The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-05
SUGGESTIONS FOR
INSULAR GOVERNMENT


loyal and eager for the benefits to he
derived from the application Of Amer,-
can ideas of government There Is no
obstacle in the way Of our providing for
Porto Rico the best government which
We are capable of devising TO" DpOnle
situated as are the inhabitants of that
island.
The questions presented by the con-
sideration of the measures which ought
to be taken for the government Of Porto
Rico arc threefold: "a What form of
government shall be established, and
what participation In that government
shall the people Of the island have?
CD What shall be the treatment of the
municipal law of the island, and how
far shall the laws which now regulate
the rights and conduct of the people be
changed to conform to the ideas preva-
lent among the people of the United
States? (3) What economic relations
shall be established between the island
md the United States?
% In determining the question as to
the form of government, and the par
ticipation Of the people of the island
therein, the most important fact to be
considered is that the people have not
yet been educated in the art of self
government or any really honest gov
ernment. In all their experience and in
all their traditions, law and freedom
ciated with each other but opposed to
each other; and it is impossible that
people with this history--onlv 10 per
cent. Of whom can read or write
should ever have acquired any real
understanding of the way to conduct
popular government ! do not doubt
their capacity to learn to govern them
selves; but they have rot yet learned.
There are among them many highly
educated and able men, public spirited
and patriotic. and these show what
their people are capable Of becoming;
but there are not enough of them to
make a working government which
would be anything but an Obligarchv
and many of them have merely theo-
retical rather than a practical ac-
quaintance with the processes of gov
ernment.
The difficulty does not consist merely
of a lack of familiarity with the meth
DDS and processes of government; 1t
lies deeper than that in the fact that
the Porto Ricans, as people, have
never learned the fundamental and es-
scntial lesson Of obedience to the de
cision of the majority. They have ha!
no opportunity TO learn and they never
have learned. There can be no free
government without a loyal, voluntary
personal subjection to the peaceful de-
cisions reached by lawful processes.
ready been tried in municipal elections,
and toward government by municipal
boards, the minority which is voted
down almost Invariably refuses to par
ticipate further in the business of gov
ernment.
Lesson Slowly Learned.
The attitude of the defeated party is
precisely that which causes the con-
tinual revolutions in the government of
other West India islands and the Cen
tral American states in the same lati-
tude. This habit marks a rudimentary
stage of political development, and be-
fore the people Of Porto Rico can be
fully intrusted with self-goVernment
they must first learn the lesson of self
control and respect for the principles
of constitutional government, which re-
quire acceptance of it's peaceful decis-
ions. This lesson will necessarily be
slowly learned, because it is a matter
not of intellectual apprehension, but of
character and of acquired habits of
thought and feeling. 1t would be of no
use to present to the people of Porto
Rico now a written constitution or
frame of laws, however perfect, and
tell them to live under ii. They would
inevitably fail without course of
tuition under strong and guiding
hand With that tuition for a time
make them a self-gOVerning people.
form of government should be provided
for Porto Rico which will assure the
kind of administration to which we are
accustomed, with just as much par
tiCiDation on the part of Porto Ricans
as is possible without enabling their
ineXperience to make it ineffective, and
with opportunity for them to demon
strate their increasing capacity to gov
them g.
sistance.
Programme Suggested.
think that some such provision
should be made for future government
as the following:
That We should first declare definite
ly, by statute, what general laws of the
United States are to be extended to the
Porto RiCans, such as, for instance, the
postal laws, the banking laws the Gus
toms, navigation and internal revenue
laws with such notifications as may
be deemed advisable, the laws against
CounteTfeiting, the antitrust laws, etc:
and provide for federal officers to exc
cute these laws just as they are exc
cuteG in the various states and terri
tories of the Union; that there should
be a provision for a federal judiciary in
the island, with the same kind of juris-
diCtion which is exercised by the circuit
and district courts of the United States,
and that jurisdiction to review their
determinations should be vested in the
Supreme court of the United States, or
in a designated circuit court of appeals
and the Supreme court Of the United
States.
That there should be a form of local
insular government provided which
shall have complete control over the
rights, property, and obligations of the
ne ha tel he u aF,ti tiol
ering the field covered by the govern
ment of our respective states, and sub
jeCt to limitations prescribed by con-
'gress of the same character as the con-
stitutiOnal limitations generally inn
posed upon our state legislatures.
That the framework of this govern
ment should be substantially as fol-
lows A governor to be appointed by
the president Of the United States with
the advice and consent of the senate;
the chief officers OF state customary
under our system, such as secretary of
state, attorney general, treasurer, audi
tor or comptroller, superintendent Of
public works, and Superintendent of
education, to be appointed i'm like man.
ner; and a legislative council, to be
composed of the chief officers of state,
and a minority selected from the peo-
pie of the island by the president; that
all acts of the council should be sub
Ject 10 the veto power of the governor
and to be passed over the veto by a
two-thirds vote, and no law should
take effect until ii has remained with
| out disapproval for thirty days after
presentation to congress or to the
president Of the United States, If passed
when congress is not in session: that
there should be a Supreme court OF the
| island, composed Of judges appointed
by the president with the advice and
consent Of the senate and having app
pellate jurisdiction only; trial courts i'm
/ N list,fatg