The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1900-05-26
ABUNDANCE OF PRECEDENTS.
Porto Rican Legislation follows
Lines Laid Down BY Fathers
Of the Republic.

Kinley as aczar," dictator" !"
Caesar" etc.? The Government
of Porto Rico, as provided in the
bill just passed by Congress, is
practically the same as that provid-
ed for our other territories, similar
in general substance with that of
Arizona and New Mexico. Not
only this, but the very strongest
kind Of precedent is furnished by
the acts of the very trainers of the
Declaration of Independence and
Constitution, Thomas Jefferson,
and others to whom the Democrats
like to look for inspiration.
Under the provisions of the Porto
Rican bill, the natives elect lower
house or assembly of their own,
while there is an upper house or
executive council appointed by the
President, in addition to the gov
ernor, judges and other appointive
officers. In a general way this
conforms to the government of these
territories which are commonly
supposed to be cast for future state
hood, but it is not so much this to
which comparison may be made as
to earlier precedents in the history
of this country.
The first precedent to which at
tention may be called is that known
as the ordinance of 1887, a law
enacted by Congress in that year
for the government of the North
west territory, framed and enacted
by men who helped make the Dec
laration of Independence and who
two years later helped to frame the
Constitution of the United States,
about which the present-day kick
so love to prate. It is interesting
to note that, under this law, all the
executive officers of the vast North
west territory were appointed by
the Federal Government precisely
as they are under the provisions of
the Porto Rican act. When Presi-
dent Mckinley appoints the officials
for the government of Porto Rico,
he will be doing only what George
Washington did over a hundred
years ago for large tract of terri
tory beyond the Ohio river.
Another precedent is found in the
course of Thomas Jefferson in con-
nection with the Louisiana tract in
1903. At his behest he was EN-
powered by Congress in that year
to appoint all the civil, military
and judicial officers of the new ter
ritory and to support them with
the army and navy of the United
States. A year later another and
more comprehensive act authorized
President Jefferson to appoint the
Governor of Louisiana, the secre'
tary and a Legislative council o1
thirteen members. These fifteen
othclals-every one of them ap'
pointed by the President-were to
be the territorial legislature, and
their acts were to be subject tc
Federal veto.
This legislation, it will be noted
Is less broad than that accorded tt
the Porto Ricans. In Louisiana
the entire Legislature was appoint
ed by the President, while the Por
to Ricans have the privilege O
choosing their own lower house
and of the executive council a
least five must be native Port'
Ricans. .r- 5I.-... 81.
Still another precedent is foun'
In the government authorized 70
the territory of Missouri in 1912
which plan bears quite a close re
semblance to the Porto Rican bill
IN this the territory was given
legislative council and a house {
representatives, but the house alon
was elected by the people. Thi
nouse could nominate eighteen pei
sons tor the legislative council, an
out of these the nine members wh