Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-12-07

authority and have no sanction, except |
as they are maintained by the popular
sentiment of the community. There is
an entire absence of authority to provide |
the ordinary instruments OF local police |
control and administration, the popula- |
ton consisting Of the usual per-
centage of lawless adventures of
the class that always tiocks
to new fields of enterprise or discoveries,
and under circumstances which require
more than ordinary provision for the
maintenance Of peace, good order and
lawful conduct.
The whole vast area of Alaska COM
prlses but one judicial district, with one
judge, one marshal and one district at
torney, yet the civil and criminal business
has more than doubled within the past
year, and is many times greater both in
volume and importance than it was in
1884. The duties of the judge require
him to travel thousands of miles to dis
charge his judicial duties at the various
places designated for that purpose. The
territory should be divided into at least
two judicial districts, and an additional
judge, district attorney, marshal and
other appropriate officers be provided.
There is practically no organized form
of government in the territory. There is
no authority, except in Congress, to pass
any law, no matter how local or trivial,
and the difficulty of conveying to the
Congress an adequate conception and
understanding of the various needs of
the people in the different communtiesi is
easily understood. see no reason why
more complete form of territorial
organization should not be provided.
| Following the precedent established in
the year 1905, when temporary govern
ment was provided for the recently
acquired territory, then known under the
name of the Louisiana, it seems to
| me that it would be advantageous to
| confer greater executive power upon the
governor and to establish, as was done in
| the case OF the Territory of Louisiana, a
legislative council, having power to adopt
ordinances which shall extend TO all their
rightful subjects of local legislation such
ordinances, not to take effect until reported
| to and approved by the Congress if in
session, and il that body is not in session,
| then by the President. In this manner
| system of laws providing for the incor-
| poration and government Of towns and
cities having a certain population, giving
them the power to establish and main
| tain system of education to BIO locally
supported, and ordinances providing for
police, sanitary and other such purposes,
could be speedily provided. believe a
| provision of this kind would be satisfac-
| tory to the people Of the territory. 1t is
probable that the area is too vast and the
population too scattered and transitory to
make it wise at the present time to pro-
vide for an elective legislative body, but
the conditions calling for local and self
| government will undoubtedly very soon
exist and will be facilitated by the mea-
sure which | have recommended.
| AS TO PORTO RICO.
| / recommend that legislation to the
same end be had with reference to the
government of Porto Rico. The time is
| ripe for the adoption of temporary form
| of government for this island and
many suggestions made with reference
| to Alaska are applicable to Porto Rico.
The system of civil jurisprudence adopted
by the people of this island, as described
by competent lawyers who are familiar
with it, is thoroughly modern and scien-
tific,so far as it relates to matters of inter-
nal business, trade, production and social
and private rights in general. The cities
of the island are governed under charters
which probably require very little or no
change. So that with relation to matters
Oh lOCdl CDuCcFu dlu pliVutG ~ 10
not probable that much if any legislation
is desirable; but with reference to public
administration and the relations of the
island to the federal government there
are many matters which are of pressing
urgency. The same necessity exists for
legislation of the part of Congress to es-
tablish federal courts and federal juris,
diction in the island as has been pre-
viously pointed out by me with reference
to Hawaii. Besides the administration
of justice there are subjects of the public
lands; the control and Improvements OF
rivers and harbors; of the waters OF
streams not navigable, which under the
Spanish law belonged to Spain, and have
bv the treaty of cession passed to the
United States, the immigration of people
from foreign countries; the importation
of contract labor; The imposition and col.
lection of internal revenue; the appli
cation of the navigation laws; the
regulation of the current money; the
establishment of possibilities and pos
roads, the regulation of tariff rates or
merchandise imported from the island
into the United States; the establishment
! of ports of entry and delivery; the regula
ton of patents and copyrights; these
with various other subjects which res
entirely within the power of the Congress
call for grateful consideration and im
mediate action.
1t must be borne in mind that since thu
cession Porto Rico has been denied thu
principal markets she had long enjoyed
: and our tariffs have been continued
against her products as when she wa
under Spanish sovereignty. The market
of Spain are closed to her products ex
cept upon terms to which the the com
! merce of all nations is subjected. Th,
island of Cuba, which used to buy he
cattle and tobacco without custom
r duties, now imposes the same duties upoi
the products as from any other countr.
entering her ports. She has therefor
r lost her free intercourse with Spain ant
D Cuba without any compromising benefit
in this market Her coffee was littl
t known and not in use by our people, ant
g therefore there was no demand for this
one Of her chief products. The market
| of the United States should be opened VI
| to her products. Our plain duty is u
!. abolish all customs tariff between TIL
$ United States and Porto Rico and Civ
her products free access to our markets
i AS a result of the HURRICANE whicl
swept over Porto Rico on the Sth o
August, 1890, over 100000 people wer
G reduced to absolute restitution, withou
!. homes and deprived of the necessities q
a life. To the appeal of the War Depart
g ment the people of the United State
a made prompt and generous response.
o addition to the private charity OF on
people, the War Department bias ex
1 pended for the relief of the distressed
q 1899 ,342.G3 which does not include tn
@ cost of transportation. .-o
. | II Is, acitubla that thn trOUprnmnnt n