The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-31
FORM OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
RECOMMENDED FOR THE ISLAND
OF P0RTO RICO.


Conclusions of the American COmmis-
sion After SIX Months study-Code OF
Laws Drawn Up-EngIish for the Of
fetal Language-EIectivo Franchise
Held Back The Public Schools.
Washington, Aug 30.-The insular
commission, consisting Of General Ken
nedy, Judge Curtis and Major Watkins,
which has given six months study to
the island of Porto Rico, to-day made
it's report to Secretary Root 1t rec
ommends a form of civil government OF
the island to take. the place of the pres
ent military regime, and submits for an
examination a code of laws. These
laws, it says should be placed in opera
ton by executive decree. The code OF
laws and the civil government proposed
do not give the Porto Ricans the elec-
tive franchise for any offices, nor ex-
tend to them the privilege of trial by
jury, except in United States courts in
cases of felonies involving an amount
in excess of $500. 1t recommends that
the military force remain in the island,
but be kept in the background and to
touch the people only with soft hand.
English is to be made the official Ian
guage of the island, but at present all
except the federal courts are to be con-
Quoted in Spanish.
The code abrogates all Spanish laws
and royal decrees and all systems of
procedure, and substitutes the provi-
sions of the code modified after the laws
of the states of the United States and
declares the common law and princi-
Piles of equity to be in future the law
of the land where no specific direction
is found in the code. In place OF the
Spanish system of court an American
system Is provided; supreme court,
district court and probate court with
limited civil and criminal jurisdiction,
and justices of the peace and police
courts in the cities; also a federal court
to have exclusive jurisdiction of all fed
eral questions and concurrent jurisdic
tion in civil and criminal matters.
There are to be five supreme judges,
three of whom are to be American and
two natives; two federal judges, three
district Judges and eleven probate
Judges; one attorney general and one
deputy; one district attorney and two
deputies; one United States marshal and
two deputies; one reporter, one clerk
and one deputy of the supreme court;
one clerk and two deputies of the fed
eral court, with a prosecuting attorney
in each of the seven judicial districts of
the island and an interpreter for each
court.
A complete system Of public schools
in English is provided also night
schools for illiterate adults. The right
to teach Spanish where demanded 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 corpor-
ations. All taxes which bear heavily
on the poor and all double taxes on nom |
residents are abrogated. A marriage law |
is provided like those in the states, with
plan for legalizing consent marriages |
and legitimatizing children, one-half of !
whom on the island were born out of |
wedlock Highway and poor laws are !
power to issue writs of habeas corpus,
injunctions, etc. Speedy trials, coupled
with humane punishment, are sought to
be secured by the code.
The commission states that the Porto
Ricans have lost their market in Spain
for their coffee by reason of increased
duties and the industry is now Ian
gushing for want of an immediate mar
- Uyl.- |
on this industry for employment and
subsistence and that there must be dis
tress until the coffee raisers and cof-
fee 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
and navy in Porto Rico, which, the COM
mission says, produces as fine coffee as
is found in the world Porto Rico"
says the commission, lis now part of
the United States and the protection Of
home Industries and the defense and
care of our own people is one of the
principles of our govern
ment There is neither wisdom nor pa
triotism in purchasing foreign pro-
duction of coffee to be sent to our sol
diers in Porto Rico, while the coffee
fields and the industries of the people
of that island are langushing and in
distress"
AS to the general need of an American
system in Porto Rico, the commission
says: mo other matters demand such
and prompt attention as
these 1t is a matter of imperative me-
cessity that these people be speedily re-
lieved from their present conditions ana
from the system of oppression under
which they have been laboring for hun
dred of years A horde of office holders
is eating up the substance of the peo-
pie; the taxes gathered from every pos
sible source are not used for their bene-
it, but for their oppression, and they
are receiving nothing in return for the
great burdens imposed upon them. We {
nave materially reduced the number of
office holders throughout the island, at
the same time we have given them
system OF greater efficiency
The commission then outlines plan ]
If public Improvements through the {
Island, whereby the people may find !
work.
AS to the character of the Porto S
3icans. the letter says: .
1.-THE people of Porto Rico are indus s
trious and are ready and willing to