Evening star., 1899-04-19
THEY SEEK RELIEF
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Porto Ricans Wants Some Form Of
Government.
An ADDRESS 10 .iHG, PRESIDENT
Favorable and immediate Consid-
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Grafton Asked.
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THE SONS GIVEN

DR.. ]. ]. Henna and NJ. Zeno Gambia, rep
resenting themselves Porto Riean COM
missoners to Washington. had an inter-
view with President Mckinley today and
submitted an address, asking for terri
torial form of government or one like that
of the District Of Columbia. The address
is as follows:
The Address.
The undersigned, natives of the Island
of Porto Rico, who as commissioners for
the people of that island, formerly have
had the honor to call your attention to
certain needs of that people, take advan-
tage of the opportunity afforded to them
by your proclamation of the 11th instant,
and come again before you, both to offer to
you personally and to the noble people over
whom you preside, their earnest and most
sincere congratulations for re-establish-
ment of the state of peace between this
country and Spain, and to acquaint you
with certain views and wishes of the peo-
pie to whom they belong and whom they
have the honor to represent, which under
the present circumstances are thought to
require favorable and immediate considera-
ton.
Under the provisions of the treaty of
peace, which you have just proclaimed and
has thereby become the supreme law of
the land, the Island of Porto Rico which
has an area of about 1850 square miles,
and population of nearly one million in
habitants has been added to the national
domain of the United States This addi-
tic been made, as If it were a mere
conveyance of real estate, without consult
ing in the least the wishes of the people of
the island. and contrary to all precedents.
without providing either for the political
status" of the same Inhabitants the de-
termination of which is left to the good will
rNf f1rn f~f ha nit tod Saf n
America; and the cession by Spain to the
United States Of America of her sovereign
rights, whether forfeited or not, over the
land and the people of Porto Rico, is for
the moment practically consummated.
Relief Asked.
Under such circumstances neither the
President of the United States nor the
American people may ever object to the
Porto Rican people, noble. manly. highly
educated people of the Caucasian race.
feeling apprehensive about the situation in
which they have been left by the treaty,
and hasten to come before you in search OF
that relief to which under all considera-
tions of justice they areicertainly entitled.
Prior to the proclamation of the treaty of
peace and the final acceptance by the
United States of the conveyance made to
them by Spain, no action, however just in
principle or intrinsically lmeratorious, could
have properly escaped from being prema-
ture. The military occupation of Porto
Rico by the United States Of America was
an act of war, and as such at belongs to
sphere where considerations of laws or rea-
son left in the, background. Inter arma
silent legas. But now that the condition of
war has ceased, and that a perfect state of
pease exists in Porto Rico, de jure as well
as de facto, the moment has arrived for the
Porto Riean people to giyes expression to
If there was any reason. mo matter how
strange or unaccc intake, not to embrace
Porto Rico in the declaration made by Con-
gress in section l Of the act approved by
you on April 20, 1888, that the people of
Cuba are, and Of right ought TO be, free and
Independent, that reason could not go as
far to declare that the Porto Rican peo-
pie are, and ought OIL right to be, deprived
of the inalienable rights, including liberty,
life and the pursuit of happiness. with
which the Creator endowed all men,
The relief to which the undersigned have
referred consists of the following:
First.
That you may be pleased to cause the
condition and rules of civil government to
prevail in Porto Rico, as they prevail every
h where else in time of peace in the United
States Of America; and in consequence
thereof that the War Department should
cease to take cognizance of anything or
matter relating to the administra ton of the
government of Porto Rico, and confine it's
action exclusively to those things and mat
ters which pertain to the army.
The obVlouSneSS of this measure is such
to preclude the necessity of any argu-
ment in the support thereof. Now, under
the existing conditions of perfect peace, the
authority of the United States of America
over the Island Of Porto Rico is simply
civil, and cannot be exercised, in civil mat
ters, under the laws of the United States,
through military channels.
Second.
That you may be pleased to direct, as a
further consequence of the above that all
matters relating to the administration Of
the government Of the Island Of Porto Rico,
as far as the action of the United States
government Is or may be concerned, be
transferred to that department OF the gov
ernment of the United States as they may
rightly belong. Business concerning Gus
toms, the currency, the national banking
system, etc, etc, must be transacted
relating to the United States courts and
judicial officers, must be transacted through
the Department of Justice. Matters con-
corning patents, trade marks, copyrights
public lands, ETC., ETC., must belong to the |
Department of the Interior. National pro- |
motion of agriculture is matter which be- !
longs to the Department of Agriculture.
Postal service and all things relating to or |
connected with it, must rightly fall under |
the jurisdiction of the Postmaster General !
of the United States. t
That you may be pleased to cause the |
army Of the United States in Porto Rico |
to be reduced to such numbers as are |
strictly necessary to garrison the forts and !
military posts Of the United States in the |
said islands. |
1t would be just. as we'll as erninently use |