The San Francisco call., 1899-08-31
CODE Of LAWS
FOR PORTO RICO
Report Of the lnsular
Commission.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


sular Commission. consisting of Cen
eral Kennedy, Judge Curtis and Major
Watkins which has given six months
study to the conditions of Porto Rico,
to-day made it's report to Secretary
Root 1t recommends a form OF civil
government for the islands, to take the
place of the present military regime,
and submits for adoption code OIL
laws.
These laws, it recommends. should
be placed in operation by the executive
decree, arguing that a Congressional
enactment of general laws Would
change the status of the island toward
the United States and make it part OF
the constitutional territory OF the
United States The code of laws and
the civil government proposed 90 not
give to Porto Ricans the elective iran
chise for any offices nor extend 10 them
the privilege of trial by jury except IN
United States courts in cases OF fel-
ones or civil cases involving an
amount in excess of $500. 1t recon-
mends that the military force remain
in the island, but be kept in the back
ground and touch the people only with
a soft hand. English is to be mace the
official language of the island, but FOR
the present all except the Federal
courts are to be conducted in Spanish
The code obliterates all Spanish law
and royal DEGREES and all systenS OF
procedure and substitutes the pro
visions of the code modified after the
laws of the States of the United states
and declares the common law ana
principles of equity to be in future the
law of the land where no specific direc-
ton is found in the code.
In place of the Spanish system or
courts an American system IS PROVIDED
a supreme court, a district court and
probate. with limited civil and criminal
Jurisdiction, and justices of the peace
and police courts in the cities; also a
federal court to have exclusive 1urls-
diction of all federal questions and con-
current Jurisdiction in civil and GRIM
inal matters.
There are to be five supreme judges,
three of whom are to be American ana
two natives.
A complete civil, county, township
and city government is to be provided,
and all officials of the civil adminlStra
ton are to be natives, the higher otfl-
GERS to be appointed by the President,
the others by the governor general and
the county commissioners.
A public school system with provision
for a superintendent and board OF pub
lie instruction and a complete system
of public schools, conducted in English
by American teachers, is provided and
also night schools for illiterate adults.
The right to teach Spanish where de-
manded is given.
Full general corporation and railroad
laws with the right of eminent domain
are provided thus opening the island
to competition and ending the system
of franchises to favored corporations.
All taxes which bear heavily on the
poor and all double taxes on non-reS1-
dents are abrogated A marriage law is
provided like those in the States. with
a plan for IegaliZing consent marriage
and legitimatZing children, one-half or
whom on the island were born out OF
Wedlock
The commission recommends that the
proposed code be put into effect at once
by the President without waiting for
Congress to legislate on the question:
saying that the people of the island are
in distress and are still being oppressed
by the old Spanish laws and customs;
leaving for Congress the question of
such after-legislatiOn as may be deemed
best.
The commission states that the Porto
Ricans have lost their markets in Spain
for their coffee by reason of increased
duties and the industry is now IAN
gushing for want of an immediate
market for their productions; that
many of the people are dependent upon
this industry for employment and sub
sistence and that there must be distress
until the coffee raisers and cofree-
handlers can build up trade with the
United States, and it recommends that
the Government of the United States
purchase the coffee for our army ana
navy in Porto Rico.
AS to franchises the laws submitted
do away with all necessity for the sale
of franchises or special grants therefor
by permitting any persons to 1ncorpor-
ate under the general incorporation law
%1.1 -;rrI,t Of 0y1t
main to all quasi-public corporations.
There ought, in the opinion of the
commission. to be a general revision of
the tariff rates on articles imported by
the island from the United States and
reductions made on articles of prime
necessity and total release on some ar
ticles. This new revision, it is argued,
should be made at once and put in
force. Following this it is suggested
that Congress grant authority to the
President to arrange a schedule of re-
ciprocal tariff duties in Porto Rico. The
commission lays stress on the need of
civil reform in the island and says:
All the complications growing out Of the
currency in Porto Rico cannot be rem
edied until Congress shall place suff-
cient fund in the hands of the President
in the shape of silver certificates or treas
llry notes, all legal tender for their face
value. to enable him to take up all the
Porto Rican silver and authorize him to
have 1t re-colned into American silver
dollars or certificates to replace those
used in the purchase or taking up Of the
Porto Rican silver, the differences be-
tween the bullion value and the sixty
cents paid for them being charged to the
island and when practicable: to be con-
verted into United States Treasury re-
serves. This needs authorization of Con-
gress and such authority to be asked for
and its necessity pointed out.
Fire at Santa Cruz.
SANTA CRUZ, Aug. 30.-The home Of
John F. Seeyle at FELTON, was destroyed