than that which
they are giving up. They shall have one, not
less but far more liberal. They shall have the
freedom Of Americans and the commercial and
industrial and social advantages. They will be
vastly better off in all respects than they have
ever been before. More than that they cannot
In reason or in justice ask.